By Rodrigo Granzotto Peron
1 – OVERVIEW OF THE SEASON
Seasons change. Instead of springs overcrowded base camps and traffic jams on the regular routes of Everest, Lhotse, Manaslu, and this year Annapurna, we had on summer a low number of expeditions (less than 30), almost empty base camps and very few summits. In comparison, Everest had almost 530 summits and K2 none (just one imaginary summit). All 8000ers on spring received more or less 700 ascents, and on summer just a little bit more than 50 (1/12 of the ascents registered on the previous season).
With 2010s summits, the two highest Gasherbrums have now more than 1,2k: 300+ summits on G1, and 900+ summits on G2.
The most important events took place on K2, Gasherbrum 1 and Broad Peak and will be analyzed on separate topics.
Several climbers completed double headers (some claims are under investigation):
a) G2 + G1:
Alexey Bolotov (RUS)
Hans Fredrik Strang (SWE)
Kim Jae-Soo (S. K.)
Libor Uher (CZE)
Marty Schmidt (USA)
Pasang Lama Bhote (NEP)
Radek Jaros (CZE)
Tshering Dorje III Sherpa (NEP)
b) NP + G1:
Chhang Dawa Sherpa (NEP)
Mingma Sherpa (NEP)
With these ascents, Kim Jae-Soo is the fifth S Korean and Mingma Sherpa the first Nepali to complete the so-called TOP 5 Pakistan (K2 + NP + G1 + BP + G2).
Interesting to note that some famous peaks and spires had special birthday parties this year:
6 July – 50 years of Masherbrum
17 July – 40 years of K6
18 July – 30 years of Latok IV
21 July – 60 years of Tirich Mir
23 July – 30 years of Yutmaru Sar
25 July – 20 years of Bularung Sar
14 August – 30 years of Depak
17 August – 50 years of Trivor
17 August – 50 years of Noshaq
22 August – 60 years of Abi Gamin
2 – COLLECTORS WITH AT LEAST ONE SUMMIT THIS SEASON
13 Mingma Sherpa (NEP)
12 Kim Jae-Soo (S-K)
11 Radek Jaros (CZE)
10 Kim Chang-Ho (S-K)
09 Alexey Bolotov (RUS) *
08 Pema Tshering I Sherpa (NEP)
08 Tshering Dorje III Sherpa (NEP)
07 Chhang Dawa Sherpa (NEP)
07 Pasang Lama Bhote (NEP)
07 Seo Sung-Ho (S-K)
06 Hans Fredrik Strang (SWE)
05 Artur Hajzer (POL)
05 Kim Jin-Tae (S-K)
05 Kobi Reichen (SWZ)
05 Marty Schmidt (USA)
05 Roberto Rojo (SPA)
05 Samuli Mansikka (FIN)
05 Sanu Sherpa (NEP)
04 Azim Gheyshisaz (IRAN)
04 Christian Maurel (FRA)
04 Ludo Challeat (FRA)
* It is important to mention that Alexey Bolotov did not summit Lhotse. His 8th 8000er was on Pakistan, not on Nepal. Days later, he also bagged his 9th 8000er.
3 – FIRSTS &, RECORD-BREAKERS
I – NANGA PARBAT
First Nepali to 12x8000ers – Mingma Sherpa
First Sherpa brothers to summit together – Mingma Sherpa &, Chhang Dawa Sherpa
Second climber to summit NP both sides – Kim Chang-Ho (S-K)
II – GASHERBRUM I
First Brazilian – Cleonice (Cleo) Weidlich
First climber to 4x Gasherbrum I – Nisar Hussain (PAK)
First Nepali to 13x8000ers – Mingma Sherpa
First Nepali to TOP 5 Pakistan – Mingma Sherpa
First Sherpa brothers to summit together – Mingma Sherpa &, Chhang Dawa Sherpa
Second NP + G1 double-header of all times – Mingma Sherpa &, Chhang Dawa Sherpa (NEP)
III – BROAD PEAK
First African climber to summit 3x8000ers – Michael (Mike) Horn (S-AF)
First South African – Michael (Mike) Horn
Third complete traverse of all BPs – Alberto Iñurrategi (SPA)
4 – DOUBTS THAT EMERGED DURING THE SEASON
a) Is the North East Flank of Gasherbrum I the last virgin face of the 8000ers?
It was announced during the season that the North East Face of Hidden Peak is the last virgin face of the 8000ers. This flank is indeed an unexplored immensity of ice and rock, but there are other virgin faces on 8000ers. For example: Lhotses East Face, Lhotse Shars East Face, Shishapangmas East Face. Other flanks, in spite of some previous expeditions, still wait a complete direct central line: Annapurnas NW Face, Kangchenjungas E Face, Everests E Face, K2s E Face, Cho Oyus N Face, and so what.
b) Kim Jae-Soo opened a new variant on Gasherbrum I?
Preliminary reports from Baltoro indicated that Kim Jae-Soo, accompanied by Pasang Lama Bhote and Sherpas Mingma, Chhang Dawa and Tshering Dorje III, created a new upper variant on Gasherbrum I, from camp III to the summit. The other members of the team Son Byung-Woo and Pema Tshering I Sherpa retreated 100 meters shy from the top, but the rest of the climbers on the summit push followed the new line to the top as well. According with later declarations by e-mail, however, the so-called new variant was just a few meters out of the regular route, and cannot be considered a variant.
c) A K2 + BP double-header was performed before?
With several climbers trying double-headers and triple-headers in Baltoro on recent years (and even some quads), this doubt emerged. Combos of G1 + G2 or G1 + BP or G2 + BP are quite common, with several occurrences so far (including some on 2010). But headers involving K2 are extremely rare, since the peak is a very hard task by itself. The only registered cases are from the 80´s, 25 years ago.
1985 – triple-header (G2 + G1 + K2) – Eric Escoffier (FRA)
1986 – double-header (BP + K2) – Beda Fuster (SWZ) &, Jozef Rakoncaj (CZE)
5 – OBITUARIES
18.07 Petar Georgiev Unzhiev (BUL) [K2] [HAPE, HACE]
06.08 Fredrik (Frippe) Ericsson (SWE) [K2] [fall]
With these two occurrences, K2 has reached 80 registered deaths. A curiosity about the Mountaineers Mountain is that the overall fatality rate (1900-2010) and the recent fatality rate (2000-2010) are almost the same, orbiting around 25%.
Annapurna is considered the deadliest 8000er, with the overall danger level (1900-2010) of 33%. But if we pick only the recent danger level (2000-2010), than Annapurna is only 10.81% dangerous.
The conclusion is that from 2000-on the deadliest 8000er is in fact K2, twice as dangerous as Annapurna.
6 ABSOLUTE NUMBERS
Number of ascents on the 8000ers during the season:
K2 00
Nanga Parbat 09
Gasherbrum I 15
Broad Peak 05
Gasherbrum II 23
Broad Peak Fore Summit 00
Gasherbrum II Fore Summit 00
TOTAL on MAIN 8000ers: 52
*This Chronicle is based on preliminary data and under analysis. Some will be revisited in the following months, with possibly a few corrections to be done by then.
