K2 – Overview – No summits this season

NB….for any K2 or Karakoram climbers in the 2010 season I have three new cylinders of Poisk oxygen in Skardu that are for sale email Sean on venture@hot.co.za 

The season has ended and news from Base camp is that nobody has reached the summit of K2 this climbing season. Spaniard, Jorge Egocheaga claimed to be the only exception. In marginal weather, he reckons he topped out at 7.30am on the 19th of July after a solo push from Camp 3. No photo’s have been seen yet. And there have been three questionable summit claims on neighbouring Broad Peak too. What can we make of this? Sean reckons the whole world ‘has gone to pot!’

Sean’s high point was Camp 2 at 6500m. He describes the architecture of the peak as exceptionally vertical and the rock as ‘super flaky’.  Climbing conditions were varied in deep snow. Massive avalanches were the highlight of the trip. “I have never seen and filmed such amazing avalanches at such close range” Sean said. He believes that because the region is so warm that there’s ‘too much precipitation’ resulting in heavy snowfall, heavy avalanches and heavy rock fall. And although the video material and scenes are spectacular to watch, the mountain is literally falling apart and this makes the climbing risky. His decision to leave was based on the fact that K2 is a ‘graveyard’ as he puts it. He was involved in the recovery of Michele Fait’s body after a dreadful fall, came across the remains of two corpses and based on his gut feel decided ‘that enough was enough!’.  ‘I was sad to leave the beautiful Karakorams but there was no way that I could clear the images of the dead from my mind while I was climbing’.
What K2 has done for Sean is highlight the effects of climate change. Not only on the Karakorams but globally. He is underway with assembling a timeline of archived images and video, that visually and physically display the diminishment of glaciers and ceracs on Mt Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, Kenya and Everest. Sean will then create a presentation from the material he collates. He is also assembling a new talk titled “I think you’re crazy just like me!” which includes inspiring anecdotes taken from 30 expeditions of individuals Sean has missioned with all over the world. Sean’s new talk humourously enters into the lives of characters he has either climbed with (professionals) or guided (all shapes and sizes) and their spirit to endure (or not endure) tough and testing feats in incredible wildernesses. This is really about celebrating the human spirit. How the ‘tough’ may be hacked at the knees when faced with incredible struggle, how the ‘loser’ may later win. How good leaders are not always the best climbers and how the best climbers should not always be the expedition leader. That contribution to a team is as important as contribution to oneself. That success is driven by one’s own determination and will and that we must always remember that we are never ten foot tall and bulletproof! Even after we have been successful!  

 
From Sean: “Great thank you to everyone who has supported me on this expedition, especially Katherine Rowan. She has kept you updated on the blog and with these newsletters and has been available on her phone day and night keeping everything together and still keeping it together.”
Next up is a trip to Kilimanjaro on the 18th of September and you’re all invited. Sean will be photographing and filming the glaciers for his archive.
Mt Kenya 4th December is open.
Mt Aconcagua departs 1st week of January 2010, also open.
 Mt Everest Base Camp April/May 2010

Tags: K2, Overview, Summit, Talk