K2 2005: MOL-K2 EXPEDITION: Update on K2 climbers

Update: These are the main news Lajos Kollar (leader of Central European MOL-K2 expedition) sent us yesterday evening:

"The weather by Tuesday morning changed a lot. It heavily rained and the wind started to blow. All the members of the MOL-K2 expedition reached BC at 16:00 with all the equipment.

This meant the end of the expedition for them, with a result of reaching 8250 meters by Zsolt Eross. Only the team from Kazakhstan made it higher, however right now there is no information of their exact whereabouts. As far as we know they might have made a push and on their way back they could have reached camp 3 or for 4. They are supposed to have a THURAYA satellite telephone on them but it's been out of order for 2 days. Though it looks pretty impossible they must make it down somehow. The Polish are

struggling to make it back, but they are in a whole lot better situation, spending the night at C2.

As for the MOL-K2 expedition, our Sherpas are to arrive on the 17th, and next day we are good to leave through the Concordia, the Vigne glacier to underneath the Gondo-Goro, which we are supposed to pass on the 19th. Hopefully snowfall won't cause avalanche danger, otherwise we have to make a detour towards Askole. This would mean an extra day delay."

Best regards, Márkus Tamás | Sportpiac

Update: Update about Kazakhs and Polish and MOL-K2 expedition
Importance: High

Hi there, Just a very short update from Lajos Kollar, leader of Central european MOL expedition (made at 16th Aug 23pm): they don't know anything about the Kazakhs, but the 2 Polish are descending, they are at C2, supposed to spend the night there, maybe tomorrow they will get back to BC. All members of our expedition are at BC, safe and well. Weather is getting worse and worse. I try to write more in the morning, these are the main news, we don't know any further about Kazakhs and Polish at this time. Cheers, Tamás Márkus Sportpiac

Update: MOL-K2 expedition: Zsolt Eross has decided to turn back

Eross Zsolt, the MOL-K2 expedition’s only summit climber to had reached 8200 meters, where he decided to turn back, because of the atrocious weather conditions on the mountain. The ’Ounce’ had left Camp 4 at 2 a.m. (local time) on the 15th of August, and he fought with the mountain for almost ten hours, before giving in to it. His was the first and only summit push of the Hungarian-Slovakian-Romanian MOL-K2 team.

Lajos Kollar, the leader of the expedition, informed us on the phone that Zsolt Eross has returned to Camp 4 (on 7700m) to his teammates, Katalin Csollany and Jaro Dutka. Eross was climbing with a Kazah team, but on 8200m he decided to turn back. They were trodding in snow that was up to their chests, facing winds over 100 km/h. They spent five hours covering only a small distance. The three Kazah climbers decided to continue climbing, despite the life-threatening conditions. 

MOL-K2’s three-member team are on their way to camp 3, while the others have started climbing from the base camp, to dismantle the camps. The group is likely to leave the mountain on the 18th of August. They are expected to arrive to Hungary at the end of August.

ZSOLT EROSS: The first Hungarian ’Ounce’ was member of numerous Tien-San, Caucasus, Pamir and Himalaya expeditions. Climber of three Himalaya eight thousands, the Nanga Parbat (8125 m), the Gasherbrum II. (8035 m.) and the first Hungarian to climb the Mount Everest

Update: 3 members of the MOL-K2 Expedition spent the night at Camp 4 yesterday: Jaro Dutca, Katalin Csollany and Zsolt Eross. This morning at 2 AM,  Zsolt Eross left for the summit following the Kazakh climbers’ trail. Jaro and Katalin are waiting for him at C4.

Update: The team's contact send us the below and stated he thought they were in camp 3 right now..

The MOL-K2 expedition seems not to give it in to the bad weather?

Right now it looks like this is not the lucky time for the MOL-K2 expedition to conquer the K2 summit, but no matter what they seem to take the challenge. In spite of the bad weather that strikes the mountain the Slovak-Hungarian-Romanian team is about to take off for the summit.

According to most recent forecasts, days between the 13th and the 16th of August, comparing to last weeks’ weather experience, are going to be the most adequate to reach the 8611 meters high mountain top. This period of time is going to be used by the climbers to take their – most likely only and last – chance for the push. 

All the camps needed has been set up, and hopefully these next days are going to be enough for the attempt and for the safe return as well. After the 16th weather is going to turn beyond all bearings on K2, so as late as the 18th the MOL-K2 expedition will have to be gone from the site. According to the plans by the 20th they are going to arrive to Skardu.

As Lajos Kollár reported to sportpiac.hu yesterday, there are few left on K2 who still have trust in the success. The most enduring team, the Norwegian, and by now only the recently arrived expedition from Kazakhstan, two Polish, one American and one Australian climber is to be found there with the Hungarian mixed group.

Lajos Kollár’s report from yesterday (10th) explained a lot about the weather: „ It’s been a month since we arrived to the K2 base camp, but only 6-7 days were acceptable. Not good, or great, only quite acceptable. Those who spent here two months, like the Norwegians couldn’t be more content either.” As it has been said earlier, the K2 is the only mountain in the Karakorum-Himalaya that hasn’t been conquered by anybody this season. If it’s up to the weather it will remain like that. Source: Team and Sportpiac (www.sportpiac.hu)

Update: In delayed reporting from base camp: MOL-K2 expedition: descreasing chances, increasing determination

The weather on K2 is constantly changing…changing for the worse. The climbing teams on the mountain – including the MOL-K2 expedition –have not been able to move away from the base camp. The awful weather has decimated the number of climbers aiming for the 8611 meter peak. The Japanese, the Irish and the Bulgarian team has already left, the Americans are seriously thinking about it. The MOL team is hanging on.

As it seems, only a well-coordinated, combined effort by the teams on the mountain has a chance of reaching the summit of K2 this year. Therefore, as Lajos Kollár, the leader of the MOL-K2 expedition has told us, the teams held an expeditionary meeting in the base camp, in order to coordinate their efforts.

The meeting revealed that the Norwegian and the American groups,which have been on the mountain for two months, are likely to go home empty-handed. The Polish team, which stayed on alone after the departure of the Bulgarians, definitely continues its mission. Their primary aim is to bring their 55-year-old climber, Anna Czerwinska to the top of K2. The goals of the MOL-K2 expedition are similar – to get some of their climbers to the summit.

According to the forecasts – which have been changing daily, usually for the worse – a two-three day improvement is expected on the mountain from Friday. Of course, this period is not long enough for a summit push, but long enough to build their highest camp – camp III – at 7300 meters. After that they have to survive „only” the stormy period expected to last till the middle of August, and then some members of the team might have a chance of attacking the summit that seems to be even more formidable than usual

Earlier Update: Camp 2 has been set up by the MOL-K2 expedition

The MOL-K2 expedition’s camp 1 and camp 2 have been set up by taking advantage of last days’ good weather conditions. After the weekend stormy weather is to be expected, but as soon as it’s gone our climbers hopefully are going to be ready for the summit push.

As the team leader Lajos Kollár reported, four members of the team (Katalin Csollány, Zsolt Erőss, Markos Huba, Jaro Dutka) have reached and set up camp 2 at 6700 meters. After spending the night they have returned to the base on Wednesday. If good weather conditions remain the other 3 members of the MOl-K2 expedition (Lajos Kollár, László Mécs and Dan Borcea) will take a look at camp 2, to sort the equipment and to acclimatize. Zoltán

Background: MOL-K2 EXPEDITION Lajos Kollár, Hungary – Expedition Leader

 The organizer-leader of the expedition. He started climbing in 1972 mainly in the Tatras, The Alps and in the Caucasus. Later he led two Trans-Greenland Expedition .He organized and led the 2003 Hungarian Gasherbrum I-Ii Expedition where 9 climbers summated out of the 12 members including 3 women, whom were the first Hungarian females to step on an 8000er summit

László Mécs, Hungary – Technical Leader

The technical leader of the expedition. He summited Broad Peak (2000) and Gasherbrum II (2003) He led a Hungarian Everest Expedition in 2001 from the north. He is a mountain climbing instructor.

Huba Markos, Hungary

He was a member of the 2001 Hungarian Everest Expedition. He is a mountain climbing- and ski instructor.

Zsolt Erőss, Hungary

He is a Snow Leopard (climbed all 7000 meter peaks in the former Soviet Union) and the first and only Hungarian summiter of Everest (2002) He also stan on the top of Gasherbrum II (2003) and climbed a new route to Gasherbrum I, but turned back 100 meters from the summit (2003).

 Katalin Csollány, Hungary She is one of the first three Hungarian women who scaled an 8000 meter mountain (2003 Gasherbrum II)

Dan Borcea, Romania: Two times winner of the Romanian climbing championship. He climbed in the Caucasus and in Turkey. He did a solo alpine style climb of Korzhenevskoi in the Pamir.

Jaro Dutca, Slovakia

He started climbing in 1974. He summated Mount Everest (1998) and climbed technical routes in the Trango Towers and the Khumbu Himalaya region.

Update: The team just left Islamabad today (1st of July) to Skardu.

ACS, Zoltán

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