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China Karakoram 2000 Expedition summary
In 1999, no groups attempted the Chinese north side
of the Karakoram 8,000 meter peaks (K2, Gasherbrum and
Broad Peak). This year, five expeditions totaling 49
climbers and 16 Pakistani high altitude porters (HAPs)
attempted K2's long north ridge. All climbers left K2
Base Camp by September 12th. K2 been summitted around
30 times via the north side and around of 186
times by September 2000 (including Pakistan side).
[For a complete list of K2 Summits see
here.]
In 2000 the climbers included:
German Expedition with two climbers, Henning
Paschke and Hans Stegmeir. This was Stegmeir's forth
attempt on K2 (1993, 95, 98 and 2000) and Paschke's
second attempt. They arrived at Basecamp around August
1st, about six weeks later than normal due to their
teaching schedules at home. Their liason officer, Mr.
Sidik from Kashgar Mountaineering Association camel
said they were almost killed when their camel fell
into the raging Shaksgam river when they crossed. The
river is very high during July when glacier melt is at
the highest point.
They initially resolved a dispute over fixed rope
with the American expedition with a $3,000 payment.
Stegmeir says the Americans actually physically
blocked them from climbing. They reached a high point
of 8,100 meters in early September. Their entire
logistics were arranged by Kashgar Mountaineering
Association, based out of Kashgar.
Other climbers on K2 north ridge were:
Mexican Expedition with five climbers and four
HAPs. The members were leader, Ponce De Leon, Andres
Calderon [mis-spelled] who has summitted four 8,000
meter peaks, Spanish woman Araceli Segarra who is the
first Spanish woman to summit Everest and American
Marty Schmidt. High point was about 7,800
meters.
A Japanese Expedition with five climbers and four
Pakistani HAPs reached high point of 7,600 meters.
China Taiwan Expedition with twenty climbers reached
high point of 7,600 meters.
American Expedition with eighteen members and eight
Pakistani Hunza HAP's reached a high point of 7,600
meters at the end of July.
Keyoum Mohammed Kashgar Mountaineering Association
K2
2000 Update: 9/18/2000
Park
Young Seok, the famous Korean
Climber, tells EverestNews.com, "We didn't
summit K2". He is headed next to
Shishapangma.
K2 2000 Update: 9/4/2000
Dear friends,
It's a pleasure to be back on the Internet after with my week
offline. We are still recovering from an unforgettable
and victorious expedition to K2. I apologize for the
lack of news, but I really haven't have time to write,
because the success of Project K2 has been so big that
I have been interviewed every days since I arrived in
Brazil. And don't think that my days will be peaceful
from now on. Many lectures have been requested and I've already returned to my trainings,
because at the end of October I'll participate in the
Mata Atlântica Expedition, the biggest
adventure race in Brazil . We will travel 450 km in
5 days alternating canoeing, mountain bike, climbing
and rafting. It won't be easy and that's why
it's important to be every well prepared.
As it wasn't enough, I'm still defining my new
project, that I must disclose soon; an expedition
formed just by Brazilians that will face one of the
greatest world climbing challenges, an
impressive mountain that is located in the heart of
Himalayas.
Well, I will let you know all the news and
many more details about our conquest of K2 in the
coming weeks and of course we have many photos to
share.
Waldemar
Niclevicz
Project K2 2000 is sponsored by O Boticário, TAM,
Net Vírtua and Sportsjá.
K2 2000 Update: Reliable sources report to
EverestNews.com that Jay Sieger, a member of the
American expedition to K2 (that quit a few weeks ago),
is said to be continuing with the Japanese group
on the North Side (China). Jay had planned at one
point to be a member of the American International K2
Expedition 2000 that have several members (see earlier
stories) Summit K2 from the Pakistan side this year.
Jay decided to changes Expeditions due to the lower
cost on the North ridge expedition.
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Photo taken from the Base
Camp, exactly at the moment that the Koreans arrived at the summit. The crest
that highlights on the right is the Abruzzos Ridge, route that Waldemar
Niclevicz is climbing. The crest on the left is Tomo Cesen, route that the
Koreans have climbed. The sunny part on the right of the summit is the
called "Shoulder" (8000 meters), place where both routes join. Photo by
Waldemar Niclevicz.
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K2 2000:
In a year of many successes
on K2, some more news & notes:
Abele
Blanc has
climbed 11 8000 peaks Now !
The 8000 meter peaks that Abele Blanc has climbed are: Everest - 1992,
Broad Peak - 1993, Kanchenjunga - 1995, Manaslu - 1996, Lhotse -
1997, Cho Oyu - 1998, Shisha Pangma - 1998, Gasherbrum I - 1999,
Gasherbrum II -1999, and Makalu & K2 in 2000.
The whole
expedition of Waldemar Niclevicz, Abele Blanc and Marco
Camandona made the Summit of K2 !
Andy
Evans, said this:, "First, on the 29th
of JULY, the summit order was Abele,
Marco, Nasuh then Waldemar.
All
four of these men were be-knighted
when they passed our tent at 7920 meters on the
morning of July 30. It
was a real marathon of trail breaking for the two
Italians who staying in front for the whole 19 hours
it took them to reach the top! I was looking down from the bottleneck at the last
two, who both made it to C4 safely after a relatively
benign night out above 8100 meters."
On the Chinese side on the
Mountain, the Spanish are reporting that the very
strong team of
climbers including Araceli Segarra, Andres Delgado, Hector Ponce de Leon and America
Marty Schmidt have given up for 2000. They were attempting K2 from on the North Side
along with the American,
Japanese, And strong (and huge) Chinese team. They are reporting
daily Dispatches in Spanish on the http://www.terra.es/deportes/escalada/k2/
web site.
The
American Expedition reporting on the Oreganlive has
also cancelled their expedition: http://www.oregonlive.com/outdoors/special/k2.ssf
No
news on Mr. Park and his Korean expedition who at last
notice was still on the Pakistan side...
Spring K2 Summits ! A Draft
Summary.
8/18/2000
Gary, Evan, Andy and Billy is
back in Pindi sorting out their ticketing back home.
[All members of the American International K2 2000
Expedition]
Every things is fine, waiting
for the debriefing with tourism office.
Regards, Asghar Ali Porik
Jasminetours.com
8/17/2000
Summit
times for July 30:
Mr. Hwang of Korea, w/O2, around 12 noon. Japanese
climber from SSE spur w/o O2, 12:15pm.
Chris Shaw 12:45, Andy Evans 13:15, Andy
Collins 14:15, Billy Pierson 14:30. I
have no idea of the summit order on July 31 among all
of the Koreans with Oxygen, but I know the lead Sherpa
was among the first to the top and the first man down
(summit around 06:30 and at our tent at 7920m by 09:30
or so). Chris
thinks he and I were the 179th and 180th
summiteers of K2 from your
pre-season list of 164 summiteers. He has also
climbed Kanch with Gary and Ginette, and I climbed the
North Ridge of Everest in ’97 with the Kazakhs.
Ivan Vallejo and
Nasuh had also climbed the North Ridge of Everest in
1999 and 1995 respectively.
Andy Evans, a Member of the American International K2
Expedition 2000
8/11/2000
72nd day of the Expedition K2 2000 Islamabad,
Capital of Pakistan
My friends! Fortunately I'm already in
Islamabad, with my friend Abele Blanc, finishing the
last bureaucratic works to the government, so that we
can leave Pakistan.
Today, one of the boring activities that I did was
to bargain the absurd price of the rescue by
helicopter, but we didn't succeed. At the end we had
to pay US$ 9,700.00. That's true "nine thousand
seven hundred dollars" for the helicopter rescue
when we tried to save Marco's frozen fingers. The
promised value was six thousand, but they started to
tell us a long story.... Unfortunately our effort was
in vain, because Marco is already in Italy and he will
have his 6 fingers amputated in the first phalanx.
It's deplorable.
And imagine, although we are very happy by reaching
the summit of K2, we are too tired physically, and we
still have to bear a big confusion at the end of the
expedition. An extra amount of patience is being
demanded now. I have lost 12 kilos since the
beginning of the expedition, and I don't like the
local food, it's too spicy. Tomorrow we'll still
have the "de-briefing"- we need to go to the
Ministry of Tourism with the officer to present a long
report for the authorities. We need to render accounts
about all. One who has already lived in a military
dictatorship knows what I'm talking about. But, God
willing, after all we'll be free to go away.
And, I'm missing Brazil a lot, I'm not going to
Italy now, as I had planned with my expedition
friends. It's really a pity, a great party is being
prepared for Marco and Abele. Well, the solution is
not regret but commemorate, and much, in Brazil. So
wait for me, because I must be in Brazil next week. I
don't know the exact day yet. I'll let you know as
soon as I confirm the flights.
Regards to everybody, here from Islamabad, where
the temperature is around 40 degrees C, in the shadow.
And for my beloved country, I leave my "see
you soon"! I'm going running to its arms,
full of love and missing too much! Insha Alá.
Waldemar Niclevicz, now one
a few people alive to have reached the Summits of K2
and Everest. http://www.niclevicz.com.br/
Project K2 2000 is sponsored by O Boticário, TAM,
Net Vírtua and Sportsjá.
8/9/2000
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Waldemar Niclevicz resting in Skardu after
climbing K2, 12 kilos thinner. |
Skardu, North of Pakistan, Indo Riverbanks
Days go by, and as I have promised you, I will keep
on sending news, although these will not be daily
dispatches. Much has happened since Friday, the
fourth. Marco and I left the Base Camp in order to
escape from the mountains by helicopter. It was a
thrilling and nervous trip and it cost a fortune
"six thousand dollars". Nervous because we
woke up at 3 a.m. to be in Concordia (4700 meters) on
time (8:00 h) and the helicopter didn't appear. It
appeared at 12:30, when we had no hopes left it would
come. A big helicopter came, a MR 17, and not the
"Lama" as they had promised. Entering, the
helicpoter we observed the presence of a climber
in a bad shape, with his face deformed by several
ulcerations and with the points of his fingers frozen.
He was the French climber Vinard Jhon, who after
reaching the summit of Gasherbrum II was caught by an
avalanche and got lost amidst a storm. The army
helicopter and was rescuing hurt climbers. After a
stop in Paiju, in the middle of the mountains, we
changed to a small French helicopter "Lama".
So, we went on our flight, one hour more, in
high speed, almost touching the crests of the
mountains leaving behind the glaciers, and rivers,
with the Pakistan's pilots' know-how.
One the day after arriving in Skardu, Marco went to
Islamabad and today, fortunately he's already in
Italy, to have his frozen his fingers treated. As the
situation with my fingers isn't serious, I have
decided to wait for Abele, who is coming by land, with
all our equipment. He must get here tomorrow. Step by
step, the contact with the trees, flowers, and the
comfort of the hotel can make me feel a fast emotional
recovery, but the physical waste must take a long time
to get over. Just to have an idea, I've lost 12 kilos
in two months of expedition. Really I'm too thin!
Waldemar Niclevicz, now one
a few people alive to have reached the Summits of K2
and Everest.
Project K2 2000 is sponsored by O Boticário, TAM,
Net Vírtua and Sportsjá.
8/8/2000
Korean Summits of K2 according to report by
Asghar Ali Porik Jasminetours.com
Korean K2 Expedition led by
Mr. Han Kyo Yoo consisted of 12 members climbed the
mountain and following members reached the summit.
Han Khy Yoo on 31 July,
Hong Gil Um 31 July,
Hang on 31 July,
Sang Hyun Mo on 31 July,
Serap Jangbu Sherpa on 31 July,
Taek Park on 31 July
American International
Expedition, to clear up any confusion.
Nasuh reached the Summit on
7/29/2000
Chris Shaw,
Andy Collins, Billy Pierson and Andy Evans on
7/30/2000
Ivan Vallejo on 7/31/2000.
The staff at
EverestNews.com
8/6/2000
1.) Waldemar and his
expedition are believed to have departed K2 Base Camp
for home.
2.) News from the American
International Expedition:
I am back, safely, from the
summit of K2 along with team mates Nasuh, Chris Shaw,
Andy Collins, Billy Pierson and Ivan Vallejo. We
summited on three different days- July 29, 30 and 31
during a spell of beautiful weather between storms.
It was an incredible experience. We are all very
tired.
As Gary told you, I am
leaving BC on August 4 with the early group.
We will be shutting down the
email early on August 4.
Regards, Andy Evans
3.) EverestNews.com did
receive an e-mail from a person claiming to be with the
Korean Expedition who implied
the porter was fine now. The person has not responded
to our requests for more information.
4.) Since the two sat phones
are now gone, it might be awhile before we know
more.
5.) EverestNews.com is asking
questions, we will see who will answer.
6.) EverestNews.com is told Park
Young-Seok, the famous Korean climber, has a web site reporting in
Korean http://san.chosun.com/k2/climb/climb_main.html.
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