International Broad Peak / K2 expedition: The Summit push is on!

Copyright© Billy Pierson

NEWS Gerfried Goschl K2-Expedition

After a forced march from more than 11 hours Gerfried Göschl, Hans and Georg Wenzl, as well as Kilian Volken reached camp 2 in 6700 m. The stage was very hard because the snow was deeply and every step costed much energy – more than expected. A moment of shock was the descent of an avalanche during the ascent to camp 2. But Gerfried an his comrades are fortunately in good condition and will go today to the camp 3 in 7350 m. An Update follows today evening.

Start to the K2-summit; News from Gerfried Göschl-Expedition

After stay out the bad weather in basecamp today Gerfried Göschl, Kilian Volken, as well as Georg and Hans Wenzl have started the ascent of K2. The polish climber Jecek Teler has affiliated to the four-man-team. Even today they want to reach the camp 2 in 6700 m. Tomorrow Gerfried and his comrades will reach the camp 3 (7350 m) via the abruzzigrat. The further plan is, that they will reach the camp 4 in 7800 m on Monday and already in the night to Tuesday they will start to attain the summit of K2. The timetable is urgent, because the settled weather will finish in the middle of next weak. In the meantime also Günther Unterberger, Ronald Newerkla, Louis Rousseau and Karl Fanta have recent started the ascent to the summit of Broad Peak. The will reach the top on Monday.

Earlier Update: News from Gerfried Göschl

After the successful ascent of Broad Peak Gerfried Göschl, Georg and Hans Wenzl as well as Kilian Volken are now preparing for climbing of K2, even if the weather in the moment is very bad. Already tomorrow they will migrate to the K2 basecamp. Günther Unterberger, he was ill with an gastric flu, will together with Ronald Newerkla, Louis Rousseau and Karl Fanta try once more, to reach the summit of Broad Peak. Everybody else from the expedition team are on homeward bound

Update 7/20/2007: Gerfried reports summits of Broad Peak by himself and his team, more details and pictures to follow soon..

Update 7/18/2007: The summit push is on...They hope to summit soon (Friday in Pakistan)

Update 7/16/2007: Everything is ok. All members back to base camp. One member went alone, he turned around on the "Vorgipfel". After some problems on the way down, he came back to basecamp alone and everything is ok

Earlier: After two days of rest in the basecamp, all members of the expedition climbed to camp 2 (6200m), except doc Günther Straub and Günther Unterberger. Both of them helped the amerikan expedition member Ken Hill, because he hurt his leg on the way up. So they returned to basecamp. Tomorrow Ken Hill has to leave the basecamp with the helicopter, for him the expedition is over.

Doc Gunther Straub and Günther Unterberger will climb tomorrow to camp 2.

All of the other members are healthy and they will take a rest for 3-4days. They will use the time for washing their bodies. Hopefully it is warm enough!!

Earlier: In the morning the broad peak expedition went to camp 1 (5650m). A few of them went to camp 2 (6200). All of them are back in the basecamp. Now the take a rest for one or two days and then the whole group will go to camp 2.

Earlier News: On Friday all members of the broad peak expedition arrived the basecamp healthy and without any problems. Today they have to stay in the basecamp, because the weather is very bad. (fog, rain, a bit snow).. have a nice day

Earlier: After altogether 26 hours bus travel (approx. 800km) on the Karakorum Highway on 20 June in Skardu concerned the expedition. All participants are well. Gerfried was received from the mayor of the city Besham solemnly and like promised a part of the donation money handed over. The people thank you there many times for the generous support of the earthquake assistance. Particularly the company AMO (Advanced Medical Optics) is to emphasize here as well as the family of the Brucker of eye prime acre Dr. Markus Grasl. For all participants there was also still another meal with the highest representatives alpine club of Pakistan, whom the expedition this way their respect for the enterprise wanted to express. Today (22.Juni) is further to Askole, the last locality. From there the troop becomes in 5 days in the Basecamp of the Broad peak trekken. Tomorrow (23.Juni) a Live interview on radio Steiermark is planned. )

Earlier: Dear EverestNews.com, all members are save and sound in Skardu. Its real hot here!! Tomorrow we depart for Askole. We want to reach BC of Broad Peak on 27. June. Nice greetings, Gerfried Goschl

Earlier: Dear EverestNews.com, on Saturday (day of the Broad Peak first climb) we had our official kickoff in a festival with many climbers of Broad Peak (Wintersteller and Diemberger, Doug Scott, Simone Moro, Siegi and Gaby Hupfauer, Viki Goselj, Janusz Majer and ......).

We got some money for my families help-project for the earthquake victims in Pakistan. Big thanks to the organizers of the festival, the children of Markus Schmuck (who died 1,5 years ago) and Fritz Wintersteller. 

We are the Austrian International OeAV Broad Peak Golden Jubilee and K2 Expedition 2007. OeAV is the short form of the Austrian Alpine Club . Also the first climb of the Broad Peak had been a OeAV expedition.We are very happy about the information from our agent Mr. Asghar Ali Porik that our cargo already arrived in Islamabad. He stored 58 pieces for us!

On Sunday 17. June we will leave. If all works well we will reach BC of Broad Peak latest on 27. June.

We are 22 climbers, together we have already climbed 21 8000m-summits. We are from 7 nations (Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, USA, Mexico and Ecuador). Nearly all climbers are good friends of mine. They climbed with me already in the big mountains or shared the same goals.

We want to climb together 2 mountains, first Broad Peak, then K2. After Broad Peak some of us will leave the BC to walk home. 9 of us (Me, Günther Unterberger, brothers Hans and Georg Wenzl, Ronald Newerkla, Kilian Volken, Louis Rousseau, Ken Hill and Pepe Jijon) will go up to the BC of K2 to attempt the mountains, after a well acclimatisation on BP, in a fast and light .....

We hope that weather and health will be good to us.

Next news will be from Pakistan.

Nice greetings

Gerfried Göschl

pic 1353: With my very good friend Hans Goger, with whom I did climb on the slopes of Mount Everest.

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