K2 2009: American K2 Ski Expedition 2009

Copyright© Billy Pierson

This summer American climber and skier, Dave Watson will attempt to ski the S-SE spur of K2 in Pakistan.
 
Dave, a 2-time Everest summiter, is hoping to complete the project he started last summer.  In 2008, he travelled to Pakistan to ski K2, dangerous conditions prevented him from realizing his dream. 
 
Watson acclimatized on Broad Peak and skied from 7600 meters during the only usable weather window of the summer 08' season.  After helping with rescues of climbers on K2 , during that same weather window, Dave and his team remained the only people in base camp for another 4 weeks, hoping for decreased wind speeds on the upper mountain.  The winds never decreased to a safe level and the season ended.
 
Using skis from the Karhu ski company, weighing only 3.4 pounds, he hopes to ski from the summit of the 8611 meter, K2.  Conditions will detirmine if he will attempt to ski the exposed traverse under the serac as well as the top of the bottleneck.

A cold weather, high altitude double boot for extreme conditions The Olympus Mons is the perfect choice for 8000-meter peaks. This super lightweight double boot has a PE thermal insulating inner boot that is coupled with a thermo-reflective outer boot with an integrated gaiter. We used a super insulating lightweight PE outsole to keep the weight down and the TPU midsole is excellent for crampon compatibility and stability on steep terrain. WEIGHT: 39.86 oz • 1130 g LAST: Olympus Mons CONSTRUCTION: Inner: Slip lasted Outer: Board Lasted OUTER BOOT: Cordura® upper lined with dual-density PE micro-cellular thermal insulating closed cell foam and thermo-reflective aluminium facing/ Insulated removable footbed/ Vibram® rubber rand See more here.

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