At Hidden Peak (8,068m) base

At Hidden Peak (8,068m) base.

Dear friends:

It is a great pleasure to send news directly from base camp, we are already installed at 5,050m of altitude, at the foot of the majestic group of mountains called Gasherbrum.  They are 6 impressive peaks, two of them taller than 8 thousand meters, Gasherbrum I or Hidden Peak (8,068m) and Gasherbrum II (8,035m).

There are a total of 8 expeditions here, a relatively small number compared to the previous years, because of the political instability and the war that hit this part of Asia.

Almost all the teams have as their main objective to climb Gasherbrum II, which is easier; I climbed it in 1999.  A French team and an English team installed all the superior camps and are ready to make an attempt to reach the summit.

The path to camp 1 (5,950m) is the same for both mountains, but nobody invested any effort above that altitude on Hidden Peak, the main objective of our team.

We are waiting for the arrival of the rest of our equipment, which was delayed because of the excess of snow.  In total, there are twelve plastic barrels with everything we need for our climb.  They should be here tomorrow, and we will immediately start our attack on Hidden Peak.

The weather is still unstable, the sun shines on a blue sky during the morning, but around noon the clouds come and it snows a little at the end of the afternoon.  The excess of snow of the season worries me, but it is not stopping the development of our work. 

Today, we had the visit of Donald Bowie (Canadian) and Alexey Bolotoov (Russian), a pleasant surprise, they are well known climbers and very strong, they will decide to join us on the attack on Hidden Peak.

Hugs, Waldemar Niclewicz

Translated from Portuguese by Jorge Rivera

Toward base camp

Dear friends,

We are happy in the most impressive and majestic mountains of the Earth, Karakorum.  Despite the distance we visited the Baltoro Cathedral, the big Trango, Broad Peak and even K2.

After 40 km of trekking, in two days, we are now resting in Paiju at 3350m of altitude, a real oasis in the middle of the arid mountains.  Our barracks protect us from the strong heat of the sun under the shadow of the trees and we have crystal clear water, something rare here.

The stress of almost 30 hours in the plane, the difficult trip from Islamabad to Skardu and the very dangerous trip by jeep from Skardu to Askole (where we had an accident in 1998 with the death of our cook and his son), gives way to an incredible feeling of satisfaction.

Being in front of K2 again, after 10 years, gives me certainty that all the effort I did to make the so long waited dream true is all worth.  No other mountain has given me so much fascination, no other mountain has demanded me so much in exchange.

We still have 80 km ahead that we have to cover them in four days, and it is the most difficult part of the approach trek, because we are going to walk over the Baltoro glacier, but the beginning will be covered with a lot of lose pebbles and then there are hidden crevasses because of the excess of snow this season.  In compensation, each day will be more impressive because of the grandness of the mountains.

The weather improved, we have strong sun in the morning, but there have been some showers during the afternoon.

We are traveling with the people of Máximo Kausch from Argentina, he lived in Brasil for nine years and he is facing Hidden Peak and Gasherbrum 2 with an English team that is now at base camp.

I hope to send the next update directly from base camp; Insha Alá!

Hugs,

Waldemar Niclevicz

Translated from Portuguese by Jorge Rivera

Millet One Sport Everest Boot  has made some minor changes by adding more Kevlar. USES Expeditions / High altitude / Mountaineering in extremely cold conditions / Isothermal to -75°F Gore-Tex® Top dry / Evazote Reinforcements with aramid threads. Avg. Weight: 5 lbs 13 oz Sizes: 5 - 14 DESCRIPTION Boot with semi-rigid shell and built-in Gore-Tex® gaiter reinforced by aramid threads, and removable inner slipper Automatic crampon attachment Non-compressive fastening Double zip, so easier to put on Microcellular midsole to increase insulation Removable inner slipper in aluminized alveolate Fiberglass and carbon footbed Cordura + Evazote upper Elasticated collar. Expedition footwear for mountaineering in conditions of extreme cold.  NOTE US SIZES LISTED. See more here.

Altitude pre-
   acclimatization

   Ascenders

   Atlas snowshoes

   Black Diamond

   Botas

   Brunton

   Carabiners

   CaVa Climbing Shoes
   Clearance

   Clif Bar

   Cloudveil

   CMI

   Crampons

   Edelweiss ropes
   Eureka Tents

   Featured

   FoxRiver

   Garmin

   Granite Gear

   Harnesses
   Headlamps
   Helmets

   HighGear
   Ice Axes

   Kavu Eyewear

   Katadyn

   Kelty

   Kong

   Lekisport

   Lowepro

   Motorola

   Mountain Hardwear

   Mountainsmith

   MSR

   Nalgene

   New England Ropes

   Nikwax

   Omega

   Patagonia

   Pelican

   Petzl

   PowerBar

   Princeton Tec

   Prescription Glacier

   Glasses

   Primus

   Rope Bags

   Seattle Sports

   Serius
   Sleeping Bags

   Stubai

   Suunto

   Tents

   Thermarest

   Trango

   Tool Logic

   Trekking Poles
   Yaktrax
   and more here