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5 Jul 2010 12:00 AM |
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Welcome Back
by Don Bowie |
July 4, 2010
Alexey and I are back in base camp now, waiting out a spell of poor weather - along with most of the other teams. After we arrived at base camp on June 25th, Alexey and I sorted gear for a day or two, then immediately headed up the glacier to Camp 1. The route to Camp 1 seems more straightforward this year, and tackles the top of the icefall directly - which is a shorter journey than last year's more circuitous route, and requires careful negotiation of some seriously gaping crevasses. After setting up our tent at Camp 1 (5925 meters) we then rested a second day, lounging around in the sun and acclimatizing. My familiarity with the area did not even slightly diminish the magnitude of the surrounding peaks. In awe, I snapped a few pictures at sundown as the clouds swirled around GIV and GV. After the second night at Camp 1 we awoke to snowfall, fog, and extremely poor visibility- but the boredom of another day in the tent overtook us, and we packed up our tent and gear, roped up, and headed off into the fog toward GI. We were the first this year to make tracks away from the regular GII camp, and neither I nor Alexey had ever been in the cwm between GI and GII. We borrowed a few bamboo poles from the Brazilian/South American team camped nearby (a very friendly group - they are also on G1) and I fired up my GPS to mark our tracks. We had little idea where we were headed in the fog, but we knew the general direction, and after an hour or so reached the bottom of the icefall without incident. We slowly made our way up through the huge seracs of the icefall, climbing right-to-left on a broad, sweeping slope (disconcertingly loaded with fresh snow) until finally stopped by a huge, open crevasse which could not be avoided. We were now at around 6300 meters. The winds and blowing snow had increased significantly, and the temps dropped well below freezing. Looking for some shelter from the elements, Alexey climbed down a narrow ramp onto a massive snow bridge over the huge crevasse. There, under a teetering serac we set up camp. With a huge crevasse under our sleeping bags, a few tons of overhanging ice perched above, and snow and wind battering the tent walls, I now felt officially welcomed back to the Karakorum - and, I forgot to bring my Wiley Coyote umbrella again. The next day the weather had not improved, but despite the storm conditions we were able to find a way up through the serac band above to about 6400 meters - but eventually the wind, cold, and blowing snow fought us back down to the tent. We would not reach Camp 2 on GI on this trip, and even if we were close, we certainly couldn't see it. The next morning we realized that the Fruit Loops and Salt & Vinegar Pringles were all gone. So, before the wheels fell completely off the wagon, we packed up the tent and gear into a depot, broke trail down the icefall ramp onto the glacier, and walked through 20 to 30cm of fresh snow back to Camp 1. There we left a bag of gear and headed back down to base camp for showers, hot food, and a little R&R. Not a bad way to spend our first week here.    
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1 Jul 2010 12:00 AM |
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Phone Dispatch from Don
by Webteam |
July 1, 2010 Even though Alexey and I knew that the weather was going to be bad, our goal was to try to push as high as we could toward Camp 2 on GI. Our first push got us to Camp 1 at 5926m. We spent a day acclimatizing there which means we spent 2 nights. We got up yesterday morning after the second night here and even though visibility was extremely poor, winds were high, and it was snowing, we made our way up along the glacier and up the ice fall towards Camp 2. We understand that Camp 2 is about 6500 m, but we haven’t made it there yet. Last night we camped just below Camp 2 about 6400m. Even though the weather is really bad with blowing snow and high winds, we don’t mind very much because we are dressed warm in our mountain gear and can get warm in the tent There is a ton of snow up here and it has filled in the crevasses. We’ve hit a few small ones, but nothing very big. Today we went up another 100m and think we found the way up into the pass. We feel satisfied that we have reached this high on GI and spent a good amount of time acclimatizing on the mountain. Tomorrow morning we will pack up, leave a stash of gear here, and head back down to Camp 2 and then to Base Camp where we plan to rest for a few days.
June 27th, 2010
Travel in Pakistan has been difficult this year with poor weather beating up the roads and delaying flights into Skardu. Once again we were unable to fly up north and were forced to endure the grueling 24 hour bus ride up the Karakoram Highway - this time in non-stop fashion. I woke up in Skardu with my right cheek sporting an impressive macramé waffle pattern, courtesy the dirty window curtain I drooled on during the final 8 hours of the trip. Apparently, I can still manage to sleep practically anywhere required...
 
We'll depart base camp at 4am, so instead of a long text dispatch, I'll let a few photos do the talking for now. More to follow... Don
   
Click on pictures to enlarge
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30 Jun 2010 12:00 AM |
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Westcomb
by Webteam |
DON'S SUPPORT TEAM IS EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE DON'S NEW SPONSOR: Westcomb sponsors Canadian alpinist, K2 summiteer Don Bowie Bowie to assist Canada-made outdoor apparel brand with product development, brand marketing 06.08.2010 – VANCOUVER, B.C. – Westcomb, manufacturer of Canada-built outdoor apparel of the highest quality, will engage Canadian alpinist Don Bowie as a sponsored athlete, tapping his high-altitude expertise for product development, and employing him as a brand ambassador through public appearances.
Moving forward, Westcomb will help sponsor Bowie’s expeditions to the high peaks of the world and employ his feedback in product design and function. Bowie will also represent Westcomb at speaking engagements in retail stores and elsewhere, and contribute content to Westcomb’s marketing and social media programs.
“I’ve put Westcomb gear to the test in the most extreme environments in the world, and it’s refreshing to be sponsored by a brand that not only makes apparel for those kinds of wild places, but a company that’s so focused on quality that they’re committed to building everything in a factory steps away from their offices in Vancouver,” Bowie said.
Bowie has used Westcomb apparel on his expeditions to the Himalaya and elsewhere for a number of years, including on his successful 2007 Expedition to K2. That expedition was featured on an hour-long program on NBC’s Jeep Wide Word of Adventure Sports the following year.
But for Bowie, and for Westcomb, this sponsorship arrangement reflects a deepening commitment between the two.
“From day one, there has always been a mutual respect between what we’re doing and what Don’s doing, and we’re excited to be at a place where it makes sense to deepen the relationship,” said Westcomb founder Alan Yiu. “As an athlete Don is extremely disciplined, and he exemplifies the passion and perseverance needed to succeed. As well, his purist style of climbing light, fast and unsupported resonates with our values. We look forward to incorporating his skills, both in terms of getting more extensive design input on our gear and also having him help us tell our story.”
Bowie, who is now based in Bishop, Calif, this past summer embarked on his eighth Himalayan/Karakoram expedition, a new route attempt on the north face of Gasherbrum III. In 2007, he, Bruce Normand, and Chris Warner summited K2 without supplementary oxygen, making Bowie the 4th Canadian to ascend the notorious peak. In 2009, he endured 75 grueling days on a Broad Peak winter expedition before resigning to high winds and extreme cold. For his part in the rescue attempt of Inaki Ochoa on Annapurna, Bowie received the Spirit of Mountaineering Commendation at the 2009 Piolets d’Or Awards, and the Gold Medal of Merit in Sport from the Government of Navarre, Spain.
For more on Bowie, visit www.donbowie.com About Westcomb With 100 percent of design and manufacturing based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Westcomb uses its ‘True Form’ design philosophy to create functional, uncomplicated gear of the highest quality workmanship. Each and every Westcomb piece is a product of precision thinking, thoughtful design, extensive development and constant refinement. The company, founded in 2004, partners with the world’s leading material innovators – names like Schoeller, eVent, Polartec and Pertex – to engineer technically advanced gear constructed with the most cutting-edge materials available, often creating industry ‘firsts’ in the process. Westcomb’s offices are located steps from its manufacturing facility, which has decades of experience building outdoor clothing of the very highest quality. The company’s design philosophy and unique manufacturing arrangement has led it to international accolades, including a Backpacker Editors’ Choice Award, a Skiing Magazine Best in Test Award, four APEX Design Awards from Polartec as well as an ISPO ‘Brand New’ award. For more information about Westcomb, visit www.westcomb.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/westcomb Click to read Westcomb press release...
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