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.
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.
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.
Don, Bruce, Billy, and Guy reached the cwm at 7000 meters last night (July 8, PKT). They are waiting there for more stable weather so that they can attempt a summit bid.
It's been a week since I departed Pakistan, and I'm now feeling rested and revitalized, assimilating back into western culture and snacking on the odd french fry or two...ok, maybe more than two. I'll be in Europe for the next week, arriving back in the States near the end of March.
On February 25th, it was made public on the HiMountain website that our expedition was over. We had tried for 70 days to surpass our high point of Camp 3 at 7000 meters, but constant winds had battered the camps into flapping nylon, and our supplies in base camp were dwindling. On the 24th, Amin, Ali and I again made a push for Camp 3, attempting to make the climb there and back in a single day. Secretly I hoped that a weather window would open on the 25th and 26th, and our last foray up the mountain would turn into a fast summit push. But the forecast on the 23rd told us to expect the typical high winds, making our final climb a clean-up mission and to bring down the gear depots.
On the final climb our fast ascent pace had taken it's toll on Amin by Camp 2, so he stayed at that elevation, deconstructing the broken tents and packing as much gear as he could carry. Ali and I carried on to Camp 3 - but not without agreeing first that we'd turn around if conditions were too bad - suffering frostbite now was not an option. Above Camp 2 the winds were astonishingly high, and due to 3 days of snowfall. visibility was at times zero. On the boiler-plate ice slopes below Camp 3, we paused every 20 meters or so to warm our hands, and I was really worried that Ali would suffer frostbite in these conditions.
Every 10 minutes I stopped and turned around to see Ali, and during the gaps in blowing snow I'd give him a 'thumbs up', waiting for a returned gesture. Eventually we reached Camp 3, where we found our depot literally hanging by a thin chord of 4mm rope over the edge of the abyss. The winds had blown the 60kg "gear burrito" 30 meters from where we had left it, and only a short piece of fixed line had prevented it from being blown into oblivion. In the raging winds we quickly stuffed our packs with as much as they could hold, then began the longs series of rappels toward base camp. Near dark we stumbled into base camp, tired from our marathon climb and descent, but happy with our effort to get stuff off the mountain.
Before I left for Broad Peak in early December, I knew that when the expedition was over a helicopter ride out from base camp may not be possible - but what I didn't expect is that we'd have to make the trek home without porters, carrying all we could manage with us. By the time my pack was loaded with computers, video equipment, cameras, some electronics, 5 days of food, cooking fuel, stoves, sleeping bag, and a few clothes, it weighed in at 30kg. I ditched everything that I could stomach leaving on the glacier, carrying only the most valuable or essential items. In May, the porters would be able to make it up to base camp and bring out all our gear, but for now it would have to stay, locked in drums on the moraine.
After packing up the rest of base camp on the 25th, we finally started the trek out on February 26th.
As I shouldered my massively-loaded pack, I thought to myself, "This is going to be epic." Over the last few years I've made the long trek up and down the Baltoro 3 times - in summer - but now a blanket of fresh snow would turn the already difficult journey into a nearly impossible one. The prior week's storm had deposited a fresh layer of 20-30cm on top of a base of a few meters in places. Around base camp the winds had scoured the moraine nearly clean, but down the glacier where winds were lower the snow had accumulated into deep drifts and unstable layers, and I knew that a post-hole-ing, "wallow-me-Elmo" nightmare was to follow.
Five minutes after leaving base camp, I stepped down onto a drift- which turned out not a to be a drift but rather a meter-high rift of glacial ice dusted with snow - and subsequently fell hard onto the rocks under the heavy weight of my pack. Uttering various uncreative expletives, I picked myself up from the short fall, only to discover a severe pain in my right knee. On top of everything else, I'd now have to make the trip with a deeply sprained ligament. Talk about adding insult to injury - or rather the inverse.
On the way to Concordia, Amin, Ali, Taqi, Robert, and I would take turns breaking trail and slogging our loads, with our poor cook, Didar, playing caboose the entire time.
Didar had been sitting in front of a stove for 2 months, and was now completely out of shape. I felt bad for the poor guy and waited patiently for him when he fell too far behind - but I wasn't exactly speedy myself as my knee grew progressively more painful.
After Concordia we stumbled upon the most unlikely but welcoming thing: a trail in the snow - and with this our progress increased significantly. The Pakistani army had recently moved soldiers up to the post near Gasherbrum 2, and their footsteps had trampled a harder path, turning our post-hole party into a semi-post-hole party. After 12 hours of tough going in the snow, we set up camp near Goro 2, under a chilly, clear sky, cramming into painfully small assault tents, but content with our progress so far.
Next dispatch tomorrow- Snow Leopards, Snow Blindness, and Pakistani Hospitality
Its insultingly cold outside, but you dont want to dress in an Everest-style cover-all just to stay warm. The North Face Womens Caroline Down Coat wraps from your neck to your knees in warm, 600-fill goose down, and adds a flattering waist-belt to boot.
