K2 Goes Commercial, Anyone Else Think This is a Bad Idea?

It is being widely reported today that Field Touring Alpine and Fabrizio Zangrilli are joining forces to lead the first commercial expedition on K2 this summer, the first of its kind on what many consider to be the most dangerous mountain on Earth.

The expedition will consist of seven paid, invite-only, clients, all of whom are required to have 8000m experience. The team will set out for the mountain in June, when the traditional Karakorum season begins, and will climb the typical route along K2's south east ridge.

Zangrilli was selected for us experience on the big peaks, having climbed on K2 three times in the past, but also having Everest, Shisha Pangma, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Gasherbrum II, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, and a number of other major Himalayan peaks on his resume. He is also an accomplished guide, having led commercial teams on many of those mountains in his 22 year career as well.

You can find out more about the plans for this expedition in this article over at the Rock and Ice Magazine site.

So, what are your thoughts on this one? Commercialized climbing coming to K2? Does that seem like a good idea? Was it inevitable? I'm inclined to believe that it was bound to happen at some point, and it appears that time is now. If Field Touring is successful with this venture, you know that other companies will follow, and in 2010 I wouldn't be surprised to see two or three other commercial teams on the mountain. The scary thing is that K2 is orders of magnitude more dangerous than Everest, and a crowded route or unprepared climbers, would be extremely dangerous. On top top of that, there probably aren't a lot of guides qualified to lead a team on the mountain, at least at this time.

Perhaps I'm overreacting, and it's just some romantic part of me that wants to see K2 remain the "Mountaineers' Mountain". I also recognize that this is just one expedition so far. But, it has to start somewhere, and usually it leads down a slippery slope rather quickly. The thoughts of the disaster from last year still linger in my mind as well, and that definitely has me wondering if this really is a good idea.

K2 Doc Coming To Montana

Dr. Eric Meyer, who was on K2 last year when a series of circumstances, including the collapse of a serac, led to the death of 11 climber, will visit Montana later this month to talk about his experiences and the lessons learned on the mountain.

Meyer will give his presentation "K2 2008: Finding Meaning After Tragedy " at Glacier Discovery Square in Columbia Falls, Montana on Saturday, March 28th at 7 PM. The presentation is sponsored by Talus Outdoor Technologies, who are based out of Missoula, Montana, and is free to the public.

While climbing with a team of nine on K2, the second highest mountain in the world, last year, Dr. Meyer was caught up in the unfolding drama that took place. Meyer turned back from the summit himself, only to find that his training was needed in base camp when survivors of the disaster began to wander in. Eric treated a number of climbers for frostbite, exhaustion, and dehydration, while other members of his team assisted in rescue operations.

This is a unique opportunity to meet someone who was actually on hand for one of the biggest mountaineering disasters in mountaineering history. It should be very interesting to hear what he has to say and get his thoughts on the lessons that can be learned from the K2 tragedy. If anyone is attending, I'd love to get an account of what he has to say.

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Teams in Kathmandu, Some Still Heading North

It is now safe to say that the 2009 Spring Himalaya season is in full swing, as many climbers are now arriving in Kathmandu and making the final preparations for their impending expeditions into the Himalaya.

Alan Arnette added some information to his Everest 2009 page today, with updates straight from the teams themselves, who are already in Nepal. As of this writing, the border to Tibet is still closed, although rumors continue to circulate that it'll reopen on or around April 1st. To that end, several teams are still planning to make attempts on Everest from the North Col route, including a team from Summit Climb, who will not only be going up Everest this year, but also plan a Cho Oyu expedition as well. They'll be joined in Tibet by a Canadian team known as the Canadian Mad Frogs, who also have their eyes on the summit from the north. The 7 Summits Club is not so optimistic however, and they made the jump to the South Side earlier this week.

Another note of interest is that the CTMA (China-Tibet Mountaineering Association) has announced that they will personally over see the fixing of the ropes on the North Side this spring. There has been some concern over who would handle those duties, since Russell Brice and his Himex team have moved to the South as well. In the past, Himex has usually taken care of the ropes themselves, charging the other teams a nominal fee to use them. But with few teams on the mountain, it looked like it could possibly be an issue, but that concern now seems to be over.

ExWeb has some good updates from the region as well, starting with the news that the unrest amongst the Maoist rebels in the Kangchenjunga area has now ended. As I noted a few days back, it seems that unrest, and general strikes, flare up on an annual basis about this time, only to die down again as the climbers start appearing.

ExWeb is also reporting that Manaslu seems to be the popular mountain this spring, with more expected traffic than anywhere else, save the Everest South Side. The mountain stands 8163 meters (26,758 feet) in height as is located along the Nepal/Tibet border, to the east of Annapurna. It is the 8th highest mountain in the world, and is often used as a good climb for gaining experience for the other 8000 meter peaks, which may help to explain the traffic there this spring.

Finally, look way ahead to the next Winter Season in the Karakorum, ExWeb says that Russian climbers Victor Kozlov and Nickolay Totmjanin are currently in Pakistan, and on the Baltoro Glacier, scouting K2 for an attempt by the Russian national climbing team to that mountain next winter. That'll be a huge expedition to watch down the line for sure.

Everest 2009: Equipment Stranded in Tibet

ExWeb has posted another one of their Himalayan Updates today, which will no doubt become a staple in the weeks ahead. This particular one tells of a calm before the storm in Kathmandu, as climbers prepare to head to the Himalaya next week, hailing the start of the climbing season.

There are a number of interesting nuggets in this update, not the least of which is that Manuel Pizarro and André S. Rossin-Arthiat, two climbers slated for the North Side, have now switched their plans and will climb from the South instead. The political climate in Tibet has just made the prospect of a climb there seem to unsure. The problem is, much of their gear has already been sent to the North Side, and they've had to request that it be brought back to Nepal, and in a hurry. The climbers are hurriedly working on getting permits and setting up their plans for a climb from the South now. They're keeping their fingers crossed that all their gear will get back to them before the crowds start to arrive.

Meanwhile, Andrew Lock is in Kathmandu, and hopes to climb both Shisha Pangma and Everest this year. His latest updates says that the border between Nepal and Tibet remains firmly closed at the moment, and his expedition to Shisha remains in doubt. It is the only remaining 8000m peak for Andrew to summit, and he's hoping he'll get a crack at it. While he waits to see what happens around April 1st, when China has indicated they might reopen the border, he'll go to the Khumbu Valley for an acclimatization trek.

ExWeb is also reporting that Billi Bierling, a writer and journalist in Nepal, will be climbing from the South Side with Himex this year. In her latest blog post she notes that Kathmandu is smogged in at the moment, with no rain in sight, making it even dryer than ever. The city is in the midst of a water shortage and it sounds like things are beginning to get desperate. Billi also shares some details on her work with Miss Hawley, the famous archiver of all things Himalaya. Quite an interesting read.

In the broader Himalaya and Karakorum, ExWeb reports that Field Touring Alpine is not only putting together climbs on Everest this year, but have an expedition planned for K2 this summer, as well as permits for Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II as well. Busy year for the FTA gang!

Finally, Alan Arnette has brought us yet another good interview on his Everest 2009 page, this time with Paul and Fiona Adler, a husband and wife team who have both summitted Everest, Fiona in 2006 and Paul in 2007. They discuss what life's been like since their successful climbs, the use of technology while on an expedition, and a lot more. Good stuff.

Fredrik Ericsson: Skiing the Three Highest Peaks in the World

Both ExWeb and Everest News posted stories on Fredrik Ericsson this week, highlighting the Swedish skiers plans to become the first person to ski down the three highest mountains in the world - Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga.

Ericsson, along with Italian Michele Fait, will head to K2 this June, with the Karakorum peak expected to be the most challenging of the three. Following a successful summit, the descent will feature five hours of skiing, covering more than 3600 meters, with angles as much as 50º at times, eventually coming to an end in base camp itself. If successful, Fredrik will then turn his attention to the other two mountains on his list.

As one of the premiere high altitude skiers in the world, Ericsson has already conquered Shisha Pangma, Gasherbrum 2, and Dhaulagiri. Last year, he reached as high as 7000m on Kangchenjunga before aborting his attempt on the mountain, and skiing back down from that point. If all goes as planned, he'll give that mountain another try this Fall, before turning his sights on Everest in the Spring of 2010.

Some of the numbers tossed about in these two stories on Fredrik's attempt to ski these mountains are mind boggling. Five hours of skiing in one descent? 50º angles? Scary and fun at the same time. Dangerous of course as well, especially following a long, arduous climb. I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about this in the months ahead.

Discovery Channel Airs Disaster on K2 Tonight

The Discovery Channel has added another mountaineering special to it's library and will be airing a show entitled Disaster on K2 tonight at 10 PM EDT/9 PM CDT. I haven't been able to find a whole lot about the specifics of the show itself, nor can I find a link to a page dedicated to it on the Discovery website, but their TV listings give the following description:

When enormous ice walls collapse, seven climbers are trapped near the summit of the most dangerous mountain on earth: K2. With footage and interviews with the few who lived to tell the story, we follow this tale of heroism, survival, and hearbreak.

Obviously the show will take a look at the events that went down last August on K2, and hopefully it'll put everything together for us in a solid timeline, laying out exactly what happened and when. It'll be interesting to see who they got on camera to give interviews about the event, as some of the survivors have been tight lipped about the incident.

Anyway, if you're looking for something to watch tonight, definitely tune in. Discovery has a good reputation when it comes to handling these types of shows, and I expect that this should be solid as well. And if anyone has more information or a link to another page, send it my way.