Kathmandu, January 15
Nepali mountaineers, Nirmal Purja Magar (Nimsdai), Mingma Gyalji Sherpa, Sona Sherpa, Kilu Sherpa and seven other mountaineers have fixed ropes up to 7,600 metres on K2 in the Karakoram range in Pakistan.
Nimsdai via Instagram confirmed that he along with other Nepali mountaineers reached up to 7,600 metres fixing ropes and would spend the night a little above Camp 3 at 7,400 metres.
“The last 48 hours have been gruelling,” he wrote on Instagram. “Each team member had to carry over 35 kgs as we fixed ropes till 7,600 metres and set up camp at 7,350 metres. Really proud of the work we (Mingma G and team and Seven Summit Team) have done so far.”
They had to reestablish Camp 3 after it was destroyed by high winds and snow the last week. According to Alan Arnette‘s blog, the teams spent the night at crevasses and not tents.
There have also been reports of rockfall on the mountain, but the mountaineers say things are okay now. The summit bid, according to Arnette’s blog, is expected to be on Saturday as the weather is expected to get worst next week.
If the Nepali teams get to the summit, they will be the first to climb K2 in the winter.
Mingma G Sherpa is climbing without supplemental oxygen whereas Nimsdai is planning to paraglide from the summit. However, that is subject to change given high winds and unpredictable weather.
K2 remains the only 8,000-metre mountain yet to be summited in the winter.
