General General Mountaineering Thread

[Ghazi52]

Climber Murad Sadpara succumbs to injuries at GB’s Broad Peak​

Jamil Nagri
August 12, 2024

Climber Murad Sadpara succumbed to his injuries on Monday morning, a day after the Pakistan Army launched an operation to rescue him from Gilgit-Baltistan’s Broad Peak.

Tough terrains and harsh weather conditions in the Karakoram Range — where Broad Peak, the world’s 12th highest mountain at 8,051 metres, and the K2 (8,611 metres) are located — often result in climbers losing their lives.

Last month, two Japanese climbers were feared dead after they went missing during their attempt to scale K2. Another climber had died after falling into a crevice while descending GB’s Golden Peak.

Sadpara was working as a guide for a Portuguese female climber during her summit of Broad Peak when he slipped at an altitude of around 5,000m on Sunday.

Mountaineer Naila Kiani then sought the army’s help to rescue him. She had told Dawn that the Portuguese climber had hired the services of Sadpara and a Nepali sherpa for her summit. The team was returning from the summit when Sadpara fell near Camp 1 during bad weather conditions.

Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), said in a statement today that Sadpara died while descending from Broad Peak.

Haidri said Sadpara was “severely injured during his descent when a loose rock struck him on the head at Camp One”. He added that “rescue efforts were hampered by the harsh conditions on the mountain, leading to a delay”.

“Despite efforts to save him, the difficult environment and logistical challenges made a quick rescue impossible,” the APC official said.

Recalling the details of Sadpara’s current expedition with the Portuguese climber, Haidri said their “ascent was cut short when the Portuguese climber fell ill, forcing them to turn back”.

According to the APC secretary, Sadpara’s body has been “moved to the Japanese camp, where it will remain until it can be transferred to the base camp”. “It is expected to arrive at the base camp by 2pm today, after which it will be transported to Skardu via an army helicopter,” he added.

“His death is a sobering reminder of the extreme risks involved in high-altitude climbing, where the line between life and death is often perilously thin,” Haidri said. He added that the 35-year-old climber “leaves behind three daughters, a son and a lasting legacy of courage and selflessness”.

Sadpara had been involved in the notable mission earlier this month to retrieve the body of Hassan Shigri, a porter who had died on K2 last year.

Meanwhile, mountaineer Naila Kiani told Dawn.com that Sadpara’s body was found at 6am today.

According to Kiani, Sadpara’s team had “turned around without summiting as conditions near the summit were not good”.

“Murad was hired only to go to Camp Three so he waited there. They were all descending to base camp and Murad got hit on his head by a rock,” she said.

Kiani, however, termed the weather “good” at the time of the incident. Noting that Sadpara had a rope tied to him and was wearing a helmet, she said the team suspected that the rock that hit him “must have been big and caused internal bleeding”.

In an earlier statement, the ACP had said six local rescuers and mountaineers were involved in the rescue mission that was being carried out by the Pakistan Army. Four climbers belonged to Skardu’s Sadpara village while two hailed from Shagar, the ACP added.

“This morning, the Pakistan Army helicopters dropped Ashraf Sadpara and Zakir at Broad Peak base camp,” the ACP said.

According to a post by PTV News on X, Sadpara got “severely injured after being hit by a rock on his head at Camp 1” and later succumbed to his injuries.

It highlighted that the climber had also been leading the K2 Clean-up Expedition this year and had so far submitted four peaks, including K2.

As soon as the report of Sadpara passing away emerged, condolences poured in from various leaders.

President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement, expressed his grief and conveyed his sympathies to Sadpara’s family.

He hailed the climber’s efforts in the field of mountain climbing and prayed for the deceased.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also extended his condolences to the deceased’s family.

GB Chief Minister Gulbar Khan also extended his condolences, calling Sadpara a “brave adventurist”.

He said Sadpara’s services for mountain climbing would always be remembered.

In a post on Facebook, Kiani said she was “heartbroken”.

“The climber who rescued many others and brought down Hassan Shigri’s body from K2 bottleneck is lost too soon,” she wrote.

 

[Ghazi52]

One foreign climber ‘killed’, two stranded on Gasherbrum IV​

Jamil Nagri
August 19, 2024

GILGIT: Pakistan Army helicopters airlifted two stranded Russian climbers on Gasherbrum IV (7,925m) a day after an avalanche hit a group of five mountaineers who were trying to scale the sixth-highest mountain in Pakistan alpine style.

Out of the five, one was reportedly killed while two received injuries and awaited rescue in critical condition.

Shigar Deputy Commissioner Waliullah Falahi told Dawn that five Russian climbers Sergei Nilov, Mikhail Mironov, Alexy Bautin, Sergei Mironov and Evgenii Lablokov had started their mission to ascend the peak on August 4. On Saturday, a snow avalanche hit the climbers in the morning at a height of 6,400 metres.

As a result, Sergei Nilov went missing while Mikhail Mironov and Sergei Mironov were injured. Alexy Bautin and Evgeni Lablokov remained unhurt and were later rescued by the army and airlifted to Skardu.

Army rescues two mountaineers a day after avalanche hit Russian climbers on peak

Mr Bautin told Dawn they were hit by an avalanche, which started at 7,000m. He said Sergei Nilov lost his life whereas Mikhail Mironov and Sergei Mironov were injured, adding that he was in touch with his colleagues through satellite phone. According to Mr Bautin, his stranded comrades, though in a stable condition, needed immediate rescue.

Tour operator Ghulam Muhammad said helicopters couldn’t be operated on Sunday after the first sortie – which rescued the two climbers – due to poor weather conditions at the mountain. He said the climbers were stranded at an altitude of over 6,400m and helicopters could not land or hover in that area.

According to the operator, the helicopters will drop four local high-altitude climbers at 6,000 metres to rescue the stranded mountaineers. “The rescue team will attempt to bring down the injured Russian climbers from above 6,400m, and the army helicopters will airlift the climbers to Skardu, he added.

According to a press release issued by Karrar Haideri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, a dedicated team of five Russian climbers set out on a mission to Gasherbrum IV, driven by a solemn commitment to retrieve the body of their fellow climber, Dmitry Golovchenko, who went missing on the same mountain in 2023. He said their expedition, marked by determination and camaraderie, was meant to bring closure to a tragic loss.

The statement said Sergei Nilov was missing, with no information available about his status whereas two of the climbers sustained severe injuries in the incident. “Their condition is critical, and there is little hope that they will survive beyond the next day, casting a further shadow over the already grim situation,” the statement added.

The alpine club secretary said the army helicopters would launch another rescue effort to locate the three missing climbers, including Sergei Nilov.

“The situation on Gasherbrum IV remains dire, with the outlook for the remaining team members growing increasingly bleak. This tragedy underscores the harsh and unpredictable dangers of high-altitude mountaineering, where even the best-prepared expeditions can face life-threatening challenges,” the statement said.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2024

 

[Ghazi52]

Bodies of 3 climbers who went missing in 2015 recovered from AJK​

Newspaper's
September 9, 2024

ISLAMABAD: Imran Junaidi, younger brother of senior reporter Dawn Ikram Junaidi, was laid to rest at the H-11 graveyard on Sunday.

In 2015, Imran along with two other climbers — Usman Tariq and Khurram Rajput — went missing during their expedition to Sarwali Peak in Azad Kashmir. Search operations conducted in 2015 and 2016 remained unsuccessful.

In August this year, trekkers from Neelum Valley, including Altaf Ahmad Lone and Khawaja Rafiq, spotted the remains of the missing mountaineers.

On the request of the relatives of one of the missing mountaineers, the chief secretary Azad Kashmir directed the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) to provide all possible help and support to bring down the bodies.

A team was constituted that included trekkers Altaf Lone, Khawaja Rafiq and members of the Alpine Club.

On September 3, the team left for Neelum Valley and reached the bodies on Sept 7 and brought them down from the height of 16,000 feet. The bodies were brought to Islamabad on Sunday morning.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2024

 

[Mainerik]

Death of Japanese climbers K2 Pakistan

 

[Ghazi52]

In Pakistan

 

[Mainerik]

Death of Japanese climbers K2 Pakistan

@Lulldapull @ThunderCat @MuHayMin Pakistan is blessed with mountains. @Bilal9

 

[ThunderCat]

@Lulldapull @ThunderCat @MuHayMin Pakistan is blessed with mountains. @Bilal9

yeah i guess.

 

[Ghazi52]

K2 permit and trekking fee hiked for international climbers​

Gilgit-Baltistan govt sets K2 permit fees for foreign climbers at $5000 in summer, $2500 in autumn and $1500 in winter

News
September 15, 2024

Broad Peak is the 12th highest of the world's 8,000-metre-plus mountains. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

The Government of Gilgit-Baltistan has issued a notification detailing new fees for mountaineering and trekking permits, including a significant hike in the cost of permits for climbing K2.

According to the notification from the Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism, Sports, Culture, Archaeology, and Museum Department, the permit fee for foreign climbers to scale K2 has been set at $5,000 for the summer season (April-September), $2,500 for autumn (October-November), and $1,500 for the winter season (December-March).

For Pakistani climbers, the new K2 permit fees are Rs100,000 for the summer season, Rs50,000 for autumn, and Rs 30,000 for winter.

Additionally, the trekking fees for foreigners have increased, now set at $300 for the summer season, $200 for autumn, and $100 for winter.

The notification also specifies several important regulations: climbers can only scale one peak per permit, groups are limited to a maximum of 20 members, and high-altitude porters must now be insured for up to Rs2 million.

Low-altitude porters will be insured for up to Rs1 million. Environmental fees are to be deposited into the GB Adventure Tourism Account, and all expedition briefings and debriefings will be conducted at the tourism offices in Gilgit-Baltistan.

During 2023 and 2024, K2 climbing permits were granted collectively to groups of seven climbers at $12,000.

Each additional climber cost an extra $3,000. For 2025, Gilgit-Baltistan authorities have got rid of the collective fee and established an individual royalty of $5,000 per climber.

A group of seven climbers that paid $12,000 this year will therefore pay $35,000 in 2025. That’s nearly a 200% increase.

The revised fees and regulations are aimed at streamlining mountaineering operations in the region and are set to take effect immediately.

 

[Ghazi52]

'Most broken' man completes Everest trek​

Clara Bullock - BBC News, Gloucestershire

Simon Clark


Simon Clark was temporarily paralysed following a head-on car crash, but has since recovered

A man once described by paramedics as the "most broken man" they had ever helped from a crash, has completed a trek to Everest base camp.

Simon Clark, 44, who lives near Cirencester, in Gloucestershire, was involved in a crash on the A429 in October 2019 that killed his partner and left him with catastrophic injuries.

He was temporarily paralysed, but has since recovered the ability to walk, completing the 40 mile (64km) hike to base camp, which is 5,430 metres above sea level.

"I want to try to prove to people... it's possible to overcome almost anything," Mr Clark said.

"I still can't quite believe it.

"It's absolutely amazing, it's a once in a lifetime thing to do anyway, but from where I started from it's astounding."

Simon Clark

Mr Clark said he "just kept going" until he reached base camp

Mr Clark, and his partner, Lindy, were driving to a supermarket when they were involved in the head-on collision.

Paramedics who attended the scene said there were a "number of injuries he suffered that should have killed him there and then".

Two months later Mr Clark woke up to find he had been in a coma and had suffered extreme injuries, including extensive brain damage that risked him becoming severely disabled.

At that point he was completely paralysed, could not speak and had to blink to communicate.

But he said he was determined to walk again and soon set his sights on the Everest challenge to prove to himself and others that he could do it.

"When I was told I would never walk again, I made a promise to myself that I would walk out of hospital in six months, and I did it after five," he said.

"My secret goal was to walk to base camp within five years and I did that with a month to spare."

'Next big challenge'​

He said the challenge was also a way for him to thank the Great Western Air Ambulance for saving his life.

"[The trek] was horrifically challenging and painful," he said.

"I honestly didn't believe I was going to make it, it took everything I had and more to get there. But it's one of those things, I just had to keep going."

So far he has raised more than £1,500 but he said his "ultimate goal" was to raise £4.5m.

"This is the first of many challenges," he said.

"My next big challenge is to try and walk through the north pole."

 

[Ghazi52]

Sirbaz Khan becomes first Pakistani to summit all ‘8,000ers’​

Jamil Nagri
October 5, 2024

SIRBAZ Khan is the only Pakistani climber to have summited Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, twice.—Instagram / sirbazkhan_mission14


GILGIT: Sirbaz Khan has become the first Pakistani climber to summit all 14 mountains with a height of over 8,000m in the world after his latest feat at the Shishapangma peak (8,027m) in Tibet.

In mountaineering, summiting all 14 ‘eight-thousanders’ is considered the biggest trophy, with only a handful of climbers being able to accomplish the feat till date.

In a statement, Imagine Nepal, Mr Khan’s summit organiser, said 11 climbers reached the summit at 4:06pm local time on Thursday.

Five group members, including Mr Khan, completed the summit of all 14 8,000ers, with MingmaG doing so without supplemental oxygen, the organisers added.

Renowned Pakistani alpinist Naila Kiani confirmed Mr Khan’s accomplishment on Friday. “History has been made,” she wrote in a Facebook post.

Alpine Club of Pakistan Secretary Karrar Haidri hailed Mr Khan for “breaking boundaries” with his latest summit.

He said the mountaineer’s journey “exemplifies the power of perseverance and meticulous preparation, cementing his place in mountaineering history”.

Hailing from Aliabad village of Hunza, Mr Khan started his alpine career as a porter and kitchen boy 11 years ago.

He is also the first Pakistani climber to have summited 11 out of the 14 peaks without supplemental oxygen and ascended Mount Everest twice.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2024