Pakistan 1997
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LINDSAY GRIFFIN & DAVID HAMILTON Pakistan 1997 Thanks are due to Pakistan Ministry ofTourism, XavierEguskitza andkem Mustafa Awanfor their help in providing information. 1997 will be remembered as the year of the best weather conditions seen in the Karakoram for several decades. Low rainfall during the winter and spring meant that there were few problems with fresh snow at the start of the season. Long spells of settled conditions during June, July and August permitted a remarkably high number of climbing successes on both the high peaks and lower rock walls. Pakistan government figures show that 70% of this year's expeditions were successful compared with an average of 42% for the previous five years. _ There were several notable climbing achievements recorded. A Korean party made the third ascent of Gasherbrum IV by a new route on the impressive West Face. A huge Japanese expedition split its resources between Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum IT and successfully placed team members on each summit. The fine weather also suited those climbing big rock walls. A German team made the second ascent of Latok IT by the unclimbed SW Face, while several groups succeeded on other hard technical rock routes. However the main news of the season was the increasing popularity of 'normal routes' on 8000m peaks and the relative decline of exploratory mountaineering on lesser-known objectives. In celebration of the nation's 50th anniversary the Pakistan authorities relaxed the normal restrictions on the number of permits issued for the 8000m peaks. Ministry of Tourism statistics show that 57 expeditions from 16 countries received permission to climb peaks over 6000m. 23 of these expeditions came from Japan or Korea. A total of 40 expeditions concentrated on the five 8000m peaks, while the other 17 expeditions were spread over II different mountains. 29 expeditions succeeded in placing one or more members on the summit ofan 8000m peak (73%), while II succeeding on a 6000m-8000m peak(65%). There were 9 fatalities among the 500 foreign climbers. Several Japanese groups included experienced Sherpas in their climbing teams. This is thought to be the first time since the 1930s that Nepalese mountaineers have visited the Pakistan Karakoram. Kl (8611m) Despite record numbers of climbers on Pakistan's other 8000m peaks there were only two teams on Kl. Seven Basque climbers led by Jose Ramon Aguirre attempted the 1994 route on the SSE Spur. They found this route to be more dangerous and avalanche threatened than previously reported and retreated from a high point of nOOm. Tanabe Osamu led a team of nine Japanese climbers and thirteen Nepalese Sherpas on a siege-style assault of the West Face. All climbers used oxygen above 7500m and over 3000m of rope 278 PAKISTAN 1997 279 was fixed. Three Japanese members reached the summit on 19 July, followed by four more Japanese and four Sherpas on 28 July. The exact line of their ascent is not known but it is thought to be a partial new route. Broad Peak (8047m) Eight of the ten permits issued went to groups attempting the Normal Route. In addition two small teams tried the unclimbed SSE Ridge. Australian Andrew Lock, who had tried this route before in 1994 with a Swedish team, was joined this time by Rick AIlen. Spanish brothers Alberto and Felix Iiiurrategi had their eyes on the same line. Both pairs retreated from nOOm finding technical difficulties too great for an Alpine style ascent. Switching to the Normal Route the Spanish brothers made a very fast ascent of the Main Summit on 12 July, as did Andrew Lock on 7 August. Yoshio Matsu naga's Japanese group was first to establish itself on the Normal Route at the end of May. F Yokotagawa and Jeff Bubb (USA) were struck by an avalanche and killed, between C2 and C3, on 16 June. Six ofthe eight separate expeditions on the Normal Route were successful with approximately 25 climbers reaching either the Fore Summit or the Main Summit. (See MEFReports, re/. 97/38.) Gasherbrum I (8068m) Eight permits were issued for this peak which only a few years ago was the least popular of the Karakoram 8000m peaks. Permit sharing led to more than a dozen separate teams on the mountain all attempt ing to scale the Japanese Couloir Route. The large Japanese GUNMA group led by Nazuka Hideji did much of the early work preparing the route and fixing 600m of rope between C2 and C3. Seven members of this group reached the summit on 7 July followed two days later by 13 climbers from several other expeditions. It is thought that about 26 climbers in total reached the summit over a four-week period from early July to early August. Weather and snow conditions were close to ideal and with large numbers ofclimbers sharing the trail breaking, the ascent was made less arduous than in previous years. Gasherbrum n (8035m) More than 100 climbers assembled at base camp to attempt the Normal Route on G2. The Pakistan authorities had issued ten per mi.ts, but there were at least thirteen expeditions on the mountain. Some expe ditions had secured permission for both Gland G2 and a handful of climbers including Japanese, Koreans and Czechs summited on both peaks. Fred Barth's American team were the first to occupy base camp at the end of May and opened the route to Cl through the lower icefall. The large Japanese GUNMA group used their Sherpa staff to push the route out, fixing a large quantity of rope, breaking trail and establishing C2 and C3 before summiting on 8 July. Climbers from other expeditions were able to make use of the Japanese fixed ropes and a total of 30-35 people from a variety of countries are thought to have summited in the four weeks following the Japanese success. The only two unsuccessful teams on G2 both arrived at base camp during August and there fore missed the settled weather found in June and July. Gasherbrum IV (7925m) The most remarkable ascent of the season was achieved by a Korean team led byCho Sung-Dae who returned to complete the project that he started in 1995 : the Central Spur on the West Face. The 12 man team used a considerable amount of fixed rope, but most of the climbing above 6800m was done by four climbers, three of whom (Y Hak-Jae, B Jung Ho, K Tong-Kwan) reached the summit on 18 July. This was only the third ever 280 THE ALPINE JOURNAL 1998 ascent ofthe mountain and the first time that the summit had been reached by a route on the W Face. The route has been graded at IV-/V+ on rock and mixed ground with ice sections of 70°-80° and is said to be threatened by con siderable objective dangers. During their descent the Koreans discovered the body of Slavko Sveticic (Slovenia) who disappeared during a solo attempt on the face in 1995. Earlier in the season a strong four-man Basque team led by Miguel Rodriguez tried to make the second ascent of Gasherbrum IV's NW Ridge. They found the weather and snow conditions unfavourable and retreated from a high point of 7300m Skilbrum (7360m) A large and well funded Japanese expedition containing many Himalayan veterans aimed to make the second ascent of this peak west of K2, first climbed by members of the Austrian Broad Peak expedition in 1956. Eight members of the 17-strong team reached the summit via the S Face on 17 August. Tragedy struck three days later when base camp in the Savoia Glacier was destroyed by a huge avalanche, killing expedition leader Hiroshima Mitsuo and five companions. Mitsuo was visiting Pakistan for the 56th time having made the second ascent of K2 with Ashraf Aman (Pakistan) in 1977. This freak accident accounted for 660/'0 of the climbing fatalities recorded in 1997 which was in all other respects a very 'safe' year. Masherbrurn (7821m) on the southern watershed of the Baltoro was visited by a Spanish expedition led by Manuel Rodriguez. Bemused local staff report that the expedition members fell out with each other and abandoned their attempt without making any real impression on their intended SE Face route. Three separate expeditions visited the Trango Towers in the lower Baltoro. On Nameless Tower (6237m) Waiter Barkerled a strong four-man group from the USA and Canada which succeeded in climbing a new line on the N Face. Their 900m 17-pitch route (VI, 5.10, A4, W13) The Wall ofFiction is reported to be right of the existing line of Book ofShadows. Seven Scandinavian climbers from Sweden and Norway led by Jan Stensten repeated the 1987 Slovenian Route on the S Face, with four of the party reaching the summit. On Great Trango (6286m) Lee Sang-Cho was the leader of a four-strong Korean group. Climbing from the Dunge Glacier they are thought to have succeeded in scaling a new route on the E Side of the peak. Americans Mark Richey and John Bouchard were the latest climbers to attempt the compelling line of the N Ridge on Latok I (7145m). Objective dangers caused by the warm weather forced them to give up after reaching a high point of 6000m. Perhaps the most outstanding achievement of the season was the first ascent of the SW Face of Latok IT (7108m), and second overall ascent of the peak. This was achieved in fine style by the talented four-man team of Thomas Huber, Alexander Huber, Toni Gutsch (all German) and Conrad Anker (USA).