Trip report for K2 Base Camp & Gondogoro La led by Roland Hunter in August 2011

Photo: rockfall at Urdukas camp

This year’s K2 trek started on an inauspicious note when I found out the evening before flying to Pakistan there had been a landslide on the train line from London to Gatwick…landslides are not common in London however I gather this incident was caused by a burst water pipe. I only found out about this by chance while reading BBC website so then arranged a minicab to airport- if I had not read this on evening before I would have probably missed my flight!

The Mountain Company's K2 Base Camp & Gondogoro La group met up in Islamabad on August 6th and next morning as planned we went to the airport for the flight to Skardu in northern Pakistan. We were informed by airline around midday this flight was cancelled due to bad weather in Skardu valley. After reviewing the weather forecasts for next few days the chances of flying looked low so we decided start driving on early morning 8th along the infamous Karakoram Highway (KKH), we decided to take the road over Babusar Pass (4,200m) rather than following KKH through Besham in Kohistan region.

The drive went well and after spending a night in Chilas at Shangri La hotel we continued onto Skardu and along the way we only encountered two small landslides on KKH resulting in a slight delay. This was the first time that I had driven over the Babusar Pass I can highly recommend this road as not only is it shorter than going through Besham it also passes through a beautiful valley. There is less risk of landslides blocking this road and also this Babusar valley has better security than Kohistan along KKH.

On morning of August 9th we took jeeps from Skardu to Askole, this village is the starting point for K2 Base Camp trek. For our first five days on the trek we experienced cloudy conditions and most days we got some rain by late afternoon or evening. Based on my previous six treks to K2 this amount of precipitation was unusual. My concern at this stage was the amount of fresh snow falling on the Gondogoro La pass increasing the risk of avalanche on Concordia side and also rockfall/ mudslides on Hushe side. In fact there had already been one incident earlier in the summer when one porter had been killed and also a number of others injured as a result of a rock slide near Gondogoro La pass.

On August 16th we had a rest day at Urdukas camp at an altitude of 4,130m, Urdukas is known as a good campsite located off the glacier so much warmer for the crew and also has fixed facilities such as toilets and washbasins provided by an NGO called Mountain Glacier Pakistan. Urdukas is a fine place for a rest day as at 4,100m it is helpful for acclimatising before continuing onto Concordia. On our rest day all of the Mountain Co groups are given mountaineering training with demonstration and practice sessions for the techniques required for crossing the Gondogoro La pass.

At 2pm while I was instructing one of our team members I was shocked to feel the ground shaking and then heard the dreaded rumbling noise of rockfall, immediately I ran over to the top of the hill overlooking camp to see how much rock had fallen. My worst fears had come true as it was apparent that the large rock above Urdukas had fallen and then crashed down through camp to the glacier below destroying everything in its path. There was much confusion over the next hour as we attempted to check all of our trek crew however luckily we knew early on that all of our trekking group were fine.

Sadly it became apparent that three of our porters had been killed in this rockfall and one porter had sustained a shoulder injury and there were also three other porters from another group that had been injured. In fact there were eight porters camped directly under the rock and when this fell luckily for them the rock bounced over their heads and continued down the slope. Fortunately in our group we had a veterinary doctor and a nurse, they performed a superb job turning our mess tent into a field hospital and immediately started to provide medical assistance. At this point I was in touch via satellite phone with our Pakistan ground operator in Islamabad to explain the situation and request an immediate helicopter evacuation. From our initial assessment it became apparent that two injured porters from the other group needed to be flown to hospital as soon as possible.

As I explained the situation to our local agent they immediately started to set in motion the organisation of a helicopter rescue by contacting all of their connections. As a result of their impressive efforts Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan approved a humanitarian mission by helicopter to evacuate the bodies and injured porters. The next day at 11am a Russian helicopter (MI 17) landed at Urdukas and in fact this was only possible due to the work from members of our group who set to work extending the helipad to enable a large helicopter to land. And even after all of their work there was barely sufficient room for landing and at the time I was worried the helicopter might abort and fly back to Skardu! I gather this was the first time in history of the Baltoro that a helicopter had been used for the emergency evacuation of porters (rather than foreigners), so many thanks to Pakistan Army and all involved for arranging this.

After the helicopter had taken off flying back to Skardu we had a meeting with our porters to figure out plans for the rest of the trek. Initially all of the porters made the decision to return to their villages and of course while the group was disappointed we accepted bearing in mind what happened and of course understanding their shock after this sad event. Following the porters’ initial decision however after an hour or so it became clear some porters were keen to proceed with trek. After protracted discussions a deal was struck where we would stay at Concordia for two nights although the porters made it clear that they did not want to cross the Gondogoro La pass. In the end half or our porters decided to leave to return to their villages and we continued on with the trek with the remaining porters.

As the group trekked to Concordia on August 19th the weather started to clear and we were lucky to get fine views of Gasherbrun IV at head of the valley. On the next day during our walk to K2 Base Camp and Gilkey memorial the views of K2, Broad Peak and other surrounding mountains were superb. The weather stayed fine for the rest of the walk down the Baltoro so we were lucky to get fine views of Masherbrum, Mustagh Tower, Broad Peak, Gasherbrums, the rock spires of Trango, Cathedral, Lobsang etc.

The porter tragedy at Urdukas was an incredibly sad day for everyone however at least we know that we did everything possible in the situation by providing medical assistance and arranging helicopter evacuation back to Skardu. Everyone in our group pitched in any way they could to help out so I would like to thank everyone very much for their efforts.

The camping terraces at Urdukas campsite were first cut out by Duke of Abruzzi and Vittorio Sella's 1909 expedition to K2 over 100 years ago and since then this place has been used by every trekking and expedition group visiting the Baltoro on their way to Concordia. Therefore we were simply incredibly unlucky for this sad event to have happened while we were camping at Urdukas.

As anyone who has spent time in the mountains knows there is always a degree of objective risk associated with travelling in these areas especially Karakoram range where rock is loose and mountains steep so the resulting risk of rockfall and landslides is relatively high. Of course for the Balti people of Braldu and Hushe valleys this risk is even experienced in their villages and was brought home last year when a number lost their lives due to flash flooding in Skardu and Talis village.

Several members of our K2 group and also The Mountain Company have donated funds to the family of dead porters, this contribution will help until their insurance claim is processed and their money received in 5 to 6 months time. If anyone reading this blog feels like they would like to help contribute to these families then please get in touch with us and we can help arrange this for you.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

K2 & Gondogoro La in August 2011 now a guaranteed departure

Photo: K2

The Mountain Company's K2 & Gondogoro La trek in August 2011 led by Roland Hunter is now guaranteed to run. There is still availability so please get in touch if you would like to join the group, for more information on our K2 & Gondogoro La trek

This will be my seventh trek to K2 Base Camp and as usual I am looking forward to returning to Pakistan this summer.

Please get in contact with us soon if you would like to join this group

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Trip Report for K2 & Gondogoro La led by Roland Hunter in August '10

Photo: K2 seen from Concordia

I arrived back to UK this afternoon after leading The Mountain Company’s K2 & Gondogoro La trek in Pakistan. This year we had a full group of fourteen people and as often with our groups this was an international team with trekkers coming from UK, US, Australia, Greece and Mexico.

The group arrived to Islamabad on August 6^th, this was shortly after the heaviest monsoon rains in Pakistan for last 50 years causing widespread flooding throughout the country. In fact shortly before departure we were seriously considering whether to cancel however after researching the current situation and discussions with our contacts in Pakistan we were confident we could operate this trek as planned. As it turned out we made the right decision as we enjoyed good weather with fine views of K2 and other mountains around Concordia, we even had a beautifully clear day on crossing Gondogoro La.

When the group arrived to Islamabad we received reports that Karakoram Highway (KKH) was in poor condition with several landslides and a number of bridges washed away on the Besham to Islamabad section of the road. There is an alternative road for jeeps that passes through Naran and crosses the Babusar Pass although having checked the forecasts we felt it would be too risky to drive so we decided to rely on the flight to Skardu. On August 7^th we went to Islamabad airport however by midday this flight was cancelled, luckily on 8^th we finally boarded and successfully landed at Skardu airport.

On arrival to Skardu we heard that bad weather from 7^th caused a number of landslides in the region and near to Skardu sadly killed 45 people and in Talis village 13 people perished in further landslides.

The group stayed at K2 Motel in Skardu, this is located in a safe area however we could clearly see that the Indus river was flowing at a far higher level compared to my last visit in 2008. The next day we planned to drive to Askole however we heard the road was blocked in a number of places so instead we took a rest day in Skardu and sent some of our porters ahead to help repair these broken sections of road. We spent an enjoyable morning at Sadpara Lake before driving back to Skardu in the afternoon.

The next day we left early in jeeps for the drive to Askole however shortly after Shigar village we encountered a new block on the road where overnight a mudslide had destroyed the road. Everyone in our team as well as several other trekking groups helped by collecting rocks to build the road through the mud slide area. After several hours the jeeps were able to clear the block (with some impressive driving!) and then the group crossed over the river. Further along the road there was one further landslide where we had to swap jeeps then continued our drive to Thongol where we camped for the night.

The next morning we started the trek and after an hour we arrived to Askole, this is the last village on the trek until Hushe on the other side of Gondogoro La. The weather was sunny and very hot so everyone was hopeful the monsoon rains were retreating back south again. We experienced mixed cloud and sun for the next few days and in fact this made the walking very pleasant as otherwise can be very hot at this altitude.

The trek progressed as planned and after our rest day at Urdukas the weather starting to improve further and we enjoyed a memorable lunch at Goro 1 as the clouds dissipated over Masherbrum and by the evening we had clear views of this impressive mountain. We were very lucky as we had clear weather for the next six days while at Concordia and also for the crossing of the Gondogoro La.

After arrival to Concordia on 19^th we discussed the options for the next day, five people decided to make the long walk to K2 Base Camp and Gilkey memorial while the others opted for the shorter walk to Broad Base Camp. As ever it was an emotional visit to Gilkey especially seeing the new memorial and a broken ski from Fredrik Ericsson who died earlier this summer.

On 21^st the group enjoyed a rest day at Concordia and were blessed with perfect weather and incredibly views of K2 visible from the mess tent. On that day myself and our local Pakistan guide Monin from Shimshall village walked up to Ali Camp, then early the next morning we climbed up Gondogoro La to check the condition before the group arrived the next day. We decided to fix an extra 200m of fixed rope on the ascent of the pass to secure the section crossing a crevasse half way up the snow slope. As in 2008 we decided to donate this rope to Hushe Rescue Team.

Shortly after Monin and I got back to Ali Camp the group arrived after their walk up from Concordia, everyone enjoyed this trek as is one of the best days with superb views back to K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum group as well as Mustagh Tower. On approach to Ali Camp the glacial ice underfoot is easy to walk on with few rocks and Vigne Peaks high above look impressive with their ice and snow flutings

We decided to leave Ali Camp at 1am in order to ensure we had enough time to cross the pass and descend the other side. It was a beautiful morning with starry skies and nearly full moon illuminating the peaks around. The group made good progress to the base of the pass and by 7am everyone had summited Gondogoro La at 5,550m. As ever the descent is more challenging than ascent and we made steady progress however the unseasonal snow from week before started to melt releasing some rockfall, it was a good thing everyone had helmets for this descent! The recent snow made the rapel down the ropes easier than previous years however on reaching the bottom of the ropes the trail was less established than in 2008.

At The Mountain Company we believe strongly in looking after our porters, we are the only trekking company operating on the Baltoro that provides waterproof jackets and trousers plus walking shoes to our porters. We follow International Porter Protection Group five guidelines in Pakistan. We do not think it is appropriate for porters to cross Gondogoro La in plastic shoes and cotton shalwar kameez!

Our wonderful cooks and kitchen crew crossed Gondogoro La arrived to our campsite at Khuspang early and then kindly sent up a cooked lunch for us at High Camp, this food was very welcome and gave everyone renewed energy in order to carry on down to Khuspang. The next day we opted to continue our trek down to Shaisho rather than take a rest day. We heard that the bridge below Shaisho had been washed out by the recent rains and instead an enterprising ex High Altitude Porter had rigged a “jhola” or bucket bridge, after carefully inspecting the anchors and the set up we felt confident the group could cross safely and everyone in the group seemed to enjoy this experience of crossing the raging river below!

The next day we walked to Hushe village and then after handing out tips to our fantastic crew we drove to Skardu. The next morning on 26^th we tried to fly to Skardu although this flight was cancelled luckily on next day we fly back to Islamabad.

Overall we had a great trip with perfect weather at Concordia and for crossing Gondogoro La, as ever Pakistan is a true adventure destination and one needs to be flexible and be prepared for the unexpected! We certainly had our fair share of good luck on this trek and were fortunate weather improved when needed higher up. As ever I would like to thanks our superb Pakistan trek crew for looking after us so well, in particular our local guides Ghulam Hassan and Momin Shah as well as our cook Syed Jhan.

The Mountain Company plans to run our K2 & Gondogoro La trek again in August 2011 so please get in touch soon if you would like to join this group. We also plan to operate our Snow Lake Biafo Hispar trek in July 2011.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Our August '10 K2 & Gondogoro La trek is now guaranteed to run

Photo: K2 as seen from Concordia

I am looking forward to travelling to Pakistan this summer to lead our K2 & Gondogoro La trek, we now have sufficient numbers booked on this trip to guarantee to run the departure. Please get in touch soon if you would like to join the group.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Trip report for K2 & Gondogoro La led by Roland in August '08

Photo: K2 as seen from Concordia

The August '08 K2 & Gondogoro La group have just returned from Pakistan. This year we certainly had our share of good luck with no landslides blocking the Karakoram Highway (KKH) or Skardu to Askole road as well as having great weather for most of the trek.

To top it off we flew back to Islamabad from Skardu at the end of the trek. This flight is notoriously unreliable and is often cancelled due to poor weather or lack of available planes. Flying back at the end of the trip saves a two day bus ride on the KKH and means having two nights at our hotel in Islamabad and a chance to do some sightseeing and shopping.

Photo: Climbing up Gondogoro La

This year the Gondogoro La was in a good condition and all of the group successfully crossed the pass. This was especially good news after last summer when a large crevasse blocked the route up the Gondogoro La. Having spoken to the Hushe Rescue Team, who are responsible for maintaining the fixed rope on the pass, there was a large serac fall during the winter that luckily plugged this crevasse.

Roland did a recce of the Gondogoro La the day before the group arrived to Ali Camp (on their rest day after the long day to K2 BC and Gilkey memorial) in order to check the quality of the ropes and anchors. Generally the ropes were in a reasonable condition, however we put in 200m of extra rope secured by icescrews and snowstakes to protect our passage. The Mountain Company donated this equipment to the Hushe Rescue Team (as well as paying the toll to cross the pass) so hopefully will be used in the future to increase the security of other groups going over the pass.

Photo: Gilkey memorial near K2 BC

Roland is planning to return to Pakistan next summer to lead the Snow Lake Biafo and Hispar trek in July and K2 & Gondogoro La trek in August. Please get in touch if you are interested in joining him.