Archive for the 'MOUNTAIN CLIMBING' Category
09
Dec
09
Extreme Survival, Alps
A 16-year-old Swedish girl from Falun died following a 150m fall while hiking in the French Alps. The girl’s 22-year old sister was heliflown to in Chamonix hospital after the accident on the La Vormaine mountain. The three siblings were among a group of hikers who, for reasons unknown, took a wrong turn and fell down the mountainside near Le Tour. The 22-year-older sister, while her 20-year-old brother survived the accident unscathed.
06
Aug
09
Veikka and Kazuya in Islamabad
Veikka & Kazuya at Alpine Club of Pakistan headquarters in Islamabad (Photo courtesy of ExWeb/Pakistan’s Karrar Haidri)
Veikka and Kazuya saw ExWeb-Pakistan’s Karrar Hidri at ACP’s headquarters in Islamabad. Veikka told as heard before that he’ll return to Karakoram beautiful valleys and region as a trekker – not as a mountain climber.
“Veikka had appraisal words for his expedition outfitter ATP and BC crew, while he showed concernes about increasing pollution in the Baltoro area.” (ExWeb)
Kazuya Hiraide met Veikka first time as they teamed up to climb GII and Broad Peak last year. Kazuya visited Veikka in Finland before this year’s Gasherbrum expedition. His objective is not to climb the 14×8000ers.
20
Jul
09
Forecast for Gasherbrums
Gasherbrums, 8068m 35.72N 76.7E (20.7.2009)
|
Mon
|
Tue
|
Wed
|
Thu
|
Fri
|
Sat
|
Sun
|
|
|
20 Jul
|
21 Jul
|
22 Jul
|
23 Jul
|
24 Jul
|
25 Jul
|
26 Jul
|
|
| Max. Temp. |
-15°C
|
-16°C
|
-15°C
|
-16°C
|
-15°C
|
-15°C
|
-17°C
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min. Temp. |
-16°C
|
-18°C
|
-17°C
|
-17°C
|
-17°C
|
-17°C
|
-20°C
|
| Freezing level |
5375 m
|
5524 m
|
5328 m
|
5551 m
|
5712 m
|
5677 m
|
5594 m
|
| Wind dir. |
 259° |
250° |
 246° |
255° |
261° |
272° |
263° |
| Max. wind |
60km/h
|
58km/h
|
57km/h
|
56km/h
|
49km/h
|
34km/h
|
35km/h
|
| Average wind |
52km/h
|
45km/h
|
43km/h
|
46km/h
|
41km/h
|
22km/h
|
23km/h
|
| Max. RH |
19%
|
90%
|
100%
|
90%
|
84%
|
50%
|
58%
|
| Average RH |
8%
|
49%
|
73%
|
74%
|
63%
|
36%
|
37%
|
| Precipitation |
0mm
|
0mm
|
3mm
|
0mm
|
1mm
|
1mm
|
0mm
|
| snow, rain |
0cm
|
0cm
|
2cm
|
0cm
|
1cm
|
1cm
|
0cm
|
-
Gasherbrums, 8068m 35.72N 76.7E (19.7.2009)
|
Sun
|
Mon
|
Tue
|
Wed
|
Thu
|
Fri
|
Sat
|
|
|
19 Jul
|
20 Jul
|
21 Jul
|
22 Jul
|
23 Jul
|
24 Jul
|
25 Jul
|
|
| Max. Temp. |
-16°C
|
-14°C
|
-15°C
|
-15°C
|
-17°C
|
-16°C
|
-17°C
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min. Temp. |
-19°C
|
-16°C
|
-17°C
|
-17°C
|
-18°C
|
-18°C
|
-19°C
|
| Freezing level |
5380 m
|
5489 m
|
5540 m
|
5360 m
|
5521 m
|
5540 m
|
5490 m
|
| Wind dir. |
264° |
264° |
243° |
246° |
253° |
263° |
268° |
| Max. wind |
57km/h
|
61km/h
|
61km/h
|
61km/h
|
63km/h
|
40km/h
|
34km/h
|
| Average wind |
51km/h
|
51km/h
|
51km/h
|
49km/h
|
45km/h
|
23km/h |
23km/h |
| Max. RH |
36%
|
11%
|
97%
|
99%
|
81%
|
76%
|
50%
|
| Average RH |
19%
|
4%
|
66%
|
76%
|
61%
|
47%
|
38%
|
| Precipitation |
0mm
|
0mm
|
0mm
|
5mm
|
0mm
|
1mm
|
1mm
|
| snow, rain |
0cm
|
0cm
|
0cm
|
3cm
|
0cm
|
1cm
|
1cm
|
* * *
Forecast for Gasherbrums, 8068m 35.72N 76.7E (17.7.2009)
|
Fri
|
Sat
|
Sun
|
Mon
|
Tue
|
Wed
|
Thu
|
|
|
17 Jul
|
18 Jul
|
19 Jul
|
20 Jul
|
21 Jul
|
22 Jul
|
23 Jul
|
|
| Max. Temp. |
-16°C
|
-17°C
|
-14°C
|
-14°C
|
-15°C
|
-17°C
|
-19°C
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min. Temp. |
-18°C
|
-18°C
|
-17°C
|
-16°C
|
-17°C
|
-19°C
|
-21°C
|
| Freezing level |
5253 m
|
5308 m
|
5504 m
|
5614 m
|
5592 m
|
5458 m
|
5191 m
|
| Wind dir. |
266° |
256° |
273° |
251° |
248° |
251° |
254° |
| Max. wind |
51km/h
|
60km/h
|
63km/h
|
54km/h
|
59km/h
|
52km/h
|
49km/h
|
| Average wind |
47km/h
|
50km/h
|
54km/h
|
45km/h
|
50km/h
|
44km/h
|
31km/h |
| Max. RH |
16%
|
61%
|
37%
|
37%
|
74%
|
87%
|
84%
|
| Average RH |
8%
|
43%
|
9%
|
13%
|
55%
|
66%
|
59%
|
| Precipitation |
0mm
|
0mm
|
0mm
|
0mm
|
0mm
|
1mm
|
3mm
|
| snow, rain |
0cm
|
0cm
|
0cm
|
0cm
|
0cm
|
1cm
|
2cm
|
15
Jul
09
Kazuya on IKOKA.TV
An average finnish winterday weather continues. “The weather isn’t playing ball”, so, it’s the half time, – drinks and hot dogs for everyone.
-
Veikka’s dispatch, 14.7.2009
The Petzl ice axes and crampons will be on the front of the tent for a long time before a take off for a summit attempt (Photo courtesy of Veikka Gustafsson).
Kazuya Hiraide can take off his down suit in the BC (Photo courtesy of Veikka Gustafsson).
It might be a while before Veikka and Kazuya will start the final summit push. They want a solid and sure forecast for a longer period of good weather before they take off again for the summit attempt. That might take a week or more. The mountain will wait, it won’t go anywhere. This weather will recharge both, the samurai and finnish sisu attitude.
Gasherbrums, 8068m 35.72N 76.7E
|
Tue
|
Wed
|
Thu
|
Fri
|
Sat
|
Sun
|
Mon
|
|
|
14 Jul
|
15 Jul
|
16 Jul
|
17 Jul
|
18 Jul
|
19 Jul
|
20 Jul
|
|
| Max. Temp. |
-20°C
|
-16°C
|
-14°C
|
-16°C
|
-15°C
|
-15°C
|
-16°C
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min. Temp. |
-23°C
|
-20°C
|
-17°C
|
-17°C
|
-17°C
|
-16°C
|
-18°C
|
| Freezing level |
4933 m
|
5068 m
|
5228 m
|
5293 m
|
5470 m
|
5494 m
|
5436 m
|
| Wind dir. |
245° |
284° |
270° |
267° |
271° |
270° |
254° |
| Max. wind |
81km/h
|
48km/h
|
64km/h
|
62km/h
|
53km/h
|
56km/h
|
68km/h
|
| Average wind |
52km/h
|
41km/h
|
50km/h
|
45km/h
|
46km/h
|
49km/h
|
57km/h
|
| Max. RH |
90%
|
20%
|
37%
|
31%
|
18%
|
13%
|
49%
|
| Average RH |
62%
|
6%
|
16%
|
15%
|
8%
|
5%
|
27%
|
| Precipitation |
4mm
|
0mm
|
1mm
|
3mm
|
0mm
|
0mm
|
0mm
|
| snow, rain |
3cm
|
0cm
|
1cm
|
2cm
|
0cm
|
0cm
|
0cm
|
13
Jul
09
Retrieval from C2 to BC
Veikka’s dispatches, 12.7. & 13.7.2009
Veikka and Kazuya started a summit attempt 6 o’clock on saturday. They climbed 4 hours up to Camp 1. Slept 14 hours. Continued pushing forward on sunday on to Camp 2, to 6400m.
They faced a snow storm and strong winds at 3 o’clock this morning. They had to reverse back for safety reasons. They could have stayed at 6400m in a snow cave and wait for the storm to pass, but there would have still been the risk of avalanches on the route on the way up and down. There was also a prediction of 100km/h winds at the altitude of the Camp 2 and higher speeds above it.
Leader on the Japanese Couloir. (Photo courtesy of Veikka Gustafsson).
There were no one else on the Japanese Couloir at the same time. Now they are in the safety of the base camp. They got back very tired from the fast retrieve from high altitudes. For the next summit push Veikka and Kazuya want a good solid weather forecast, which haven’t been accurate lately. They saw climbers backing down from G2 also.
Veikka’s dispatch, 10.7.2009
Veikka and Kazuya plan and prepare for summit push. If weather permits, they’ll take off for high Camps during the weekend. There is a predicted snow fall on monday, but it looks ok on the tentative summit day, on tueday. They’ll have the same schedule as Philippe Gatta on G2 (http://karakoram09.over-blog.com/). On snow day (monday) they should be at Camp 3, … and according to Veikka the mountain is fairly clean of snow on altitudes above 6500m. So they’ll pass through avalance risk areas on their way down to BC.
According to the Canadian Ski Patrol pro, there’s an avalanche risk. This has been assessed on G2: The experts decided that the conditions required a few more days to consolidate (http://www.altitudejunkies.com).
Camp 3 is set and secured for high speed winds. (Photo courtesy of Veikka Gustafsson).
Veikka’s dispatch, 9.7.2009
Veikka and Kazuya are resting and recovering at Gasherbrum base camp. They are enjoying the warmth of the sun in shorts after five days of hard climbing in strong winds and the cold weather of the upper camps.
Photo courtesy of Veikka Gustafsson
Photo courtesy of Veikka Gustafsson
Veikka’s dispatch, 8.7.2009
Veikka and Kazuya climbed up to the 6700m. After preparing Camp 3, checking and planning the up coming route to the summit, they turned down and returned to the Camps 2 and 1 & so on to the BC.
Photo courtesy of Veikka Gustafsson
After that a quick return to the Gasherbrum base camp for “recovery, refuel and recharging”. After 3-4 days of R&R they’ll prepare for the summit attempt, if the weather allows it.
They are fast, – “fast and furious”.
Photo courtesy of Veikka Gustafsson
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