FTA Team Rocks Up to Base Camp

After one of the most stunning treks in the world, and nearly 90km as the crow flies, the 2008 Gasherbrum 2 team has arrived at our 5200M base camp.

Everyone is in great health thanks to a good acclimatization schedule on the way in and excellent food prepared by little Karim and the rest of the cook staff. The weather has been a bit unsettled in the afternoons with scattered flurries. The mornings however offer the most stunning of views.

Clare is celebrating her birthday today so we have our cook staff baking her a cake and serving a feast of mammoth proportions. We really have it good up here. Everyone is settled into their own comfy tent and the unpacking for the next 26 days has begun. Its a gear junkies paradise up here.

After arriving today I ran out 250 meters of rope up and over some glacial formations for a skills review and gear testing session tomorrow in the AM We will rest in the afternoon and enshalla, head up to camp 1 at about 5800M the following day. We will then return to base camp for a rest. The base ice fall is very heavily crevased this year but it all looks very manageable, and interesting!

The team is strong and we are all stoked to get on the mountain.

Climb on!

Chris

30 cm of snow at camp 1, 5950m

The majority of the teams at camp 1 have returned to base camp today. The weather forecast calls for snow for at least the next three days. Although the route up the Banana Ridge to camp 2 is fixed, the heavy snow and warm temps are forcing many climbers down. We will wait for safer conditions before establishing our camp 2. That said, the route up to camp 2 looks Sweet, I can't wait to get up there!

We have been receiving custom weather forecast from Michelle Dibona back in France. Each and every one has been absolutely correct. Thank Michelle, you are a greatly valued member of our team.

We made a large load carry up to camp 1 yesterday and spent the night shaking off the tents and hoping for a clear morning. 30 cm of snow and counting greeted us so myself, Andy, Fred, JR, Francois, Surech, Taqui & Asgar left our camp 2 gear stashed and descended to base camp in just over 3 hours. Mark & Naucho stayed at base for some additional rest.

We will all wait out the storm and get ready for our next push up the hill.

Stay tuned...

Chris

Camp 1 set. 45°C in the shade...

...the only problem: there is no shade!

At 4am on June 26, the 2 HAPs Taqui & Asgar.

The yellow rope: Chris, Andy, JR, & Francois.

The red rope, Naucho, Mark, Fred & Surech all set out into the icefall for our first push to camp 1 on Gasherbrum 2.

In the darkness and cold of the early morning, the ice fall proved to be quite straight forward with only a couple of off vertical sections. No fixed ropes were needed and the travel onto the upper plateau at the base of the Gasherbrum amphitheater was excellent. That is until the sun came out. Despite the most amazing of scenery, the temps quickly went from 5°c to 30°c, and this was at 7am! Nothing more than a massive solar oven walled with some of the tallest peaks on earth.

Taqui & Asgar reached Camp 1 about 2 hours before me and the yellow rope team. We dropped our loads and began to descend at about noon. The red rope had decided to stop about 200 vertical meters below and were resting while Naucho was setting an advanced basecamp and depositing his 25kg load! Crazy guy.

Andy, JR & Francois took off back to basecamp and I waited around and descend with the red team. We all stumbled into base at about 5pm. The heat was nuclear and the icefall was much more challenging with the added dimensions of slushy ice and rushing torrents of melt water.

Today we rest and prepare to set out at 2am tomorrow for our first sleep at camp 1. The weather is amazing so we may decide to spend a couple nights up high and try to establish camp 2 before coming all of the way down to base camp to recover.

All is well and the base camp staff have really gone out of their way to make this trip a great experience. The food is amazing and after nearly 2 weeks, we haven't had the same meal twice!

Weather breaks. Lets move!

Everyone on the Field Touring Alpine G2 team is packed and ready to move tomorrow morning at 3:30am. That is if the weather holds. We are all rested and anxious to establish camp 2 at 6400m on the Banana Ridge of Gasherbrum 2

Welcome to Concordia!

The long trek up the Baltoro Glacier is nearly behind us. The whole team is feelling great and we are now looking forward to a rest day at 4600m at Concordia.

The views are amazing. K2, Broad Peak, Chogolisa, Gasherbrum 4. We are all awe struck by the stunning beauty of this place.

Despite a possible porter revolt, we will stay here to acclimitze for a full day. Then it's a long days walk to our new home for the next month, Gasherbrum 2 base camp. We will be sending our climbing gear up to base camp tomorrow with the porters who have threatened to strike and despite their attempts at bribery, we will stay here to ensure we all aren't wiped out by the time we reach the start of the climb. Just part of the game up here.

I knew things were going too smoothly.

Photo: Suresh, Mark, François & Jene-René looking at the summit of K2.

Chris