No Evacuations, All well on G2

Great news! No one neees to be evacuated.

We will be clearing the hill tomorrow and heading back to Concordia on the 21st of July.

The mountain will always be there.

BIG SCARE- everyone safe at Camp 2

ALL FTA MEMBERS ARE OK!

First thing this morning I awoke to a frantic display of base camp mayhem. People running around. Word of frozen climbers, huge storms and no communication were abuzz. As we prepared med. kits, oxygen bottles & stretchers, A small team of international climbers, including myself were trying to piece together a rescue plan for an unknown number of victims stranded somewhere between 7300m and 8000m.

In the next few moments, some more distilled news started to filter down from the high camps. There were two victims, one with frozen feet and one with frozen hands. Also, news of an Argentinean climber that was in trouble. My god, Naucho. My dear friend and one of the coolest guys I've met.

No word from JR & Francois or our dedicated high altitude porter Asgar either. Everything was set for our big rescue when JR's voice crackled over the radio. "Um, Chris, we had a big surprise last night, a big storm. We are finished, nearly at camp 2."

I immediately asked about the status of Naucho and the rest of the team. "Naucho has very cold feet but they do not seem to be frost bitten, he is ok, everyone is fine and will sleep at camp 2 this evening"

I am so so relieved. Not to be melodramatic but this morning really tore me apart. I know that these things are part of life in the mountains but it is impossible to get used to it. It is the price some of us pay to visit the most amazing places on earth. Some come home, some stay here forever.

Right now, 2 men. One with frozen feet and one with frozen hands are being helped down to a heli-pad that has been prepared at 5900m camp 1. If the weather stays stable, 2 Llama choppers will arrive this afternoon for evacuation to Skardu.

Once again, all FTA members are fine and I will make sure everyone makes it safely back to base camp.

Chris

French Team, Asgar Naucho @ Camp 4!

Well, they're going for it. Francois, JR & Asgar climbed to camp 4 at 7400m today and met up with Naucho. They all plan to head for the summit at 6am tomorrow, July 18th. All is looking well and if the weather holds for another 24 hours they should be standing atop Gasherbrum 2 8035m sometime tomorrow afternoon.

There is a lot of snow up high and the winds are blowing but they are all determined.

Everyone at baseamp in cheering them on and we are anxiously awaiting the next radio contact.

GO FOR IT GUYS!

Summit Aborted! 50cm snow, high winds

I had to make the really tough decision to call off pretty much our only summit chance last night at 10:30 pm. 10 cm of snow had fallen and the winds had started to blow. I went around to the team members' tents and broke the news. Surprisingly, everyone supported my decision to see what the morning would bring. Well, 50 cm of snow, a total white out and blow-you-over winds. The north face team turned back at 7400m due to avy danger. Their bid to ski from the summit of Gasherbrum 2 is pretty much off. Its been great climbing with such a great group of people and we look forward to a rockin' dance party back at base camp. I digress...

At about 10am this morning I had to make another tough call. Wait out the a storm at 7000m, that arrived early and is supposed to last 5 days or get off the mountain before the team gets trapped and can't descend the extremely avalanche prone slopes. (3 additional days of sun are needed to help consolidate the snow and make it relatively safe) I must say I'm not the happiest of campers right now but I stand by my decision.

Here we all sit safe and sound at camp 2. Everyone but Jean-Rene and Francois will descend to base camp tomorrow morning. The two French climbers feel differently about the weather and route conditions and along with Asgar, may make another attempt from camp 2. Naucho remained at camp 3 and may also descend tomorrow or head up to camp 4, weather permitting.

It saddens me, and all of the members to be going down after working so hard to to get so close to our goal. In the end however, it is always safety first and my first responsibility it to bring everyone home.

Chris from G2 camp 2.

Leaving at 11pm for the top!

After an amazing climb up to camp 3 at 7000m, the team is all set to push for the summit this evening.

We left camp 2 at 7am and arrived at 3 between 3-4.5 hours later. The climb up the icy face was pretty much 50° the whole way; never letting up for a second. Taqui arrived first, then me, followed closely By Andy. JR & Francis rolled in about an hour later with Suresh & Fred 30 minutes after that. Naucho shortly after with his huge pack.

The going was pretty slow but we are all feeling like we can make a good shot at the summit this evening. This is pretty much our go/no go day. After so much preparation and hard work, our window comes down to just one day. Not much fun waiting at 7000 meters but the views are so amazing we can't help but be exited.

Chris at Gasherbrum 2, camp 3.