Swedish climber Fredrik Sträng departs Skardu, Pakistan on the road to Baltoro. He arrived in Paju on 22 June at approximately 6:30 PM local time.

Fredrik Sträng at Paju Camp with K2 to his left.

DISPATCH #4 Fredrik Sträng K2 2017

In our last Dispatch, Swedish climber Fredrik Sträng was in Skardu, Pakistan battling permit issues and hiking the area.

We are excited to report that the permit issues have been ironed out after five patient days of waiting for the L.O. to arrive in Skardu and meet the team. Sträng left Skardu on 20 June and commenced the ride to Askole followed by the trek to Baltoro Glacier.

The 4×4 ride to Askole was relatively smooth; the team experienced only one puncture and traversed it safely. The road they travel on to get to Askhole is usually closed for six months out of the year due to winter conditions, and it was just recently reopened two weeks ago.  Situated at 9,902 ft. (3,018 m.) above sea-level, this village is home to 500 peaceful villagers.

At arrival, the area greeted them with lush, green land. Although it was raining, Fredrik remained positive saying,

It’s raining but I love it! I much rather have rain these days (which otherwise can be brutally hot when sunny) and clear skies when we push for the top in July.

Arrival in Paju

Sträng arrived in Paju just shortly after 6:30 PM local time on 22 June. He encountered the first sight of K2 during a scramble above Paju Camp. He was neither fearful nor intimidated but was taken aback, as he wasn’t expecting to see it so soon. Fredrik described in his Facebook post:

Frankly, I felt nothing, just appreciation of its beauty and its enormous size. There was no fear, no intimidation, just appreciation of having this chance to try to summit the king of mountains – K2.

First Sight of K2

So far, the expedition is running smoothly, Sträng is in good cheer, excited and ready to be in his element. The editor, Cass Légér, said:

When I last spoke to him he was doing great. He met a lot of old friends along the trek and experienced some nostalgic moments – he’s happy to be in a place with people who love mountains as much as he does. The trek to Baltoro is the first part of the expedition where the brotherhood of mountaineering starts to come together.

We’ll keep you updated on Sträng’s journey back to K2, his experiences and let you follow along. Click for Dispatches on Fredrik Sträng’s K2 2017 Expedition. Click the link for all of our content on Fredrik Sträng.

About Fredrik Sträng

Fredrik Sträng proud of the Swedish flag (Facebook)

Fredrik Sträng is a Swedish climber, personal trainer and motivational speaker. Sträng has summited 8 of the world’s 8,000 m. peaks, and in 2017, Sträng will be attempting K2 again. He has worked with charitable organizations through the years to help those in need. He has been given various awards including Male Adventurer of the Year twice in 2007 and 2010. Sträng is partnered with Sigma Technology. To learn more about Sträng, read “Get to Know Climber Fredrik Sträng.”

Fredrik Sträng Facebook Page, Fredrik Sträng Webpage, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Follow our dispatches of Fredrik Sträng’s K2017 Expedition here.

Previous Fredrik Sträng Dispatches

Dispatch # 1 Fredrik Sträng Heads Out for K2 2017

Dispatch # 2 Fredrik Sträng Arrives in Islamabad

Dispatch # 3 Fredrik Sträng Arrives in Skardu