Bodies of David Lama, Hansjörg Auer and Jess Roskelley Found
The bodies of climbers David Lama, Hansjörg Auer and Jess Roskelley have been found. Trio was killed by an L3 avalanche.
Category Archives: Mountaineering
David Lama, Jess Roskelley and Hansjörg Auer Presumed Dead in Canadian Rockies
The North Face climbers David Lama, Jess Roskelley and Hansjörg Auer are presumed dead after an avalanche in the Canadian Rockies.
Nepal Ready to Measure Mount Everest During Everest2019
A team of Nepalese scientists heads out to measure Mount Everest and verify if the 2015 Nepal Earthquake shrunk the mountain.
Signs of High-Altitude Sickness, Treatment and Prevention
Here’s a list of the most common high altitude sicknesses, their treatment and prevention: Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE), High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), Hypoxia, Hypothermia and Snow Blindness.
Being aware of high altitude sicknesses and expedition illnesses can mean the difference between life and death on the mountain.
Pemba Gyalje Sherpa is Alive & Well
We’ve received an abundance of emails asking if Pemba Gyalje Sherpa has died in a mountaineering accident. We are clarifying that as of 23 March 2019, Pemba Gyalje Sherpa is still alive.
Remembering Tom Ballard: A Light Extinguished
On 09 March, the news was official. We had lost Tom Ballard on Nanga Parbat. In the days that followed, the world seemed just a little smaller. Worldwide, we had to come to terms with the idea that the growth, of what we expected to be, one of the greatest mountaineers was permanently stunted.
Fredrik Sträng Announces Fourth K2 Attempt in 2019
Fredrik Sträng announces he will try to summit K2 again in 2019. This expedition will be his fourth attempt to summit K2. He continues his partnership with Sigma technology for the expedition.
The Seven Summits According to Richard Bass
The Richard Bass Seven Summits List is a list of the seven tallest mountains in each of the seven continents. Unlike Messner’s List, it only references mainland Australia, vs all of Oceania.
The Bass List comprises Everest, Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Kosciuszko and Vinson.
Alex Txikon Reaches Camp 1 on K2
After finding Tom Ballard and Daniele Nardi on Nanga Parbat, Alex Txikon has continued his quest for K2. On 14 March 2019, he reached Camp 1, leaving an audio message on his tracker.
The Search for Tom Ballard & Daniele Nardi Officially Over. Bodies Found
On 09 March, the search for Tom Ballard and his climbing partner, Daniele Nardi, was officially called off. The previous sightings of “silhouettes” during the reconnaissance operation were confirmed to be the bodies of the two climbers.
It is with heavy hearts that we announce that the search and rescue operation of Tom Ballard and Daniele Nardi was officially called off on 09 March 2019.
The rescue operation had been ongoing since the climbers’ last communication on 24 February. Both climbers were on an expedition attempting to climb the notorious Mummery Spur on Nanga Parbat in Pakistan. Since the route’s creation, it has remained unclimbed.
On 06 March, the Nardi team revealed that Alex Txikon had identified two “silhouettes” through a high powered telescope. The team was prepared to confirm the sightings using the assistance of a helicopter flyby. On the scheduled day, Pakistan recalled the helicopter for military operations. It would be another two days before the identification could be completed.
On 09 March, Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo announced on Twitter that the “silhouettes” previously identified were, in fact, those of Tom Ballard and Daniele Nardi.
Tom Ballard & Daniele Nardi Rescue Update: Two Silhouettes Identified. Search is Not Over
In a surprising update to the Daniele Nardi and Tom Ballard Rescue operation, Alex Txikon identifies two Silhouettes on Nanga Parbat from Base Camp. The search is continuing.
According to reports, the identification was made at dawn; and helicopters are scheduled to arrive soon to continue the exploration of the mountain. The report stated that the search would continue along the Mummery Spur route. The team hopes to get closer observations of images they witnessed through a telescope.
UPDATE: Tom Ballard & Daniele Nardi Rescue
Over the weekend, the Daniele Nardi and Tom Ballard rescue operation was plagued by delays and bad weather. A rescue fund has been set up.
Tom Ballard, Son of Alison Hargreaves, Disappears on Nanga Parbat
The acclaimed son of Alison Hargreaves has disappeared on Nanga Parbat while on an expedition in late February with Daniele Nardi.
The last time the pair were heard from was on Sunday, 24 February 2019.
Tom Ballard is the son of Alison Hargreaves, first woman to summit Mount Everest during a solo climb without supplemental oxygen. She died 3 months later on K2 at the age of 33. Ballard is 30.
Kilimanjaro, Africa’s Highest Peak
Often misinterpreted as an easy climbing mountain, Kilimanjaro offers multiple routes with difficulty fluctuating between being for the casual mountaineer and more experienced ones. With its main peak reaching 5,895 meters (19,341 feet), the climb is nothing to be taken lightly.
La Sportiva Olympus Mons Evo Boots Updated
The La Sportiva Olympus Mons Evo Boot has been the warhorse of the 8,000er club, carrying climbers up to the highest peaks for over 20 years. In 2019, it has been revamped to create a new, lighter boot; the Olympus Mons Cube.
K2 Remains Unconquered in Winter (2020)
For decades, mountaineers have attempted to climb K2 in winter, with the most recent being Apricot Tours in 2020. They have all failed, but data shows promise that it can be done.
Many expeditions have tried including the 2018 Krzysztof Wielicki expedition that rescued Elisabeth Revol on Nanga Parbat. Other expeditions were attempted it in 1988, 2003, 2012 and 2015, and 2019.
The 2008 K2 Disaster
The 2008 K2 Disaster was a highly publicized climbing disaster that resulted in the deaths of 11 climbers on 01 August of that year. The tragedy also heightened scrutiny of safety precautions and climber responsibility during expeditions.
The 2008 K2 Disaster was brought on by a series of events, some preventable, some not. but what it had in common with many mountaineering disasters, including the 1996 Everest Disaster, was the continuation of a summit push past the safe turnaround time.
Vanessa O’Brien Thinks the Nanga Parbat Rescue Could Have Climbed Higher to Save Tomasz Mackiewicz
In a controversial statement on Twitter, Vanessa O’Brien revealed that she felt the Nanga Parbat rescue volunteers could have climbed higher to retrieve Tomasz Mackiewicz.
On Friday, 26 January, Tomasz Mackiewicz and Elisabeth Revol made a successful assault on the summit of Nanga Parbat during their Winter Ascent Expedition. Prior to their attempt, Nanga Parbat had only been summited once in the winter in 2014.
One Saved, One Perishes on Nanga Parbat During Winter Expedition
PAKISTAN – One climber has been rescued from Nanga Parbat and one perished during separate winter expeditions on the “Killer Mountain.”
French mountaineer Elisabeth Revol was rescued off of the mountain after an ill-fated storm trapped her and her climbing partner above 25,000 ft (7620 m).
Her climbing partner, Polish native Tomasz “Tomek” Mackiewicz had to be left behind due to his severe injuries and physical condition.
Antarctica and Cold Environment Expeditions Season Starts on BCM
Now, we’re moving into our Antarctica and Cold-Environment Expedition Season. This is where we feature climbers, explorers and expeditions traveling to Antarctica and other environments that are naturally cold year-round.
We have a lot planned for this long season that will stretch into the end of winter 2017. Included in our publication calendar is our well-awaited coverage of Second Lieutenant Scott Sears’ solo expedition to the South Pole and a feature on Dr. Ash Routen’s expedition to Lake Baikal in Siberia where he will be leading a team of 3 Brits across one of the world’s most interesting bodies of water.
Wendy Ong Shares How She Overcame Her Spinal Cord Injury and Climbed On
“Certain that Bob had me, I unclipped from the anchors, leaned back – and then free-fell nearly 200 feet to the ground.” I kept telling myself, “Don’t close your eyes Wendy, don’t close your eyes.”
Eielson JROTC Cadets Take on Mountaineering
Ben Eielson Jr./Sr. High School’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) took on mountaineering in a recent training course designed to teach basic mountaineering concepts and techniques.
Dealing With Post-Expedition Depression
After the expedition, work on accepting that the expedition is over. The team is back home, the season has ended and you need to get back to your life and responsibilities.
The Wait is Over, Fredrik Sträng Attempts K2 Summit Today
Yesterday, he announced that today is the day for the summit bid start!
We, and all you reading this now, have been keeping our fingers crossed in hopes of good weather for the summit attempt for Fredrik Sträng’s Sigma K2017 Expedition. In our last Dispatch, we left Fredrik waiting patiently as he watched the stars and contemplated his place amongst them and measured his size against the mountain.
