Dispatch: Arrival at K2 Base Camp: Apricot Tours K2 Winter 2020
The Apricot Tours K2 Winter 2020 team crosses the Baltoro Glacier and Concordia and arrives at K2 Base Camp.
Category Archives: K2
Dispatch: Apricot Tours K2 Winter 2020: On the Way to Askole
The Apricot Tours K2 Winter 2020 team tests gear, concludes sponsor photo sessions and prepares to depart for Askole.
On 14 Jan, the team departed Askole with four dozen porters and began their K2 Base Camp Trek. It begins in Askhole and winds its way through the Braldu Valley before reaching the famous Baltoro Glacier to Concordia.
Dispatch: Apricot Tours K2 Winter 2020: From Islamabad to Skardu
The Apricot Tours K2 Winter 2020 team arrived in Skardu and was joined by team leader Mingma G.
They briefed with Liaison Officers and enjoyed a K2-themed cake gifted to them by other members of the mountaineering community in Skardu.
K2 Winter 2020 Dispatches: Apricot Tours Heads Out Led by Mingma G.
Apricot Tours Announces its K2 Winter 2020 Expedition. Dispatch updates to follow.
This year, we are following a Nepalese expedition attempting to summit K2 during the winter season. Apricot Tours mounted their expedition recently and reached Skardu on 08 Jan 2020.
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.
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.
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.
Fredrik Sträng Ends K2 Expedition With Broad Peak Attempt
After a what seemed like a disappointing turn of events on K2, Fredrik Sträng veers course and summits Broad Peak, salvaging some of his K2 2017 expedition.
K2 2017 is Over, Fredrik Sträng to Try Again Next Year
The 2017 K2 season is over. Only one expedition made it all the way to the summit, however, Fredrik Sträng vows to try again next year.
Fredrik endured a series of setbacks on K2, the weather being the most challenging adversary for this master climber. Communication was also down during the last few days of his expedition.
First Successful Summits on K2 Since 2014
There hasn’t been a successful summit on the King of Mountains, K2, since 2014. However, this changed today when one expedition, led by Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, made it to the summit and reported their successful assault through social media.
Roughly six hours ago, Mingma G., head of Dreamers Destination, reported on his Facebook page that he and 11 other climbers had successfully made it to the summit. He wrote:
28/07 UPDATE: Fredrik Sträng K2 Summit 2017 | Summit Abort and Reattempt Through Cecen Route
On 28 July, Fredrik returned to Base Camp after aborting the ascent at aprox. 7,400 meters due to bad weather and dangerous conditions that included little visibility, waist-deep snow and avalanches.
On 28 July at 8:00 P.M. EST, Fredrik’s contact updated his progress by stating that Fredrik and his partner would attempt the summit again. He will now approach the summit via the Cescen Route due to “bad conditions on Abruzzi.”
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.
Fredrik Sträng and Ali Musa Wait for a Weather Window on K2
Through Dispatches, you’ve had an inside look into the Sigma K2 2017 Expedition that is underway with climbers Fredrik Sträng from Sweden, Ali Musa from Pakistan and their third team member, Abass, their Chef Cook at K2 Base Camp.
Next week, he and Ali Musa are expecting to have a chance at a summit push on K2, but it will most likely be a shared effort between them and other expeditions on the mountain.
The Climb to Camp 2 | K2 2017
Moving on from Camp 1 after breakfast in his tent this morning, Fredrik Sträng commences the climb to Camp 2 and beyond.
Still snowing each day since his arrival on K2, Fredrik Sträng has made the best of the weather and window opportunities afforded to him on the mountain, always keeping physically active and exercising his mental capacities to remain in top shape for the summit.
A Sore Neck, Wet Snow and a Taste of Camp 1 for Fredrik Sträng | K2 2017
Getting over a sore neck, traversing unnaturally wet snow and finally getting a taste of Camp 1, Fredrik Sträng’s K2 2017 Expedition has turned out to be eventful early on, but plans are still on track for the summit.
Fredrik Sträng Finally Reaches K2 Base Camp
Swedish climber Fredrik Sträng finally reaches K2 on Tuesday 27, June at approximately 6:50 pm local time.
Sträng shared an image of himself posing at Broad Peak Base Camp with a view of K2 in the distance on his Facebook Page. According to his reports, many teams have gathered in the area for their expeditions to K2 and Brad Peak this season.
Fredrik Sträng Reaches Paju and First Sight of K2
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.
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 5 patient days of waiting for the LO 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.
Fredrik Sträng Arrives in Skardu Ready for K2
Fredrik Sträng arrives in Skardu, Pakistan experiencing delays but ready to take on the trek to K2 after a 26-hour ride on the Karakoram Highway.
Sträng is feeling good, enjoying the land and trekking the area in good company, mentally preparing for the long trek to the Baltoro Glacier.
Get to Know Climber Fredrik Sträng
Fredrik Sträng is our K2 2017 Watch Pick, and we will be following his expedition on K2 this year through his Dispatches from the mountain. But who is Fredrik Sträng and why does it matter? I felt that in order to really give readers a sense of what Fredrik Sträng is like as a climber and person, we needed some input from Cass Légér, the editor of BCM and Sträng’s point of contact for Dispatches. During my latest meeting with Cass, I lobbied for the quote bits below.
Here’s a glimpse into the life of this incredible climber, with some quotes from Cass Légér, with whom I spoke with this week while trying to get to know Sträng a bit better for this piece.
Fredrik Sträng Arrives in Islamabad for the Start of K2 2017 Climbing Season
Swedish mountaineer Fredrik Sträng has made it safely to Islamabad, Pakistan and is on track to commence K2 2017.
Sträng is in good spirits and keeping good company, excited about the days ahead. Sträng now begins the daunting task of organizing the gear and food he arranged to have shipped to Islamabad on 04, June, prior to his arrival.
Routes Up to K2’s Summit
First ascended by Achille Compagnoni on 31 July 1954, the mountain has since sprouted various routes across its faces that lead to the top.
Whether or not you’re crazy enough to attempt it, you’re not getting anywhere without a roadmap. Mountaineers usually take one of these ten pre-determined routes to the peak of K2.
Editor’s Note: K22017
Everest2017 is over, but there’s another season on the horizon. K22017 is just around the corner, and with it, comes a lot of preparation and thoughts, both good and bad. In this Editor’s Note, Base Camp Magazine’s Editor talks a bit about what to expect for K2’s upcoming climbing season and who BCM is watching closely on the mountain.
For every mountaineering season, I have a pick of mountaineers, expedition companies, guides… that I seem more interested in watching as they complete journeys; each season the picks are different, but some are constant favorites. This year, for the K2 season, I am watching Fredrik Sträng closely.
K2 Mountaineering Documentaries You Can Watch on YouTube
Thankfully, YouTube is an entire resource for some of the best K2 docs out there. These are some of the best K2 mountaineering documentaries you can watch on YouTube that we’ve found.
Base Camp Magazine 