K2 Against All Odds - Extended Version

Page 10

August 1st between 10:00 and 11:00 First Doubts With the delays and limited progress, the climbers could be forced to return through the Bottleneck in the dark. Although eager to reach the summit some climbers make the decision to turn back and descend to Camp IV. Even so, one of the largest groups of climbers ever seen on K2 continues its ascent.

Chris Klinke American 2008 International Expedition

“When I looked at my watch and saw it was close to 10 o’clock I realised that, at the pace we were going and if everything worked perfectly, we would summit just before dark. However, on our descent, we would have to enter the Traverse and the Bottleneck in the dark. This was a very scary prospect because the entrance to the Bottleneck is actually a very narrow corridor that is hard to negotiate. You are looking at a field of white trying to pick out one little feature but if you go too far to the right on the way down you hit an avalanche slope. Too far to the left and it is serac, cliffs and crevasses. Going the wrong way would be very dangerous and if the winds came up it could blow our tracks away in about 10 minutes.”

Frederik Sträng American 2008 International Expedition

“We can’t climb this mountain safely − that’s what the voice inmy head kept saying. I said to Eric, let’s go down to Camp IV and wait for the others. Let’s get prepared for the worst. At that time, I didn’t knowhow true those words were. We got back to Camp IV, the sun was up and extremely hot. In fact, it was so hot that we were in our tent in only T-shirts and underwear.

The Bottleneck. The Great Serac towers over climbers making their way through the narrow gully (Alberto Zerain)