09 Aug Oscar Perez stuck above 6500 meters
An urgent appeal has arrived from Pakistan, where Spanish climber Oscar Perez is stuck above 6500 meters on Latok 1 (7145 meters Karakorum Pakistan) since three days. Contact was lost with Oscar today; his climbing partner Alvaro Novellon is in base camp with frostbite.
No professional rescuers or high altitude rock climbers are available in Pakistan to rescue the climber. "We therefore request volunteers who can help to rescue Mr. Oscar Perez," wote outfitter Essar Karim, Adventure Tours Pakistan
Last July, Josh Wharton Colin Haley and Dylan Johnson were forced to retreat from the same Latok 1 Ridge due to the dangerous mountain conditions.
From Colin Haley blog, written by Josh Wharton: “Despite 30 years of expeditions by many of the world’s best alpinists, Pakistan’s Choktoi Glacier maintains a 0.0% success rate on the magnificent objectives that are accessed there (Latok 3, Latok I, Latok 2, Ogre 2, Ogre I). At midnight on 8 July, with a forecast for three good days followed by a minor 24 hour storm, we started toward the base of the north ridge with three 32 pound packs. We reached the base of the technical climbing at dawn and began belaying a 250m water ice step. Colin led the first block of grade 3 and 4 ice topping out on steep snow at 5450m. I led the following block of 60 degree snow and ice to the base of a steep mixed step at 5750m where Josh would take over. Our intended line continued up the steep mixed terrain above, which looked reasonable from base camp, but now appeared exceedingly difficult. We opted to climb a short mixed pitch followed by an arduous snow pitch (courtesy Colin, our unconsolidated snow master) to reach the ridge and a bivi near 5830m. The ridge itself was impassable due to the sugary mushrooms and cornices, our only option for ascent was to traverse west off the ridge. From his 2008 attempt, Josh knew the terrain to the west was complex and difficult as well. So we decided to rappell the lower northwest face the following day and returned to base camp and called in the porters. On our trek out from base camp, we met the Spanish alpinists, Alvaro Novellon and Oscar Perez hiking in to attempt the North ridge as well. May they have better luck than we did, inshallah! “
On August 3 Desnivel website announced that Alvaro and Oscar had to retreat from the North Ridge and were choosing for another objective.
Latok I was first climbed in 1979 by a Japanese expedition led by Naoki Takada, but the North Ridge of Latok 1 is a notorious unclimbed route, first attempted, and almost successfully climbed, by the legendary expedition of 1978 of Jim Donini, Michael Kennedy, George Lowe and Jeff Lowe.The team spent 26 days on the mountain and came within 400 feet of the summit, a high point that still holds. The diminishing fuel reserves, Jeff’s illness from a near-fatal virus and horrendous weather were the main reasons for their retreat, but the attempt is widely considered to be one of the greatest alpine endeavors of all time.
ms
source explorersweb desnivel colinhaley blog
