Jean-Christophe Lafaille 2003: Broad Peak
 

 Current Pakistan Time

In French Jean Christophe Lafaille

Translations by Fabienne for EverestNews.com

Dispatch Three Broad Peak: Here we are since yesterday at Broad Peak Base Camp, at 5.000m.

The place is rather austere and terribly impressive with this enormous mass which is K2, second higher top of the world. We have a unspoilable view on this attractive mountain, a perfect pyramid, so enormous which I do not manage to give a scale. I had the same feelings in front of the southern face of Annapurna with its 12km broad and its 3.000m top!

But back to Broad Peak and its 8.051m! We are also at the foot of this giant. It is it twelfth top of the 14 8.000m of the planet. Its first ascent was carried out by H.Buhl, a few hours afterwards, M.Schmuck, et.al.  who went up to the top with him. It was on June 9th, 1957.

This incredible character who was Herman Buhl makes a success of the first ascent of Nanga Parbat in 1953 alone, in 1957 the first of Broad Peak, before disappearing one month later on a nearby top Chogolisa 7.665m which he was trying to climb for the first time.

Today the weather is nice. Clouds in altitude but nothing bad. Jean-Christophe is in full preparation of his material. He will leave the base camp tomorrow Sunday July 13th in the early morning to try to close an incredible and fantastic challenge: three 8.000 in two months! The challenge is already accomplished with the two 8.000 that he climbed because the climatic conditions that he met in Daulaghiri and Nanga Parbat were particularly testing on the physical level, while opening a very difficult way for his son "Tom" on the Diamir slope of Nanga Parbat.  

The forecasts weather seem all right: if they are confirmed he will be at the top of Broad Peak this 15 July. Being at the foot of this mountain I could follow on line his progression from my tent at the base camp and make you share these magic moments and out of time in rare oxygen! Best wishes, Katia Lafaille.

Best regards, Katia Lafaille.

Dispatches

Jean-Christophe Lafaille, summited Dhaulagiri and Nanga Parbat in the last few weeks and is now attempting to climb Broad Peak via a new route! Follow us as we try to keep up with Jean-Christophe, who is clearly one of the elite mountaineers in the world today.

His dispatches from Dhaulagiri this year are here.

His dispatches from Nanga Parbat this year are here.