Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler

THE DREAM: In the summer of 2002, two American climbers - Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler - will travel to northern Pakistan to scale the south side of K2. Climbing "by fair means", without the use of supplemental oxygen, or additional manpower, these talented climbers will acclimate on lower mountains, then make a rapid, alpine-style ascent of K2 in mid-summer. If successful, Christine will be the first American woman to climb K2. Charlie, a professional filmmaker, will document the ascent on video.

Perhaps the world's most coveted summit is that of K2. Rising to 8611 meters in the Karakoram mountain range, it is the world's second highest peak; also one of the most beautiful and challenging to climb. The extreme altitude, severe weather and huge scale of this peak combine to make a successful ascent an elusive and dangerous undertaking. Despite a long history of exploration and climbing attempts, fewer than 200 people have stood on top, and only five women have achieved this goal.

Christine and Charlie will meet in Islamabad on the June 7th. Charlie just guided the successful Mountain Madness team on Everest this spring. They will share base camp services with the UK international team. They hopes to arrive at base camp on the 17th of June.

THE TEAM: Christine Boskoff is one of the world's most experienced woman high altitude climber, with nine expeditions to 8000-meter peaks to her credit (having summitted six, including Everest ). Despite several attempts, no American woman has come close to succeeding on K2. Christine is uniquely qualified to achieve this goal. She is the owner of Mountain Madness, Inc., a climbing guide service based in Seattle.

Charlie Fowler is a professional photographer, filmmaker and writer from Norwood, Colorado. A climber for almost 35 years, he has ascended many of the world's most difficult peaks. Charlie has explored and pioneered new routes on rock, ice and mountains in the Andes, the Himalaya, North America and Europe. Recent climbs include 8000 meter peaks Cho Oyu, Everest and Shishapangma in Tibet.

Dispatches

Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler's Dispatch Index