K2 2003: ANDALUCÍA K2 EXPEDITION

Andalucía, July 22, 2003: All the Andalucian climbers in B. C.

At 13:20 hours of Tuesday 22, the three climbers from Andalucía K2 who were in the mountain have arrived to Base Camp.  'Lolo' González, Fernando Fernández-Vivancos and Manuel Morales are already with the rest of their teammates.  Terribly tired and very hungry, the three Andalucians have arrived to B. C. where they will rest for the next hours and will decide on the steps to follow in the next days.  The weather forecasts are good for the next days and there is still a chance for a new attempt.

Update

The Andalucía K2 Expedition will try again

Amparo Ortega, Jorge Vázquez and Juanjo Garra will do the attempt 

Alliance with an international expedition and one from Kazakhstan 

The Andalucía K2 Expedition, sponsored by Consejería de Turismo y Deporte will attempt again to reach the summit of K2.  On this occasion Amparo Ortega, from Granada, Jorge Vázquez, from Sevilla, along with Juajo Garra will be the ones trying to reach the 8,611 meters of the summit of 'Chogori' - God of the Mountains in Balti language - or K2. 

The summit attempt could be on Saturday 26; the weather forecast is good for that date although the wind will be present in the next two days.  At this moment an international expedition - which has a climber from Navarra - and another from Kazakhstan have begun the ascent.  The leading mountaineers will try to break the ice of the trail of the great serac where Manuel Morales and Fernando Fernández-Vivancos were forced to give up, at around 8,300 meters of altitude. 

The rest of the Andalucian team will remain at B. C. in radio contact with the other expeditions, to transmit the Andalucians if there is a possibility to open and to fix lines in the trail which goes from the bottleneck up to the summit.  If it isn't so, the Andalucians will deactivate the different high altitude camps and will not try again.

We are waiting to get more complete information and pictures of the last scenes from the Base Camp of Andalucía K2.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Update

We received the following chronicle from the Base Camp the Andalucía K2, from the chief of the expedition 'Lolo' González, who this morning has had a telephone conversation with the chairman of Consejería de Turismo y Deporte de la Junta de Andalucía, Antonio Ortega.  The chairman has sent his encouragement to the Andalucian climbers and has shown his worry for the integrity of the members of the Andalucian team in the next summit attempt.

FIRST SUMMIT ATTEMPT, UP TO 8,200 METERS

THE 24TH BEGINS WITH A SECOND ATTEMPT TO REACH THE SUMMIT

B. C. Andalucía K2.  July 23, 2003

On the 18th, after one month waiting for the weather to improve and still having days of wind and fog to ascend to the lower camps, we managed to get to C3.  The plan had intentions to go much higher.  Counting with good forecasts for five days, our objectives were to go to the summit of K2 along with the Swiss. 

On July 20th Julio Morales and Fernando go to C4 with the help of the carrying made by Salazar and Lolo.  The install a tent at 7,700 meters, a little far from the final slopes of K2, but in a proper situation considering the potential of the Swiss team, who during the afternoon opened the trail up to the foot of the Bottleneck. 

A failure in the communications system left the different camps cut off and the decisive events of the leading group can't be followed.  It is 10:30 when a group of 10 climbers exit the tents.  At 2 the reach the Bottleneck going without problems, the ascent of this known corridor is done without finding especial difficulties because of the snow in good conditions, but... The trail has a very hard ice shield.  Morales and Fernando watch the climbers ahead and realize fast that they won't be able to pass with the material they have so they decide to retreat.  Our first attempt to reach the summit of K2 ends at 8,200 meters. 

Morales and Fernando dismount C4 at 9 hours (on the 21st ) and join Lolo at C3, continuing with the descent down to BC, where the second group of Andalucian mountaineers were visiting.

Tomorrow, the group of mountaineers will return, Fernando and Javier.  The other six climbers will stay one more week to attempt the summit again.  Amparo, Juanjo and Jorge, will go back to the high altitudes to try the summit again around the 27th.

For this new attempt, there are good weather forecasts which will allow going to the summit without wind on Saturday, and two teams of climbers have departed from BC today to try to pass the ice of the trail.  This action will be definitive for the continuity of our expedition.  Among the climbers who will form this new attempt are Iñaki Ochoa, from Navarra, with whom we have tried to coordinate and to cooperate in the attempt.  Andalucía K2.  Manuel González. 

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Dispatches

Pictures and text copyright ANDALUCIA K2 expedition

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