K2 2003: ANDALUCÍA K2 EXPEDITION

Amparo Ortega, from Granada, the first Andalucian woman who will attempt to get to the summit of K2 next Sunday.

Along with her are Jorge Vázquez and Juanjo Garra, as well as Iñaki Ochoa, from Navarra, Simone Moro, from Italy, and four members of an expedition from Kazakhstan.

Andalucía, July 25, 2003: The new information received from the Andalucía K2 Base Camp in the Karakorum Pakistani mountain system.  Two climbers, Fernando Fernández-Vivancos and Javier Sánchez have started their way back to Andalucía.  Two other Andalucians from the expedition, sponsored by Consejería de Turismo y Deporte through Deporte Andaluz, Amparo Ortega, from Granada, and Jorge Sánchez, from Sevilla, are approaching the high altitude camps that precede the second summit attempt of the Andalucian expedition.  Along with them is Juan Garra, cameraman, who went with Amparo Ortega in the Everest Expedition 2000, in which 'Lolo' González, from San Pedro, and Iván Jara, from Sevilla, crowned the summit.

THE 2nd SUMMIT ATTEMPT IS UNDER WAY

Andalucía K2 B. C. July 25, 2003: Yesterday, with very bad weather, the second summit attempt began.  It was planned to reach C2, but the wind and the snowfall only let them reach C1.  These are the plans of the attempt:

CLIMBERS IN THE LEADING GROUP:Amparo Ortega, Jorge Vázquez, Juanjo Garra, with the help of a high altitude carrier.

SUPPORT GROUP AT BC: Manuel Salazar, Manuel Morales and Manuel González.  At BC, a high altitude carrier remains, recovering from a stomach ailment, and will join the leading group to deactivate the high altitude camps.  Fernando Fernández-Vivancos and Javier Sánchez went back to Andalucía yesterday, with the trekking team.  The three support climbers are recovering from the attempt made on the 21st when they reached the 8,200 meters mark.

LINK IN ANDALUCIA: Francisco Ali Manen.  Receives and sends in Andalucía all the information about the development of the events.

WEATHER INFORMATION: Javier G. Corripio.  He is sending the expedition two daily forecasts of the weather evolution.

THE PLAN: One day before our climb, Italian Simone Moro, Kazakh Dennis and Navarran Iñaki Ochoa leave from BC (the latter goes back to BC).  The objective of this movement: to pass the ice trail at 8,200 m, and to install a fixed line.  There is also a group of 4 climbers from Kazakhstan, although with a slower progress plan.

Our group left on Thursday 24, and reaches C1 instead of C2 as planned.  Today, Friday, they have left at 06:00 (PK) 09:00 (SP) hours to C2 and they will depend on their strength and the weather conditions to continue to C3.

DAY 25      C2. Light precipitations, winds at 8,000 max. 60 km/h.

DAY 26      C3. Clearer.  The wind gusts remain up to max. 60 km/h.

DAY 27      C4. Instalation of C4 and summit attempt.  Descent C3. Clearer.  Wind is the same.

DAY 28      Descent to C3.

DAY 29      Descent C2-C1-CB. Considerable increase of the wind.

SITUATION OF THE GROUPS: JULY 25 - 11.00 (PK) 8.00 (SP)

INTERNATIONAL GROUP: Dennis waits at C3, Simone goes down.

KAZAKH GROUP 1: climbing to C3.

ANDALUCIAN GROUP: climbing to C2.

KAZAKH GROUP 2: climbing to C2.

THE REST: PIRIRIRIPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. FOR THE SUMMIIIIIIIIT...

THE COLUMNS OF THE ATTEMPT: Have Dennis and the first Kazakh group install one line on the ice of the trail, once Simone has gone down; hope that the wind or weather in general hold; that our climbers withstand the fierceness of the ascent.  Andalucía K2.  Manuel González.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Dispatches

Pictures and text copyright ANDALUCIA K2 expedition

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