G4 East Face Expedition

Summit push on G3

2009-07-10T18:10:00.000+02:00

I just arrived in Islamabad after having been evacuated with a knee injury by the "Fearless Five" a helicopter unit of the Pakistani Army. Don, Bruce, Billy and Guy are at 7300 meters on an attempt to do a new route up G3 from the NW. If the weather stays good my four remaining expedition friends will go for the summit at midnight Pakistani time. If they summit they will be the third or fourth expedition ever to summit G3 and it will be the second route up G3. I wish the guys the best of luck and I will pray for them all night.

I also like to send my regards and best wishes to Philippe Gatta on G1/G2, the Steck family (dude ski with care...), David Hamilton, the Junkies leader Mr Crumpton, and the Portuguese team on G6. All of you be safe and push hard.

2009-07-08T17:24:00.000+02:00

Don, Guy, Billy and Bruce have reached the cwm at 7000 and are contemplating their next move. If the weather forecast stays stable they will attempt a top-out on G3 or G4. David has due to a knee injury, after falling into a crevasse, been evacuate by helicopter to Skardu.

2009-07-08T08:56:00.002+02:00

Don, Guy, Billy and Bruce are pushing towards the cwm at 7000 Wednesday and will attempt a top-out during the week.

2009-07-01T15:56:00.001+02:00

All of us are now along with all other expeditions down in BC waiting for a storm to blow past the Gasherbrum area. The weather forecast for the next 5 days is promising lots of snow. Our team is now quite well acclimatised so now we are resting, eating and preparing for a summit push as the next weather window opens.

Who will do what will be determined after we are back and can have a closer look at the conditions on our different options. One thing is for sure, there will be a lot of people moving up as soon as the weather breaks and we are not jealous on the traffic jams the climbers going for G2 are about to experience.

We like to thank our sponsors for there kind support. The gear and funds are all put to good use and we hope to welcome the Diamir www.diamir.de trekking group this weekend.

David
Base Camp

2009-06-28T22:13:00.001+02:00

Bruce, David and Don have spent a few days resting in BC while Guy and Billy are up getting acclimatisation on the hill. Depending on the weather forecast teams may swap places during Monday the 29th.

The next week’s weather is not looking that promising and if the forecast is right there will be a dump of about a meter in the next 5 days. We hope and pray this is not a hit of early monsoon effect.

Other than that all of us are in good health and Murph, our team Gorilla had us do a minute of silence for MJ.

On a more serious level we where saddened to learn that Italian skier Michele Fait died on K2. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. Several members in our team knew Michele Fait from previous K2 expeditions so the news was a hard blow.

Last but not least we just like to clarify that contrary to some media reports we have NOT fixed any ropes on the way from BC to camp one. We did however open their trail to C1 but that is not the same thing...

David 28/6 BC

Short update

2009-06-22T18:56:00.001+02:00

Don Bruce and David will depart BC on the 23rd and try to get into the cwm at 7000 meters this week. Billy and Guy are expected up three days later.

Working our way up

2009-06-22T18:46:00.000+02:00

On Saturday the 20th Don, Bruce and David returned to BC after a three day trip up the hill. Billy and Guy are on a different rotation so they are up there now trying to find a way to get in to the Cwm at 7000 meters. Billy and Guy are expected back at BC in a day or two as the rest of us will return up the hill and try to continue their work and scout out safe and possible lines on G3. Getting into the Cwm looks objectively not as safe as we had hoped for, but with a bit of luck we should be able to get in there and get established.

BC is now filling up fast and good BC spots are getting hard to come buy. It is changing the place and all new arrivals can thank there lucky star that we have put in a trail to C1 at 6000 meters. We will be back with more news next week as we progress up the hill.

David 21/6 BC 5050 meter.

Camp One

2009-06-14T19:33:00.001+02:00

The team has now established camp one at 6000 meter after nine days of work in the ice fall. Tomorrow they will venture towards the final camp and the start of the actual accent of G3 and G4.

It has been a long lasting hard work as it has been snowing every afternoon for 12 days. The weather is although fine and everybody are fresh and well and is looking forward seeing the ice fall at the final approach. The team has been away five days and is expected back at base camp Tuesday morning.

Through the ice fall

2009-06-13T09:46:00.000+02:00

Bruce, Don, Guy and Billy have left for a weeks walk up the glacier where they hope to reach the G3-4 cwm. Yesterday Friday, they reported via radio, from 5500 m, that they will try to find a way through the ice fall the next couple of days. The weather is nice with a light snowfall. Unfortunately David remains in base camp, trying to get well from his flu taking antibiotic.

Lots of snow

2009-06-08T20:15:00.004+02:00

After arriving in BC on the 3rd of June we have only had one day without snow and the forecast for this week looks like it will bring us about 70 cm of more snow if we are unlucky. But the unstable weather has not stopped us from making trips up the Glacier and today Bruce, Guy, Billy and Don are making our 3rd trip up the Ice fall that leads to camp one on our approach to the cwm at 7000 meters.
Both our expedition goals are starting at the cwm situated between G4 and G3 at around 7000 meters so we have a complex approach in order just to get to the start of the climbing. We need to cover a long horizontal distance as well as about 1850 vertical meters in order to be at the cwm at 7000 meters. That is the same vertical distance as the North Face of Eiger. All of us are doing well except me, David, who is suffering from a sinus infection. But I hope I will be up and about in a day or two.

Photo Don Bowie

So far we are alone in Base Camp and almost alone in the Karakorum as far as expeditions are concerned but that will soon change. As of now we only know of a small team that is around the corner from us on Broad Peak. But in the next 10 days we expect to see several other teams arriving for attempts on G1 and G2 so the thin moraine strip that serves as BC will soon be quite crowded.
The changing weather is a bit frustrating but on the other hand it offers spectacular scenery and plenty of nice photo opportunities. The same mountains can look so different depending on light and snow conditions. Our BC is comfortable and well placed under the ice fall which we need to pass in order to get up on the mountain, so we can’t complain about that. I guess it’s the bonus of arriving first in the season. The nights are still quite cold and dinners are eaten with down jackets on. At night the avalanches on the surrounding peaks are comparable to trying to sleep at a train station but its quite nice to hear nature take its course and spectacular to look at.

Base camp

2009-06-03T21:56:00.001+02:00

A quick report, more will follow. We have finally arrived at base camp just above 5 000 meters. Everyone is feeling fine and excited!

Almost like vacation!

2009-05-28T23:23:00.000+02:00

On our way to Askole by Jeep, we were held up a day due to a landslide. Parts of the road had been washed out and needed to be rebuilt before we could continue. This is normal for the season - it is still spring up here in the north east of Pakistan and very warm. So warm that for a minute you think you are on some sort of holiday. This feeling intensifies when we stop for meals and are invited into the main tent where our absolutely amazing chef Imran has prepared the most delicious dishes!

We have 90 carriers, each carrying 25 kilos. They do a great job in their plastic sandals. Makes us feel a bit stupid with real shoes and light back pack…

Nanga Parbat from the air...

2009-05-27T10:30:00.001+02:00

The adventure has begun! We caught a first glimpse of what is ahead of us when flying past Nanga Parbat on our way from Islamabad to Askole. What a stunning and beautiful mountain!

We have now put on our trekking shoes and left Askole for a week’s march. We estimate to reach the Base Camp on 5 200 meter June the 2nd. Everyone is feeling great and so far things are working as planned.

The G3 and G4 Team

2009-05-20T22:20:00.016+02:00

Our Expedition Leader is Bruce Normand (Scotland) a research physicist (PhD from MIT) with some 20 years’ of climbing experience. Bruce have lead expedition in Nepal, Pakistan, India, Tibet, China, Patagonia, Peru, Alaska, …In 2007 Bruce climbed K2 and he has over 20 first ascents in every corner of the Trans-Himalaya.

Don Bowie (Canada) is responsible for medical and safetyand he is a Qualified EMT and SAR expert. Don is a large wildlife research assistant with18 years’ climbing experience. Don has expedition experience in Alaska, Baffin Island, Peru, Nepal, Pakistan, … including summiting K2 in 2007. This expedition is the second this year for Don to Karakorum who is fresh from a winter attempt on Broad Peak.

Billy Pierson (USA) is going to record the expedition : Billy is an award winning producer and cameraman with 32 years’ climbing experience. Billy has climbed in Alaska, Nepal, Pakistan, Patagonia, … including summiting K2 in 2000

Guy McKinnon (NZ) is a Museum guide with 16 years’ climbing experience and one of New Zealand’s foremost solo alpine climber in rock and ice. Guy has expedition experience in China.

David Fält (SWEDEN) was part of his first Himalayan expedition at 18. At 21 he was the expedition leader to the unclimbed HunzaPeak (6270m) in Pakistan. David started climbing in 1987 and he has climbed some of the hardest winter routes in the Alps.

2009-04-16T16:59:00.008+02:00

The two options shown above on G3 7952m are our acclimatization goals and back up routes.

This is the mighty East Face of G4. Its hard to say where the best line of weakness is but we think a direct line is possible.

Gasherbrum IV or G4 is one of the coolest mountains on the planet. It was first climbed in 1958 by the legendary Italian alpinist Walter Bonatti. Since then the true summit has only been reached about 4 or 5 times. I'm not quite sure of the number of accents and different sources say different things but one thing is for sure its a big undertaking and it will not be easy to be the first expedition in the new millennium to set foot on the summit. Several expeditions have been successful in climbing some extremely prominent lines on G4 with out actually reaching the true summit and I think it would be ignorant not to mention the West Face route climbed by Robert Schauer and Wojciech Kurtyka in 1985 (in alpine style) .

I don't know the number of expeditions that have been trying to do new routes or repeat routes on G4 but I think a fair estimate is in excess of 30 expeditions so the hit rate is not that great but that's kind of why its interesting. If we fail we will be in good company, House and Cave are just two who have tried G4 with out any luck so I have no illusions of this being a walk in the park.

Said about G4:

"If there's a mountain harder to climb than K2, it's considered to be Gasherbrum 4. The peak is 7925m and an extremely technical climb. Its sheer rock faces are relentless and the objective dangers are many. On top of that, it's located in a part of the world where the weather is very unstable". From Summit Post

The Virgin East Face

We will attempt the unclimbed East Face in alpine style. The East Face is a relatively short face and route will "only" be about 1000 vertical meters of climbing. From pictures it looks like the end of the first third will offer some delicate mixed climbing and possibly quite steep. Then the exit of the face looks thin and steep. The strategy is to climb in teams of three so the leader can climb with a ultra light pack. We will climb from 7000 meters in a ultra light style using only the bare minimum of equipment.

The hard part will be to get well established at the bottom of the face. Its a long slog from about 5000 meters to 7000 meters. So in reality we need a well stocked camp at 7000 meters in order to be at the right spot at the right time. Timing will be every thing. The equation is complex, we have to be at 7000 when the forecast is good, the team is in shape and the face in condition. Obviously quite a lot of room for unexpected events... Not to

This is an international expedition and we will announce the participants as well as our sponsors with in the following weeks.

We will broadcast live dispatches from the expedition and hopefully from the actual summit attempt. This blog will also publish live messages. But the official expedition site will be the main information source.