K2, North Pillar, winter attempt up to 7650

   The Winter so called Netia K2 Expedition (Polish with 4 experienced alpinists from CIS) departed from Warsaw on December 16th 2002 and arrived to Bishkek, the capital of Krygyzstan where joined us four members from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Georgia. We all together continued to Kashgar (China, Sinkiang) and then by cars via Mazar.
   The expedition consisted of high altitude team with Krzysztof Wielicki as a leader and Jacek Berbeka, Marcin Kaczkan, Piotr Morawski, Jerzy Natkanski, Maciej Pawlikowski, Dariusz Zaluski and the four-man team of experienced alpinists from CIS with Gia Tortladze (Georgia), Ilias Thukvatulin (Uzbekistan), Vasiliy Pivtsov and Denis Urubko (both from Kazakhstan).
   On the transportation on glacier also worked a support team, few members of which exchange into real high altitude climbers. It consisted of Bartosz Duda, Jacek Jawien, Piotr Kubicki, Jacek Teler, Zbigniew Terlikowski and Michal Zielinski as a climbing cameraman. Base team consisted of, among others, Jaques Olek, Roman Mazik (doctor), Bogdan Jankowski (radiooperator), Jan Szulc. Also few tv workers and journalist as well as a few of Pakistani porters were engaged up to the foot of the N Pillar. In BC there was more than 30 persons.
   Our aim was to climb 1982 Japanese route via North Pillar and a characteristic hanging glacier, well seen from the distance and laying left of the crest of the pillar and opening the way to the summit. The route was known to our leader Krzysztof Wielicki since his 1996 climb.
   On 22 December our camel caravan started from the Chinese border police station of Ylik near Bazar Dara. We took 6 tones of gear and food and used 70 camels to carry this. During 5 days we passed Aghill Pass (4850m a.s.l.) which led us to Shaksgam River and then we turned to K2 river’s valley called Qogir Valley. On 26 December we stopped in the place called Chinese Base Camp (3900m) circa 3 kilometers before the terminus of Qogir Glacier (ca 4100m). Two days later was established so called Middle Base Camp (aka Pakistani BC, 4650m) in the midway to proper (main) Base Camp (5100m) which we reached next day. The last lays 5 kilometers before the deck of North Pillar of K2. There were sunny but cold days while during the night in BC the temperature decreased below -30 Centigrades.
   On the day of New Year the expedition really begun. Started Gia Tortladze and Illias Thukvatulin which put first 250 meters of fixed ropes. Wind was quite strong, but still sunny weather last. On January 5th Denis Urubko and Vasiliy Pivtsov established the Camp 1 (about 6000 meters a.s.l.) just one tent put into a big craves. Till this day the length of fixed ropes reached ca 1 kilometer. Next few days wind was very strong and the summit of K2 disappeared in clouds. The work was very hard, with steep fields of hard black ice with almost no place to rest. It was the way to Camp 1 and above. On 16th January we reached the big “Rock Barrier” (Rock Band) as we called it. Above this barrier were long but easier ice fields leading to the Camp 2. On 18th Krzysztof Wielicki and Jacek Berbeka fixed 200 meters of ropes through the barrier. Unfortunately Krzysztof strongly contused a sural [calf] muscle during decent what quite strongly weaken his ability to climb during next few weeks.
   Two days later on 20th Denis and Vasiliy established rough-and-ready, provisional Camp 2 at ca. 6750 meters. Two days later Marcin Kaczkan and me hacked a new platform for the tent, 50 meters above the old one, but we were unable to move the tent to a new place. The weather was getting worse. Next day Maciej Pawlikowski and Dariusz Zaluski were sleeping in the camp, and during the night the tent was totally destroyed. They lasted out in the broken tent till the sunrise and they came down to Base Camp. The weather was so terrible that all of us working above BC had to withdraw.
   After a few days spent in the Base Camp in very bad weather conditions Gia and Ilias decided they want to leave our expedition. Next day Vasiliy joined them also. Only Denis said that he had arrived with expedition and he would leave mountain with the same expedition. It was a low blow for us. We knew that the expedition would be much weaker without them and our chances to summit decreased. On the other hand our team consolidated and a few members of support team (including a climber-film operator) decided to help in transportation of gear above the BC up to Camp 2 and even (Jacek Jawien) Camp 3.
   Denis, Marcin and me strengthen the Camp 2 and started to put new fixed ropes above it. People were working very hard, carrying food and equipment to camps. On the beginning of February 4th Wielicki and Berbeka established the Camp 3 (7200m) on a little snowfield. But the tent was put very solidly. After one week of work on February 12 Denis with me established the Camp 4 (7650m). We put up the tent on little rock ridge near the lower tip of a characteristic hanging glacier which laid left of the crest of the pillar and opens the way to the summit. We hoped that the next team, Maciej and Darek, would strengthen and supply Camp 4. But wind was so strong that they had to retreat from the Camp 3. On 15th we get information that it was the worst weather from 4 years. Few days later it occurred that it was the worst weather from 40 years.
   All people came down to the Base Camp and were waiting for a little better weather. At this moment, due frostbites, ills and lack of acclimatization it seemed that in good shape to action above Camp 3 leaved only four climbers, Urubko, Wielicki, Kaczkan and Morawski. However, during this time our doctor told me that my frostbites of feet seemed strong and if I want to save not even toes but feet, I should not go up furtherly. So I stopped the action and, fortunately, it came out that I lose only one toe at least (the second).
   The expedition took 14 oxygen bottles few of which were carried up only up to Camp 1 up to the mid of February when the summit team decided to not use them.
   When the wind calm down a little, on Feb 21 our Leader Krzysztof Wielicki decided to go up to final attempt. It was the only chance to reach something more than Camp 4. Jurek Natkanski and Jacek Jawien went first. Their task was to check camps and supply them. Next day Feb 22 started Marcin Kaczkan and Denis Urubko, both without oxygen. They have planned to put last 200 meters of fixed ropes above the Camp 4 and then maybe to attempt the summit attack. The same day Natkanski and Jawien turned back from the rock barrier. A lot of stones and big pieces of ice were falling down. Next day Wielicki rejoined the high altitude action.
   On 25th it started to snow and wind increased. However, Marcin and Denis reached the Camp 4 still hoping they would to fix some ropes above. But it came out the tent was blown down. They put up another small tent which they took for the case of bivouac during planned continuous summit attack. They spent terrible night in one sleeping bag with almost no medicines, no carrimats, sleeping on coiled ropes.
   By this night as well as all very hard last days Kaczkan came out totally exhausted and deteriorated. In the morning after radio-consultation with doctor Urubko recognized that Kaczkan had the brain swell. He was unable even to wake up and the situation seemed serious. It was his first time on such altitude (his personal record was solitary on Pik Pobiedy 7439 during summer 2002; nevertheless he was feelling very well and decided to climb without oxygen). Rescue action begun, everybody who was still able to go up from BC did it, a bottle of oxygen was taken higher from the Camp 1 to Camp 2. Fortunately, after a few hours of Denis’s efforts Kaczkan was able to move and to get dressed. They both started to come down, and Kaczkan became stronger with every meter lower. Ca 200m above Camp 3 they both met ascending Krzysztof Wielicki and all three continued the descent. At afternoon in Camp 2 Kaczkan used some oxygen carried by Teler with Duda and all five men descended to Camp 1 to which just had climbed Zielinski and Natkanski. Last two ones and Kaczkan left in the Camp 1 for the night and he slept well with oxygen and next day he waked up sane and he was able to descend by his own and all three descended. Earlier, during the night the 4 rests descended further to BC, near Bergschrund assured by ascending Pawlikowski and Zaluski.
   Next evening, on February 27th, Leader decided the expedition finished. The next day wind was so terribly strong that it destroyed our mess in BC. Next days most of members were going down to the Chinese Base Camp while tents in the main BC were destroyed by the wind one after another. It was very hard to break main Base Camp. The last member descended to Chinese Base Camp on March 5th. The expedition came back to Warsaw on 18th March.
   This time K2 once again refused climbers. But the expedition showed us that it is possible to conquer this very demanding mountain in winter.
   Piotr Morawski, Grzegorz Glazek, Klub Wysokogorski Warszawa, PZA

[Some further comment by G.Glazek]
   The expedition had very strong media support, by the new telecommunication operator Netia, the biggest Polish Television TVP1 (state), the second important newspaper Rzeczpospolita, advertising comapny Cosmos Entertainment and our national Polish Mountaineering Federation (Polski Zwiazek Alpinizmu, PZA). For example, the main sponsor Netia produced dozens of 5x15 m banners in major towns, with the panoramas of every town itself with the giant K2 rising over the horizon. There were also day by day 10-minute reports in TVP1 in prime time, with 4-6 milion viewers and appeared day by day reports in the newspaper.
   The advertising impact was incredibly big and a kind of sympathy in media and wide public leaved strong despite the lack of final success. This is probably important for Polish climbers for the future, may be first time since the decade Polish himalaists focused the public interest in our (so flat) country. Interest as strong as during “the golden era” with Jerzy Kukuczka and Wanda Rutkiewicz in late 70-ties and 80-ties.