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K2 Photo Gallery - Concordia

Concordia on the Baltoro Glacier with views of K2, Angel Angelus Peak, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum IV, Baltoro Kangri, Vigne Peak, Mitre Peak, Paiju Peak and Choricho, Cathedral, Lobsang Spire, Crystal Peak, Marble Peak

01 Concordia Campsite below Mitre Peak Our campsite at Concordia (4745m) is beautifully situated below Mitre Peak. Concordia was named by Sir Martin Conway in 1892 after the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Concordia is the junction of Baltoro Glacier, Godwin Austin Glacier (descending from K2), and the Upper Baltoro Glacier. The view from all around is incredible.

01 Concordia Campsite below Mitre Peak

02 Camp At Concordia, Jerome Ryan Eating Lunch, Army Communications Line Snakes Through Camp After arriving at Concordia (4745m), my tent and the kitchen tent were quickly set up, and I enjoyed my lunch in the warm mid-day sun. The Pakistani Army are present at Concordia, with the communications line snaking through the campsite.

02 Camp At Concordia, Jerome Ryan Eating Lunch, Army Communications Line Snakes Through Camp

03 Guide Iqbal, Jerome Ryan, and cook Ali at Concordia Jerome Ryan thanked my guide Iqbal and my cook Ali for getting me safely to Concordia, and in such good weather – perfect!

03 Guide Iqbal, Jerome Ryan, and cook Ali at Concordia

04 Porter Muhammad Khan At Concordia My porter Muhammad Khan posed nicely for me at Concordia.

04 Porter Muhammad Khan At Concordia

05 Porter Muhammad Siddiq At Concordia My young porter Muhammad Siddiq posed nicely for me at Concordia.

05 Porter Muhammad Siddiq At Concordia

06 K2 From Concordia Late Afternoon The clouds that hung over K2 for most of the day started to clear in the late afternoon revealing the beautiful K2 seen from Concordia. The first ascent of K2 was completed by Italians Lino Lacedelli and Achille Campagnoni on July 30, 1954. The previous day Campagnoni and Lino Lacadelli had climbed to Camp IX, with Walter Bonatti and HAP Mahdi following carrying their oxygen bottles. But Campagnoni intentionally moved the camp from the planned site so Bonatti could not try for the summit. After waiting in vain for Lacedelli and Campagnoni to appear, Bonatti and Mahdi had to suffer through a bivouac at 8100m, with Madhi suffering frostbitten toes. Controversy struck when the expedition leaders accused Walter Bonatti of turning back before delivering needed oxygen to the lead climbers below the summit. After staying quiet for 50 years, Lacadelli finally published his view of what happened in 2004, corroborating Bonatti's story.

06 K2 From Concordia Late Afternoon

07 K2 Close Up From Concordia Afternoon The K2 West Face shines in the late afternoon sun from Concordia. The K2 West Ridge is on the far left. The Southwest Pillar separates the sunny west face from the K2 South Face. The Mushroom is the large hanging glacier on the lower part of the Southwest Pillar. The South-southeast Spur arrives at the K2 Shoulder on the far right. ‘The ground was almost flat - now it was flat! We looked about us ... Above us there was nothing but blue sky ... We embraced each other, then flung ourselves down flat on the snow so that we could remove our oxygen-masks. Next we tied the two small flags – Italian and Pakistani – to an ice-axe, together with a small standard of the Italian Alpine Club.’ While Campagnoni gushes with personal satisfaction, ‘it would probably be true to say that we had both just experienced the greatest moment of our lies’, Desio hits the nationalistic tone: ‘Lift up your hearts, dear comrades! By your efforts you have won great glory for your native land ... to-day all Italians are rising to acclaim you as worthy champions of your race.’ – from Ascent Of K2: Second Highest Peak In The World by Ardito Desio.

07 K2 Close Up From Concordia Afternoon

08 K2 Close Up From Concordia Afternoon The K2 West Face shines in the late afternoon sun from Concordia. The K2 West Ridge is on the far left. The Southwest Pillar separates the sunny west face from the K2 South Face. The Great Serac is just in shadow to the right below the K2 Summit. The K2 Shoulder is farther down to the right, partially in the sun. The K2 West Ridge was first climbed by Japanese Eiho Otani and Pakistani Nazir Sabir, reaching the K2 summit on August 7, 1981.

08 K2 Close Up From Concordia Afternoon

09 Marble Peak From Concordia Afternoon The jagged outline of Marble Peak (6256m) sits to the north of the campsite at Concordia, seen here in the later afternoon.

09 Marble Peak From Concordia Afternoon

10 Crystal Peak From Concordia Afternoon Crystal Peak (6252m), seen here from Concordia in the afternoon, was first climbed by Sir Martin Conway on August 10, 1892 on his exploration of the Karakoram.

10 Crystal Peak From Concordia Afternoon

11 Gasherbrum IV With Gasherbrum II Behind From Concordia The West Face of Gasherbrum IV shines in the late afternoon sun from Concordia. Gasherbrum II pokes out to the right of G4. The first ascent of Gasherbrum IV was made via the northeast ridge on August 6, 1958 by famed Italian mountaineer Walter Bonatti and Carlo Mauri on a strong Italian team led by legendary climber Riccardo Cassin. ‘A desperate struggle between the mountain and ourselves, but we were all winners, and at 12.30 exactly the little pennants of Italy, Pakistan and the C.A.I. fluttered on the Summit itself. Fluttered – no, blew out in the howling gale.’ - Karakoram: The Ascent Of Gasherbrum IV by Fosco Maraini.

11 Gasherbrum IV With Gasherbrum II Behind From Concordia

12 Gasherbrum IV Close Up At Sunset From Concordia The clouds covering the summit of Gasherbrum IV cleared a bit to reveal the summit ridge at sunset seen from Concordia.

12 Gasherbrum IV Close Up At Sunset From Concordia

13 Baltoro Kangri And Kondus Peak Late Afternoon From Concordia To the right of the Gasherbrums is the white Baltoro Kangri, and then Kondus Peak poking up slightly from the Kondus Glacier. Kondus Peak (6756m) was first climbed on August 3, 1958 by T Kato and other climbers from the 1958 Japanese expedition to Chogolisa led by T. Kawabara.

13 Baltoro Kangri And Kondus Peak Late Afternoon From Concordia

14 Baltoro Kangri Late Afternoon From Concordia Baltoro Kangri (Golden Throne, 7312m) is an enormous dome of snow and ice capped with five summits, seen here from Concordia in the late afternoon. ‘To it I gave the name Golden Throne (23,600 feet), for it is throne-like in form, and there are traces of gold in its volcanic substance,’ - Climbing & Exploration in the Karakoram Himalayas by William Martin Conway (published 1894).

14 Baltoro Kangri Late Afternoon From Concordia

15 Baltoro Kangri Close Up At Sunset From Concordia Sunset was beautiful on Baltoro Kangri from Concordia. Baltoro Kangri V (southeast, 7260 m) was first climbed by James Belaieff, Piero Ghiglione and Andre Roch, on August 3, 1934, who then skied down from over 7000m. The other four summits were climbed by two Japanese expeditions in 1963 and 1976,

15 Baltoro Kangri Close Up At Sunset From Concordia

16 Vigne Peak From Concordia Vigne Peak (6874m) shines in the late afternoon sun from Concordia.

16 Vigne Peak From Concordia

17 Paiju Peak, Choricho, Uli Biaho, Trango Towers, Cathedral, Lobsang Spire At Sunset From Concordia I looked down the Baltoro Glacier from Concordia at sunset to see Paiju Peak, Choricho, Uli Biaho, Trango Towers, and Cathedral Peak, and Lobsang Spire.

17 Paiju Peak, Choricho, Uli Biaho, Trango Towers, Cathedral, Lobsang Spire At Sunset From Concordia

18 K2 Close Up At Sunset From Concordia The last rays of sunset light up the top of K2’s West Face and flicker off a small cloud floating near the summit of K2, seen from Concordia.

18 K2 Close Up At Sunset From Concordia

19 Gasherbrum IV At Sunrise From Concordia Gasherbrum IV (7925m) at sunrise from Concordia, with the northwest ridge on the left. The 3000m high Gasherbrum IV West Face was climbed by Robert Schauer and Wojciech Kurtyka in an alpine push between July 13 and 20, 1985. After reaching the North Summit, bad weather and extreme exhaustion forced them to descend, missing the main summit. Their climb was selected by Climbing magazine as the greatest Himalayan climb of the 20th century.

19 Gasherbrum IV At Sunrise From Concordia

20 Gasherbrum IV Close Up At Sunrise From Concordia Gasherbrum IV close up at sunrise from Concordia. On June 22, 1986 Greg Child, Tim Mcartney-Snape, and Tom Hargis climbed to the North Summit and traversed 450m horizontally to the true Gasherbrum IV Summit, completing the first ascent of the Gasherbrum IV Northwest Ridge. ‘We functioned as a single being. Now on the summit, that being, drunk with euphoria, felt suddenly as if it had been merged with sky and mountain as well to become a single, elemental entity.’ - Thin Air: Encounters In The Himalaya by Greg Child.

20 Gasherbrum IV Close Up At Sunrise From Concordia

21 Baltoro Kangri At Sunrise From Concordia Baltoro Kangri shines at sunrise from Concordia.

21 Baltoro Kangri At Sunrise From Concordia

22 The First Rays Of Sunrise Hit K2 Summit From Concordia I’m ready to capture the early morning light changes on K2. I find a good rock at the entrance to my tent as a tripod and set up my camera awaiting the light show. Slowly the darkness recedes into the purples of pre-dawn light. The first rays of sunrise hit the K2 summit seen from Concordia.

22 The First Rays Of Sunrise Hit K2 Summit From Concordia

23 The First Rays Of Sunrise Slowly Descend K2 From Concordia The purples of pre-sunrise give ways to reds and yellows and white as the first light catches K2’s summit and slowly works its ways down the mountain. I hurriedly change rolls of film and continue snapping away. K2 strikes me as much steeper and even more dangerous than in pictures.

23 The First Rays Of Sunrise Slowly Descend K2 From Concordia

24 Sunrise On K2 Summit From Concordia The first rays of sunrise light up the K2 summit, the K2 South Face, the Great Serac, and the Shoulder, seen from Concordia. The upper part of the K2 South-South-West Ridge catches a bit of sun separating the west face in shadow from the sun descending the K2 South Face. On August 3, 1986 Wojciech Wroz, Przemyslaw Piasecki and Peter Bozik completed the first ascent of the South-South-West Ridge, called the ‘Magic Line’ by Reinhold Messner. Wroz fell to his death on the descent, apparently abseiling of the end of a fixed rope.

24 Sunrise On K2 Summit From Concordia

25 K2 Just After Sunrise From Concordia K2 shines in the early morning light from Concordia. The upper part of the K2 Southwest Pillar catches a bit of sun separating the west face in shadow from the sun descending the K2 South Face. The South-southeast Spur is partially in the sun and arrives at the K2 Shoulder on the right. On the far right is the Abruzzi Ridge / Spur, the East-southeast ridge, the normal ascent route. Called a suicidal route by Reinhold Messner, the K2 South Face or ‘Polish Line’ was climbed for the first time on July 7, 1986 by Jerzy Kukuczka and Tadeusz Piotrowski. Piotrowski fell to his death on the descent.

25 K2 Just After Sunrise From Concordia

26 K2 Full View Early Morning From Concordia Here is a full view of K2 in the morning from Concordia with the Baltoro Glacier joining the Godwin Austin Glacier below. The K2 Southwest Pillar separates the sunlit South Face from the West Face still in shadow to the left. The South-southeast Spur is now lit up by the sun and arrives at the K2 Shoulder on the right. On the far right is the Abruzzi Ridge / Spur, the East-southeast ridge, the normal ascent route. Doug Scott, Roger-Baxter Jones, Jean Afanassieff and Andy Parkin climbed the south-south-east spur in 1983 but had to retreat just 200m below the Shoulder when Jean developed symptoms of cerebral oedema. Tomo Cesan claimed he climbed the spur to the Shoulder solo on August 4, 1986 and then descended the Abruzzi Spur, although nobody saw him. In 1994 a strong Spanish team completed the south-south-east spur, with Alberto and Felix Inurrategi, Juanito Oiarzabal, Enríque de Pablo, and Juan Tomas reaching the K2 summit on June 24, 1994.

26 K2 Full View Early Morning From Concordia

27 Mitre Peak Early Morning From Concordia Mitre Peak dominates the view from Concordia to the south in the early morning sun. Mitre Peak (6010m) was first climbed on June 2, 1980, solo by Ivano Ghirardini.

27 Mitre Peak Early Morning From Concordia

28 Paiju Peak, Choricho, Uli Biaho, Trango Towers, Cathedral, Lobsang Spire Early Morning From Concordia I looked down the Baltoro Glacier from Concordia in the early morning to see Paiju Peak, Choricho, Uli Biaho, Trango Towers, and Cathedral Peak, and Lobsang Spire.

28 Paiju Peak, Choricho, Uli Biaho, Trango Towers, Cathedral, Lobsang Spire Early Morning From Concordia

29 Crystal Peak And Marble Peak Early Morning From Concordia The early morning light shines on Crystal Peak and Marble Peak to the north of Concordia.

29 Crystal Peak And Marble Peak Early Morning From Concordia

30 Broad Peak North Summit, Central Summit And Main Summit Just After Sunrise From Concordia The three summits of Broad Peak are seen at sunrise from Concordia. The North Summit is on the far left, the Central Summit is in the middle with just a touch of sun, and on the far right is the Main Summit. The first ascent of Broad Peak was completed by Marcus Schmuck, Fritz Wintersteller, Kurt Diemberger, and Hermann Buhl on June 9, 1957. This extremely small expedition marked a major step forward in the development of Himalayan climbing. Diemberger: ‘[Buhl's] plan was that from base camp onwards there would only be climbers on the mountain; they would do everything, load-carrying, establishment of camps and, finally, the assault on the summit. And it was all to be done without the use of oxygen.’ Diemberger reached the summit just as Marcus Schmuck and Fritz Wintersteller started their descent. As Diemberger was descending from the summit he met Buhl still ascending. ‘Slowly, with all that incredible strength of his will, he started to move, very slowly, upwards. ... Two men were standing on a peak, still breathing heavily from the ascent, their limbs weary - but they did not notice it; for the all-enveloping glory of the sun's low light had encompassed them too. Deeper and deeper grew the colours. ... No dream-picture, this. It was real enough, and it happened on the 26,404-foot summit of Broad Peak.’ – Summits And Secrets by Kurt Diemberger.

30 Broad Peak North Summit, Central Summit And Main Summit Just After Sunrise From Concordia

31 Broad Peak Central Summit And Main Summit Just After Sunrise From Concordia Here is a close up of the Broad Peak Central Summit and the Broad Peak Main Summit just after sunrise from Concordia. The first ascent of the Broad Peak Central or Middle summit was completed by Poles Kazimierz Glazek and Janusz Kulis on July 28, 1975 while three other members huddled 40m away and a few metres lower. During the descent the weather worsened. Bohdan Nowaczyk was killed when the rope anchor failed. Andrzej Sikorski slipped, knocking Marek Kesicki and Kulis off. Only Kulis survived the fall. Kulis and Glazek eventually made it back to the expedition's top camp. Both were frostbitten, Kulis subsequently losing most of his toes.

31 Broad Peak Central Summit And Main Summit Just After Sunrise From Concordia

32 Broad Peak North Summit, Central Summit And Main Summit Early Morning From Near Concordia Just after leaving Concordia, the sun finally hit Broad Peak. The North Summit is on the far left, the Central Summit is slightly out of view in the middle, and on the far right is the Main Summit. The first ascent of Broad Peak North summit was made by Renato Casarotto on June 28, 1983. The first traverse of the three Broad Peak summits was completed by Jerzy Kukuczka and Wojtek Kurtyka. They climbed the west ridge to the North summit, continued along the ridge to the Central summit. The pair then descended to Broad Col from where they followed the original route over the Forepeak to the main summit on July 17, 1984.

32 Broad Peak North Summit, Central Summit And Main Summit Early Morning From Near Concordia

33 K2 Full View With Angel Angelus Peak From Near Concordia In The Morning Just after leaving Concordia, I looked up the Godwin Austin Glacier as the sun finally hit the K2 West Face, with Angel Peak (Angelus Peak) coming into view on the left.

33 K2 Full View With Angel Angelus Peak From Near Concordia In The Morning

34 Angel Angelus Peak Close Up From Near Concordia In The Morning The pyramidal summit of Angel Peak or Angel Sar or Angelus Peak (6858m) lies just to the west of K2.

34 Angel Angelus Peak Close Up From Near Concordia In The Morning