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K2 Photo Gallery - Khoburtse On The Baltoro Glacier

Morning view from Khoburtse on the Baltoro Glacier - Paiju Peak, Choricho, Uli Biaho Tower, Trango Castle, Biale Peak, the Cathedral Group, Lobsang Spire

01 Clouds Roll In At Khoburtse Covering Uli Biaho Tower, Trango Towers And Lobsang Spire The clouds rolled in in the late afternoon hiding Uli Biaho, the Trango Towers and Lobsang Spire.

01 Clouds Roll In At Khoburtse Covering Uli Biaho Tower, Trango Towers And Lobsang Spire

02 Campsite At Khoburtse In Rain We camped at Khoburtse (3930m). The next day it was overcast and rainy, so we decided to stay another night. I simply lazed around in the mess tent talking and reading. Suddenly, a face popped in and asked if he could come in out of the rainy weather. Ali jumped up and invited him in and offered him some tea and cookies, which he readily accepted. The man was tall and looked like he was in his mid-30s. He introduced himself as Christian Trommsdorff, a mountain guide from Chamonix in France. He had just summited the North face of Everest on May 22, 2001 without oxygen, but got stuck in Kathmandu with the massacre of the Royal Family. Luckily he got out in time to join the German International Expedition. He told me he wanted to summit K2 by himself, without Sherpas or oxygen. I asked him about other 8000ers and he said he had summited Cho Oyu in 1997. Within minutes of the tea and cookies coming, they were finished. Ali ran off to get more. Christian was funny, opinionated, and very interesting. Two other men came in to our kitchen tent at Khoburtse to get out of the rain. The first was a friendly man who looked a bit like a rock star with long hair and a beard. He told me his name was David Jewell from Wellington, New Zealand and that this was his first attempt at K2, but that he had summited Cho Oyu in 1997. He told me he was a computer systems analyst from Wellington. I told him that I too used to be a Mainframe Software Systems Programmer. Christian piped up that he also was a computer programmer until he gave it up to become a full-time mountain guide.

02 Campsite At Khoburtse In Rain

03 Cook Ali In Kitchen Tent Thirty minutes later, another man popped his head in, and recognizing Christian, came in and introduced himself, ‘Hi, I’m Peter Grote.’ I sized him up and decided he didn’t look like a mountaineer. ‘Oh no, I’m a photographer. I’m tagging along on the expedition, but I plan to take some amazing photos of the summit teams.’ He told me he uses large format camera with an extremely expensive enormous lens. ‘I can take a photo of a man on the summit and even see the markings on their ice ax’, he proudly stated. The lens is so large and powerful that he needs a tent just to house the lens. He planned to have two porters accompanying him to the saddle.

03 Cook Ali In Kitchen Tent

04 Cook Ali And Guide Iqbal In Kitchen Tent Three more men came in out of the rain. I recognized the first man as the leader of the expedition I had seen in Islamabad. He introduced himself as Peter Guggemos, and introduced the other two men as trekkers. The trekkers looked a little worse for wear and seemed to be struggling. Peter was a tall thin man with short-cropped hair and a beard who looked lean and muscular and in his early 40s. I immediately liked him. I asked him if this was his main form of living. ‘No, climbing is my hobby. I have a fairly large construction company in Germany, which my wife is managing while I’m away.’ I told him that trekking was my hobby, and that I especially loved Everest and I had been to all three sides.

04 Cook Ali And Guide Iqbal In Kitchen Tent

05 Porter Muhammad Khan In Kitchen Tent A short muscular man poked his head in, said hello to Christian and Peter, but decided to continue on to their camp. Peter told me, ‘That’s Jean-Christophe Lafaille. He’s probably the best mountaineer in Europe right now.’ I asked Peter how many mountaineers would be on the Expedition, and he answered ‘We have another member who will join us at base Camp. It’s Hans Kammerlander. This is his third attempt at K2, and Hans says it’s his last, so I hope he makes it this time.’ After relaxing, getting dry and having some tea and cookie, they left as they had arrived, one by one. I was sorry to see them go, having enjoyed their company, and breaking up my monotonous day. After I got home, I used the Internet to find out how they did. Peter Grote had to be helicoptered back from Base camp a week after I met him with an eye injury. David Jewell turned back above 7000m. Christian turned back above 8000m. Peter Guggemos turned back at 8200m, Hans Kammerlander and Jean Christophe Lafaille summited together. This was Hans’ thirteenth 8000er, and Jean Christophe’s seventh.

05 Porter Muhammad Khan In Kitchen Tent

06 Clouds Clear In The Late Afternoon At Khoburtse Revealing Paiju Peak, Uli Biaho Tower, Trango Castle, Cathedral And Lobsang Spire Just before sunset at Khoburtse, the clouds started to clear, revealing Paiju Peak, Uli Biaho Tower, Trango Castle, Cathedral and Lobsang Spire.

06 Clouds Clear In The Late Afternoon At Khoburtse Revealing Paiju Peak, Uli Biaho Tower, Trango Castle, Cathedral And Lobsang Spire

07 Paiju Peak, Uli Biaho Tower, Trango Castle, Cathedral And Lobsang Spire From Khoburtse Just Before Sunrise The weather was clear in the morning and I climbed a little above our camp at Khoburtse to watch the morning light on the mountains and spires. Just before the sun came up I had a clear view of Paiju Peak, Choricho, Uli Biaho Tower, Trango Castle, Cathedral and Lobsang Spire.

07 Paiju Peak, Uli Biaho Tower, Trango Castle, Cathedral And Lobsang Spire From Khoburtse Just Before Sunrise

08 Choricho At Sunrise From Khoburtse The rays of sunrise hit Choricho first, seen from Khoburtse. Choricho (6756m), also called Paiju North, was first climbed by Ian Wade, Michael Goff, Geoffrey Childs, and William Miller on August 1, 1979 via the southwest face and west ridge.

08 Choricho At Sunrise From Khoburtse

09 Paiju Peak From Khoburtse At Sunrise Paiju Peak is a beautiful mountain, seen here just after sunrise from Khoburtse. Paiju Peak (6610m) was first climbed by Bashir Ahmed, Nazir Sabir and Allen Steck on July 21, 1976.

09 Paiju Peak From Khoburtse At Sunrise

10 Paiju Peak And Choricho From Khoburtse At Sunrise The rays of sunrise descend Paiju Peak with Choricho to the north, seen from Khoburtse.

10 Paiju Peak And Choricho From Khoburtse At Sunrise

11 Uli Biaho Tower Close Up From Khoburtse At Sunrise The rays of sunrise hit the top of Uli Biaho Tower, seen from Khoburtse.

11 Uli Biaho Tower Close Up From Khoburtse At Sunrise

12 Uli Biaho Tower From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise Uli Biaho Tower shines in the early morning sun from Khoburtse.

12 Uli Biaho Tower From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise

13 Uli Biaho Tower Close Up From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise Uli Biaho Tower shines in the early morning sun from Khoburtse. The first ascent of Uli Biaho Tower (6109m) was made on July 3, 1979 by John Roskelley, Kim Schimtz, Ron Kauk and Bill Forrest via the east face. ‘One by one, each of us climbed to its broad top, soaked in the evening’s warmth, cried a little, laughed a little, and, for just a few brief moments, forgot the cold, thirst, and danger below.’ - Stories Off The Wall by John Roskelley.

13 Uli Biaho Tower Close Up From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise

14 Paiju Peak, Choricho, Uli Biaho Tower From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise Paiju Peak, Choricho, and Uli Biaho Tower shine in the early morning sun from Khoburtse.

14 Paiju Peak, Choricho, Uli Biaho Tower From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise

15 Trango Castle From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise The first rays of sun hit the Trango Castle in the early morning from Khoburtse.

15 Trango Castle From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise

16 Trango Castle From Khoburtse Early Morning The early morning sun silhouettes the ridges of Trango Castle from Khoburtse.

16 Trango Castle From Khoburtse Early Morning

17 Biale Peak, Cathedral And Lobsang Spire From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise The early morning sun shines over Biale Peak, Cathedral And Lobsang Spire from Khoburtse.

17 Biale Peak, Cathedral And Lobsang Spire From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise

18 Biale Peak Close Up From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise The early morning sun shines on Biale Peak (6729m) from Khoburtse. Biale Peak was first climbed by Masake Aoki and Chitose Okada in 1975.

18 Biale Peak Close Up From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise

19 Cathedral Close Up From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise The early morning sun shines on Cathedral Peak (5866m) from Khoburtse.

19 Cathedral Close Up From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise

20 Lobsang Spire From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise The early morning sun shines on Lobsang Spire (5707m) from Khoburtse. Lobsang Spire was first climbed on June 13, 1983 alpine style by Doug Scott, Greg Child, and Pete Thexton. ‘It’s featureless up there. Impossible,’ says Doug.
Out comes the drill.
For two hours I hammer away on the fifteenth pitch, interspersing rivets with sequences of skyhooks balanced on tiny edges, in order that our ten rivets might last the 100 ft to the summit. When I step onto the final skyhook placed on the lip of the knife-edged summit I grab a handful of snow and sprinkle it onto Pete And Doug below. ‘A present from the summit,’ I shout.’ - Thin Air: Encounters in the Himalayas by Greg Child.

20 Lobsang Spire From Khoburtse Just After Sunrise

21 Porter Hayder Khan At Khoburtse Just After Sunrise My porter Hayder Khan poses for me at Khoburtse in the early morning sunlight. Although he is quiet and shy, when cook Ali eggs him on he can sing Balti songs with great enthusiasm and skill – outstanding!

21 Porter Hayder Khan At Khoburtse Just After Sunrise

22 Sirdar Ali Naqi At Khoburtse Just After Sunrise My sirdar Ali Naqi poses for me at Khoburtse in the early morning sunlight. He is extremely strong and I loved listening to his stories over dinner each night.

22 Sirdar Ali Naqi At Khoburtse Just After Sunrise