General Mountaineering Thread

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Indian climber rescued from Everest dies in hospital as season closes​

KATHMANDU: An Indian climber who was evacuated from Mount Everest after he fell ill last week has died, taking the number of deaths this season on the world’s highest peak to five, officials said on Wednesday.

Banshilal, 47, was brought down without reaching the summit after falling sick and was evacuated from the base camp to a hospital in Kathmandu last week.

The Department of Tourism said Banshilal died during treatment on Monday. The exact nature of his illness was not clear but hiking officials said he had symptoms of acute mountain sickness when he was evacuated.

One Nepali climber, Binod Babu Bastakoti, 37, died last week in the so-called death zone, which has a very low oxygen level, while descending after scaling the peak.

Three other climbers - a British man and two Sherpas – have been missing since last week also in the death zone.

Mountain climbing is a key tourism activity in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks including Mount Everest and a source of income and employment.

Nepal issued permits for Everest, each costing $11,000, to 421 climbers this season, which ends on Friday.

 

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Kenyan climber's body to be left on Everest - family​

Wycliffe Muia ,
BBC News, Nairobi

Cheruiyot Kirui is the fourth person to die on Everest this climbing season

The body of a Kenyan climber who died on Mt Everest last week will remain on the mountain where he died, his family has said.

Joshua Cheruiyot Kirui died while on a daring mission to reach the summit of Mt Everest without supplementary oxygen.

The 40-year-old mountaineer fell into a crevasse just about 48 metres (160 ft) below the 8,849-metre peak, along with his Nepali guide.

Kirui's family said retrieving his body from such a high altitude would be too risky for the rescue team.

Climbing Everest, the world's highest peak, is considered extremely difficult and risky, even for experienced climbers.
Kirui was trying to become the first African to climb Mt Everest without extra oxygen, accompanied by Nepali climber Nawang Sherpa.

Mr Sherpa is still missing.

In a statement on Wednesday, Kirui's family said they had taken the "difficult" decision to let his remains rest on the mountain after wide consultations and "careful consideration of all the circumstances".

"Retrieving his body from that high up would be risky for the rescue team, the family does not wish to endanger any life," it said.

"Cheruiyot had a deep love for the mountains and they loved him in return. We find solace in knowing that he is resting in his happy place," it added.
The family, however, said there will be memorial services in the capital Nairobi and in his Chepterit village, in Rift Valley region.
There have also been concerns about the cost of retrieving his body to be buried back home.
It would have cost about $190,000 (£150,000) to retrieve the body and it takes about eight people to scale up the mountain to carry out the mission.

Most families who lose their loved ones on Everest prefer to leave them there.
It is estimated that the bodies of nearly 200 of the 330 climbers who have died on the world's highest mountain remain there.

The climb by Kirui, a banker, had been closely followed in Kenya, and fellow climbers had posted frequent updates about the attempt online.
Before his fatal climb, Kirui had told the BBC that he had undergone extensive physical preparations ahead of the challenge.

In his latest Instagram post, he had expressed confidence that he could conquer Everest without additional oxygen.
He however told the BBC that he had emergency oxygen support from Mr Sherpa and an emergency evacuation cover in case he ran into difficulties.

Most people climb Everest in April and May when weather conditions are most favourable.
Four climbers have reportedly died so far this season, which ends in a few days.

 

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Himalayan blizzard kills nine Indian trekkers​

Reuters
June 7, 2024

An Indian Air Force helicopter searches for missing trekkers in the Himalayas on June 5.

NEW DELHI: At least nine Indian trekkers died in the Himalayas after getting trapped during a blizzard, authorities said on Thursday, as rescue teams airlifted their bodies and five survivors to safety.

The Indian Air Force shared footage on Thursday that showed rescue teams working near a helicopter in the snow-covered mountains.

The group of climbers, hailing from the southern state of Karnataka, were hit by heavy snowfall in the remote mountains of Uttarakhand state in north India, said Krishna Byre Gowda, a top Karnataka minister.

“Snow intensified into blizzard. By 6pm, 2 trekkers succumbed to bad weather. Snow and wind made movement impossible. Visibility dropped to nil. They huddled together for the night on the route. Some more succumbed in the night,” Gowda wrote in a social media post on Wednesday.

 

[RescueRanger]

Shehroze Kashif on reaching the top of the magnificent Dhaulagiri, which stands at an impressive 8,167 metres and is the seventh-highest peak in the world.




Sirbaz Khan raises the green flag on a record 11th 8000 meter summit as he summited Mt Makalu , the 5th highest mountain in the world, today on 28 May 2022 at 8am (local time). Sirbaz summited the mountain in his usual style without using supplementary oxygen.


Abdul Joshi from Shimshal valley of Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan is part of a 13-member Everest expedition team led by Nepalese mountaineer Mingma Gyalje Sherpa (Mingma G) of Imagine Nepal has summitted world highest mount Everest today.
Abdul Joshi is the first Pakistani to summit Annapurna, the tenth highest mountain in the world at 8,091m, in 2021.



Wajidullah Nagri and two fellow climbers Peter Macek and Jakub Vicek of the Czech Republic who were stranded due to bad weather at a height of 6900-M at Rakaposhi finally rescued by Pakistan Army Aviation.


Amina Shigri became the first lady from Shigar Valley to climb Khosar Gang 6401-M

 

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Two Japanese climbers missing in Pakistan’s north​

AFP
June 13, 2024

SKARDU: Two Japanese climbers were missing in Pakistan’s mountainous north, home to some of the world’s tallest peaks, tour operators said Thursday.

The Japanese climbers Ryuseki Hiraoka and Atsushi Taguchi were attempting to summit the 7,027-metre (23,054-foot) Spantik mountain in the Karakoram range before they went missing.

“There has been no communication between the two Japanese climbers and officials at basecamp since they started their expedition,” Naiknam Karim, the CEO of Adventure Tours Pakistan (ATP), who was organising the expedition, told AFP.

“They were seen on June 10 (for the) last time at above 5,000 metres.”

Another team of Japanese climbers raised the alarm on Tuesday after arriving at Camp 2, at around 5,650 metres, where Hiraoka and Taguchi were scheduled to be.

A military helicopter search on Thursday was called off due to unfavourable weather conditions.

The search is scheduled to resume on Friday.

“An 8-member rescue team including five Japanese climbers will ascent on foot and search for them,” Karim Added.

The pair had reached base camp on June 3 and were attempting the climb without the help of porters.

Spantik, also known as the Golden Peak, is described as a “relatively accessible and straightforward peak” on the website of a separate tourist company, Adventure Tours.

The country is home to five of the world’s 14 mountains higher than 8,000 metres – including K2, the world’s second highest.

More than 8,900 foreigners visited the remote Gilgit-Baltistan region in 2023, according to official figures from the government, where the summer climbing season runs from early June to late August.

 

[ghazi52]

Body of one of two missing Japanese climbers found at Spantik peak​

Search for second climber ongoing; body yet to be identified.

 

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Japanese climber dies while descending GB’s Golden Peak​

Jamil Nagri
July 3, 2024

A Japanese climber died on Wednesday after falling in a crevasse while descending the 7,027-metre Spantik Peak, also known as Golden Peak, situated in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Nagar district.

Nagar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ataur Rehman told Dawn.com that a Japanese expedition team — comprising Naka Jimatoshiya, Onishi Hiroshi, Izumi Ryoma and Matsumoto Shuji — had summited the peak on Monday after starting their journey from Hoper Valley earlier.

The DC added that the four mountaineers began descending the peak after achieving their assent and 65-year-old Hiroshi fell into a crevasse on the way back from Camp 2 to Camp 1.

Upon receiving an alert, four high-altitude porters were dispatched to rescue Hiroshi, DC Rehman said, adding that the fallen climber lost his life today.

The official said the administration was in coordination with the other climbers through radio communication to get updates on the situation.

He said the body was brought to Camp 1 from Camp 2 and Adventure Tours Pakistan were assigned to bring it further down from Camp 1.

Naiknaam Karim, chief executive officer of Adventure Tours Pakistan, told Dawn.com that the Pakistan Army was requested to provide a helicopter to bring down the body from the peak so it could be sent to Japan.

He said the insurance company was asked to arrange the expenditures to bring back the body.

Karim added that the operation to bring back the body from the peak via a helicopter would begin as soon as the insurance company agreed.

The Golden Peak is situated between the Shigar and Nagar districts and is called Spantik Peak from the Shigar side.

On June 12, two Japanese climbers, Ryuseki Hiraoka and Atsushi Taguchi, went missing during their attempt to summit the same peak from Shigar Valley.

They had fallen into a crevasse at 5,300m altitude while ascending the peak.

Later, the body of one of the climbers was recovered while another was declared dead after being deemed untraceable.

Currently, the summer season is at its peak in the mountains of GB, with more than 1,700 permits issued to climb peaks.

 

[krash]

Japanese climber dies while descending GB’s Golden Peak​

Jamil Nagri
July 3, 2024

A Japanese climber died on Wednesday after falling in a crevasse while descending the 7,027-metre Spantik Peak, also known as Golden Peak, situated in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Nagar district.

Nagar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ataur Rehman told Dawn.com that a Japanese expedition team — comprising Naka Jimatoshiya, Onishi Hiroshi, Izumi Ryoma and Matsumoto Shuji — had summited the peak on Monday after starting their journey from Hoper Valley earlier.

The DC added that the four mountaineers began descending the peak after achieving their assent and 65-year-old Hiroshi fell into a crevasse on the way back from Camp 2 to Camp 1.

Upon receiving an alert, four high-altitude porters were dispatched to rescue Hiroshi, DC Rehman said, adding that the fallen climber lost his life today.

The official said the administration was in coordination with the other climbers through radio communication to get updates on the situation.

He said the body was brought to Camp 1 from Camp 2 and Adventure Tours Pakistan were assigned to bring it further down from Camp 1.

Naiknaam Karim, chief executive officer of Adventure Tours Pakistan, told Dawn.com that the Pakistan Army was requested to provide a helicopter to bring down the body from the peak so it could be sent to Japan.

He said the insurance company was asked to arrange the expenditures to bring back the body.

Karim added that the operation to bring back the body from the peak via a helicopter would begin as soon as the insurance company agreed.

The Golden Peak is situated between the Shigar and Nagar districts and is called Spantik Peak from the Shigar side.

On June 12, two Japanese climbers, Ryuseki Hiraoka and Atsushi Taguchi, went missing during their attempt to summit the same peak from Shigar Valley.

They had fallen into a crevasse at 5,300m altitude while ascending the peak.

Later, the body of one of the climbers was recovered while another was declared dead after being deemed untraceable.

Currently, the summer season is at its peak in the mountains of GB, with more than 1,700 permits issued to climb peaks.

This makes it 3 in this season. This is a shock because Spantik's South East Ridge route is one of the easiest 7000+ meter climbs in the country. Due to this it's used by climbers for acclimatization before their 8000+ meter climbs. I might be wrong but I believe there's only been one other death on the mountain before this season.

The North West face, OTOH, is extremely challenging and true to the Karakoram's nature.

 

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Bird's-eye view of Skardu's tourist spots...

 

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Japanese mountaineer’s body recovered from Pakistan’s Golden Peak​

Jamil Nagri
July 11, 2024

Locals from Hoper Valley rest during their descent as they carry the body of a Japanese climber down from Golden Peak.—Dawn


GILGIT: A week after the death of a Japanese climber who fell into a crevasse while descending the 7,027-metre Golden Peak, some local climbers and high-altitude porters from the Hoper Valley of Nagar district managed to retrieve and hand over his body to his colleagues.

The 65-year-old climber, Onishi Hiroshi, fell into the crevasse near Camp-2 after summit of Golden Peak on July 3.

Mukhtar Hussain, Jafar Hussain, Abbas Ali, Saleem, Mustafa and other high-altitude porters brought the body to the Hoper Valley after tireless efforts over the past six days. They handed over the body to Japanese colleague climbers in Hoper.

The body was later shifted to Islamabad to facilitate its return to his family in Japan.

Meanwhile, two ailing climbers Salma Masood from Pakistan and Dutch mountaineer Riemerhens Richard were airlifted to Skardu from Broad Peak by a helicopter of Pakistan Army on Wednesday.

Nine more summit Nanga Parbat; two skiers aim for peak today

On the other hand, nine more climbers, including three from Europe, summited Nanga Parbat (8,125m) on Wednesday, a day after four climbers summited the peak, according to Seven Summits Treks.

Vadim Druelle from France and Israfil Ashurli of Azerbaijan summited the peak without bottled oxygen. Viveke A. Sefland from Norway, Thomas Ntavarinos from Greece, Al Harthy Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah from Oman, Ngima Wangdak, Ngima Dorchi, Pasang and Phubadhile from Nepal summited the peak.

Earlier, four members of the rope fixing team — Lhakpa Temba Sherpa and Pemba Sherpa from Nepal, and Dilawar Hussain and Fida Ali from Pakistan — reached the peak.

Meanwhile, skiers Anny Tybor from Poland and Tom Lafaille from France intend to summit Nanga Parbat without supplementary oxygen on Thursday and ski down, as they reached Camp 2.

Airlifted to Skardu

The tour operator of a three-member Pakistani expedition team told Dawn that Salma Masood from Lahore and Dutch mountaineer Riemerhens Richard were airlifted to Skardu from Broad Peak by a Pakistan Army helicopter, after their health condition deteriorated and they sought urgent medical aid.

According to the tour operator, Salma Masood left for camp 1 from Broad peak base camp on Tuesday but was brought back to base camp after her health condition deteriorated. She had requested medical aid from Pakistan Army.

Similarly, the Dutch mountaineer, who was part of another expedition, had faced high-altitude sickness and breathing problems during the expedition, due to which he requested for evacuation.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2024

 

[ghazi52]

Pakistani mountaineer Samina Baig has been transferred to CMH Rawalpindi via a special C130 flight from Skardu. Currently, she is receiving care in the hospital's intensive care ward.

The Pakistan Army rescued her on Sunday during an international mountaineering mission due to her ill health. At CMH Rawalpindi, a dedicated team of Pakistan Army doctors and paramedical staff are providing continuous care and treatment. Her condition is stable, and she is recovering.




8:16 AM · Jul 9, 2024

 

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