K2 Winter: The SAVAGE MOUNTAIN CONTINUES – Mingma G
It is sad and at the same time funny to see the reactions of some climbers who just returned back without success. They are blaming Nepalese team saying Nepalese Sherpa might have cut the rope after their summit, proper information was not given, kept their plan secret etc.
Remember why K2 is called SAVAGE Mountain and why it remained unclimbed for 34 years after the first winter try in 1987/1988???
You know what, when Nepalese started on 12th and 13th January, most of the climbers at K2 Base Camp had guessed we would give a try to reach [the] Summit but nobody believed we would reach the Summit because there was a very short weather window and the route was not fixed above Camp3.
So the remaining climbers didn’t follow us and also they were not acclimatized to launch their summit.
Now those climbers who can’t digest our success and their failure are trying to shoot a gun using those beloved climbers who lost their lives there.
Almost all the climbers on K2 are happy for Nepal and [the] Nepalese and they are happy at least they gave a try. We are thankful to them and we admire their courage.
But there are few who still can’t digest our success. let’s check here:
1. We were 4 independent teams on K2 and every team was climbing on their own planning.
A team member can blame another member in[side] a team but one team can’t blame another independent team for being unsuccessful.
What I know is, if they were successful on 5th February then they won’t criticise despite the accident[s] and the missing [climbers]. They even won’t mention us for their success.
2. We are thankful to Apo Ali, Sajid and John for fixing rope till Camp1.
When we fixed rope from Camp1 to Summit, none of these climbers were there to help us in fixing or carrying equipment and now they are shamelessly speaking as if we were paid to fix the line [for them].
What I call them, parasite climbers.
3. Both Nepalese teams flew back from K2 Base Camp on 20th January but Sona was still there in Base Camp. Sona was one of the members who made it to the Summit on 16thJanuary and he stayed back in Base Camp till 9th February. Sona descended back to Base Camp on 17th January morning and the big team started summit push on 2nd February.
During these 16 days of Sona’s stay in Base Camp, these hater climbers got plenty of time to get information on rope[s] and [the] route conditions. Why didn’t they try to get information[s]? Why [are] they lying?
4.
They are jealous because we made a successful ascent and they couldn’t make it in spite of the fixed line all the way to the Summit.
5.
Two climbers said Sherpa[s] might have cut the rope[s]. Really???
They climbed as high as they could and returned back because of their own problem. They climbed on rope and they descended back on the rope which we fixed. Till the height they climbed, there was rope means the rope is all the way to the Summit if they had tried patiently checking good weather. There were several Sherpas in 7 Summit teams who were our friends and relatives of Sona and they were there to summit K2 on 5th February.
How anyone can think Nepalese would cut rope[s] knowing [that] our own people are going up there again. Does that make [any] sense?
A climber said they were threatened by Nepalese Sherpa[s] to cut the rope[s] if they followed us. Again, really???
Why has nobody written about it before going to the summit? Why is this coming only after their unsuccess? Is that for public attention or they are jealous of our historical success?
Also we reached The Summit at 4:43pm exactly and we started descending on torch light 200m below from the Summit with a fully exhausted body. A mistake could cost our lives.
It was getting colder and colder and we were trying to descend as fast as possible because the wind started, making our body more cold. In such a condition, how will a climber be able to cut [the] rope[s]?
6. Everyone on K2 this winter was aiming to be first and so was us. Everyone had their own planning and no one shared their plan with us.
We also kept our plans to ourselves like on any other sports however if anyone had come to us [and] asked us politely, we would of course share our ideas.
Nims selected his team members from best among best and I had the same. So we didn’t want to fail because of others.
More people in a team means more problems instead of help/solution in such harsh weather.
Previously the weather on 13th January and 15th January showed very good and 14th January with very high wind. 16th January was ok in the morning followed by high wind in the daytime and the bad weather starting on 17th January.
Our only chance was to make a summit on 15th January but the weather changed when we were in higher camps and it was already too late for others to follow us.
It was in winter and the weather on K2 changes unexpectedly from time to time. In beginning the route was only fixed till Camp3 and weather was not good for summit push.
So nobody believed we would reach the summit, we were also not sure about it. We took the risk and we got success. I will write more in my follow upstory later on.
Football World Cup is the most popular sport. The coach of the team shares his tactic and plan with his players, not with players from other teams to win the trophy. It was the same with us.
Few reputed news are covering such nonsense stories.
Sajid was the last person to leave K2 from the highest point. It was not a good time to interview Sajid Sadpara, son of Ali Sadpara and John’s team member but they took the interview and Sajid clearly denied all these rumors.
Still these news agencies are covering it to make these rumors sensational to sell their news.
If we check the Instagram and Facebook of the climbers on K2, everything is clear there.
We flew back from K2 Base Camp on 20th January and what happened on K2 afterwards is not known to us as well. But we were following the news.
I feel very sad to read the news of Atnas because I had a long chat with him on 19th January in our first meeting and he looked to be a very nice person. We were also praying for the safe return of Apo Ali, John and Pablo. I never met Pablo but I had climbed with Apo Ali and John together before. All of them will be in our prayers and we miss them. My sincere sympathy to their families. Sajid has announced the search and recovery of 3 missing climbers and I will provide all my support to him in this mission.
I will continue my K2 climbingstories from tomorrow onwards…
Thanks for all your support.
Original: Mingma G – Facebook
Header: Nepal Team at K2 Base Camp