Not sure if anyone else has been following this, but this is pretty remarkable:
https://explorersweb.com/2021/01/16/k2-first-winter-summit/
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thats super cool - thanks for the link
the trek to k2 base camp is one of my bucket list trips
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Amazing !
I have never come down in the dark always started climbs in the dark.
Very intense experience no matter which way you go but down is the critical one.
I was going to climb K2 this winter but work is just to busy right now.
Several strong teams were competing for this. It’s nice to see an all-Nepali team grab one of the most coveted remaining first ascents in mountaineering.
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I agree it was nice to see Nepalese climbers get the first ascent. Apparently they are all back at Camp 3 so that is good.
Although tragedy can strike anywhere: https://gripped.com/news/spanish-climber-sergi-mingote-dies-in-fall-on-k2/
Sucks!
Not sure if you’ve seen this guys video… It’s pretty good: https://youtu.be/aN5gtrkwgb4
And yeah just doing that trek would be fun. No need to go any higher! 
Not sure if anyone else has been following this, but this is pretty remarkable:
https://explorersweb.com/...first-winter-summit/
I typically follow climbs closely but this caught me off guard. I’ve been enthralled by K2 for years and this is a remarkable achievement.
I did read an article last year where the author questioned if it could ever be done and he said it really depended on the weather.
K2 in Winter: Can it Ever Be Done? - Rock and Ice
Ha! That is guy I am following. I posted a link to his YouTube summit of K2 a couple posts up.
It’s crazy some of the weather they face. -50C I read went they left for the summit today.
Apparently 80km winds destroyed Camp 2 and alot of gear was lost. Some of the guys that summited today didn’t think they would be able to go on. There must have been some good cooperation amongst the different teams.
Now to see if the commercial operator Seven summits can get most of their clients to the top.
I watched a neat talk years and years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zkC9IMQmYA
Chris Warner talking about leadership and his experience on K2. It made me wonder if a winter summit could ever be completed. Amazing stuff!
For those interested this is a pretty good documentary on that climbing season (The Last: First Winter K2): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39150288/
It was my first time hearing some of the “controversy” around the climb. And Seven Summits got no one to the top that winter.
The Seven Summits guy came off like a moron. He was lucky none of his clients died.
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That documentary made a lot of participants look bad. The Nepalese team comes across as ruthless. The Seven Summits team comes across as irresponsible (forgetting to bring a tent?). The three who died in the final group come across as reckless — even by the standards of high-risk mountaineering. I don’t know if its characterizations are fair, but that’s how it felt.
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I text a friend after watching it who was in the same circles as Nims
I said he comes across as a complete &_ÂŁ# but I happened to think what they did was right. If they were (and they were) able to get their first having spent decades serving Westerners with little to no credit I was glad they got it
They did. The Bulgarian was on his permiit
Disagree. For those who have not seen it, the movie’s version of events is that a guy from Iceland and his team have been on K2 for a while, getting fixed ropes placed on the lower portion of the mountain. A Nepalese team (including a superstar climber) shows up and basically proposes to work together. They will use the Iceland guy’s fixed ropes and work to summit together. The Nepalese then sneak off in the night, use his fixed ropes, and claim the first winter ascent.
That’s too much dishonesty for my taste. The prior history explains why the Nepalese really wanted this. But, that motivation does not excuse all the deception.
The best option is to show up early, share in the work of fixing ropes, and win the race on your own merits. The next best option is to show up when they did and just be up-front about the fact that it’s a race and you’re gonna use the other team’s work to help win that race. The worst option is to use the other team’s stuff under false pretenses.
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Forgot about him. Could have been a lot worse. It appears their plan was to use tents that blew away a couple of days earlier.
I was surprised he even went on camera and tried to explain his thoughts.
I agree. That “window” also seemed to be the best one. Snorri, Ali and his son kinda got screwed there waiting for Nims. You could see their disappointment in the tent when Ali said “No wind”. That was tough.