The Outside Penguin Teaser

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The Outside Penguin

Press Release

New Route: The Outside Penguin (V: 5.10, A1) in the Latok Group, Karakoram Range, Pakistan.

The summer of 2007 of the Karakoram was unusually wet, thwarting most attempts at climbing. Backed by the AAC’s Lyman Spitzer Award and Mountain Equipment Co-op, our original objective was the unclimbed feature just under and southwest of Latok II (7108m; see below). We facetiously named this gargantuan gendarme “Latok II¾” (~6500m); its southwest face presents a 1500m wall of near-vertical, unclimbed granite. With all the bad weather, this normally rock climbable objective was shrouded in verglas and powder, rendering it too full on for the likes of us.

Ken Glover (Canmore, Canada) and I (Vancouver, Canada) turned our attention to lower altitudes, and settled on Peak 5750 (see below), located two peaks down a ridge to the southwest of Latok II. Italians may have climbed the peak in 1977 and Americans Doug Chabot and Jack Tackle climbed it from the north in 2000. Its triangular south face rises 1200m out of the talus-covered Baintha Lukpar Glacier and appears to have some of the best granite in the valley. At the tail end of one of the few high-pressure systems of the season, we started up the rightmost of the twin buttress with light alpine packs, where one sleeping bag, two down jackets, and a siltarp comprised the extent of our bivy gear.

The face presented three steep headwalls; we hoped to weave our way up the wall via a devious line of weakness. After an initial broken section, we reached the base of the first headwall, framed on its right by a ridge crest. By traversing two pitches, we reached crest and followed it upward for a pitch before it stopped us at a blank overhang. A slab traverse rightward dropped us into a chimney, which we followed for three pitches to a sandy ledge atop the initial headwall. The second steep headwall loomed above. Searching for the line of weakness, we traversed for two pitches to the right again, where we climbed a ramp system before slipping behind a prow to find a hidden corner. Above the corner, moderate terrain led to a scree slope and a comfortable bivy. At each daunting wall, we had luckily found a moderate solution.

Seven hundred meters up the face, we hoped for a quick, sun-bathed dash for the summit on Day 2. Instead, threatening skies and false summits made for a more Blue-collar finish. After soloing up moderate terrain past the false summits, we reached the base of the third and final headwall. A long, broken pitch led to a steep cirque with no obvious line of weakness, where our streak of luck appeared to end. Straight up presented thin, vertical cracks; to the left stood a complex prow blocked by an overhanging wart of granite; the right was blocked by a crackless buttress and an overhanging rotten ice gully. Ken scouted the right options, launching into ledge-fall potential on an unprotectable face. He wisely retreated as the difficulty ramped up. Next, I tried the left prow. By stemming past an ice-chocked corner, I reached the base of the overhung wart, where our luck returned. A moderate ramp allowed us past the previously hidden side of the gendarme, beyond which the crux pitch gave way to the wart’s top. Ken then led two mixed pitches with our one pair of crampons to the summit, as snow began to fall.

We began a descent immediately by scoping our first option, a line that may have lead into easy descent gullies. The idea appeared to be far more involved than anticipated whilst scouting. Hence, we began rappelling our line of ascent; shortly thereafter, darkness and a powerful snowstorm descended upon us. At the first decent ledge, we endured a miserable, sleepless bivy as the storm raged on. On the third day, we continued our descent, again finding that any quick-and-easy descent ideas turned out to be complex and dangerous. Thus, we continued rapping and downclimbing our line of ascent. We reached the base that afternoon in the pouring rain, after some 800m of rapping, overjoyed for having made the most of what the weather gods permitted.

The Karakoram Highway (KKH)

The KKH isn't exactly a cruise on a good day. For some 700km, it traverses the steep sidewalls of deep valleys between Skardu and Islamabad. But with all the poor weather as of late, the road in one section was particularly bad. There were landslide washouts every km for a 150km section. The slides had been partially cleared, enough to let one car through at a time. One semi-truck got properly stuck in one and had to be suspended there by cables while they cleared a new road around it. And in another instance, it took much courage of one Chinese semi-driver to pull through another one, his cab on the brink of tipping over. After 24 hours of driving over two days, we have arrived in Islamabad. By tomorrow night, all of us should be on our flights out of Pakistan.

Islamabad-bound

Having reunited with the women's expedition, we will either fly to Islamabad tomorrow, or begin the 2-day drive along the famous Karakoram Highway. The weather is good at the moment, increasing the likelihood that the plane will be able to make it it. Wish us luck.

Expedition Draws to a Close

Jeremy here again. Thank you Jay Piggott for posting updates via satellite phone emails for us.

Last night, we arrived in Skardu (Pakistan's version of civilization) after a speedy retreat from basecamp. All team members are safe and happy and finally showered. What follows is a brief summary of our expedition.

July is usually the best month for climbing in the Karakoram but this year's July was, quite simply, horrible. We had 7 days of good weather to 19 days of poor weather. Latok II-3/4 was all snowed up and would not be feasible. After acclimatizing, we turned our attention to the northwest ridge of Latok II (7108m). The ridge involved a complex mixed or ice climb (two different ways up) to a col at 5900m followed by 12oom of average 45-degree snow and mixed narrow ridge crest, with some difficult, steeper rock steps. Jeremy decided to stay back as Ken, Sam, and Ryan made an attempt via the mixed approach. Sam took a 20-foot lead fall when his tools popped out of snow-ice. The sun came out strongly, and the altitude hit Ryan and Ken especially. With altititude symptoms, the boys retreated to ABC at midnight.

Upon returning to basecamp, the weather was holding so another attempt was considered. This time, Ken decided to stay back due to his altitude sickness low down. He would have needed more time than was available in order to acclimatize properly. Sam and Ryan thus made a second attempt, this time taking the ice approach to the col. They then spent 2 days at the col in blowing, snowing conditions before retreating in light of more on-coming weather.

Meanwhile, Ken and Jeremy approached a 1200m rocky south face of an unnamed, unclimbed peak. They climbed 20 pitches in total along with much simulclimbing and soloing. Over the course of 1.5 days, they reached the summit of what they dubbed "Karim Peak" after our legendary and eccentric guide named Little Karim. The planned descent turned out to not be feasible and so they retraced their way down the whole route, rappelling some 800m over the course of 1.5 days. Along the way, they were caught in a ferocious storm and spent an uncomfortable night huddled under a tarp as the snow flew. (In the end, Jeremy slept for a total of 1 hour on the the climb.) Now into the rain, Ken and Jeremy rappeled and rappeled, eventually reaching the base, cold, wet, but happy. They named their route "The Outside Penguin" (V: 5.10-, A1).

Upon returning to basecamp, we received another poor forecast from KiwiJay and so decided to retreat early. The glacier walk from basecamp had been grippy on the way up. After 3 weeks of near constant rain, it had been transformed into an ice rink making for a fast but exciting retreat. Yesterday, we walked/slid for about 30km before hopping in a jeep and bouncing along for 5 hours. We all enjoyed sleeping last night very much.

Next, we plan on staying in Skardu for 2 days before having a leisurely hiking tour of Little Karim's home, in the Hushe Valley. Including transport, it will be a 4-day journey.

Update from Base Camp: August 3rd 2007

1:51pm GMT
SAM & RYAN RETURN TO BASE CAMP AFTER SPENDING 3 DAYS AT 5900M GETTING BLASTED BY SNOW AND WIND.

7-day weather forecast for K2 Group, Pakistan

Lat:35.91 Lon: 76.48 Aver. Elev.: 5359m. (map)

Fri, 3 Aug	Light snow during the day. Cloudy skies during the night. Details...	High: 31 °F Low: 22 °F	SW at 2.5 mph
Sat, 4 Aug	Cloudy skies in the morning, partly cloudy with a chance of sleet or snow showers during the day. Cloudy skies late at night. Details...	High: 36 °F Low: 21 °F	WNW at 3.7 mph
Sun, 5 Aug	Cloudy skies in the morning, cloudy with light snow showers for the rest of the day. Details...	High: 38 °F Low: 25 °F	W at 2.5 mph
Mon, 6 Aug	Snow. Details...	High: 34 °F Low: 28 °F	WSW at 1.2 mph
Tue, 7 Aug	Light snow. Details...	High: 34 °F Low: 28 °F	WSW at 1.9 mph
Wed, 8 Aug	Cloudy skies early in the morning, cloudy with light sleet or snow showers during the day. Cloudy skies during the night. Details...	High: 40 °F Low: 29 °F	WSW at 1.9 mph
Thu, 9 Aug	Few morning clouds, light rain with clear spells during the day. Partly cloudy skies during the night. Details...	High: 46 °F Low: 28 °F	WSW at 4.3 mph

Update from Base Camp: August 2nd 2007

9:00 pm GMT
KEN & JER SUMMIT! 3 DAYS, 1200M ROCK CLIMB. GOOD WEATHER ON THE WAY UP, HORRIBLE ON THE WAY DOWN. SAM & RYAN ARE STILL ON LATOK II. KEN & JER ARE PSYCHED.

Update from Base Camp: July 30th 2007

8:38 pm GMT July 30th
SAM & RYAN TO TRY LATOK II AGAIN. KEN & JER TO TRY 5500M ROCK CLIMB. WEATHER HOLDING STILL.

2:29 am GMT July 30th
CLOUDS ROLL IN OVERNIGHT. BOYS ABORT ATTEMPT 2, RETURN TO BASE CAMP AT DAWN.

12:47 pm GMT July 29th
BOYS RETREAT AT 5400M WITH ALTITUDE SICKNESS. PLAN TO TRY AGAIN TONIGHT VIA EASIER BUT LONGER APPROACH RAMP. CLEAR WEATHER HOLDING. JER STILL BORED IN BC.

Update from Base Camp: July 29th 2007

The weather has cleared. Sam, Ryan and Ken have departed camp to attempt the north-west ridge of Latok II (7108m) with 7 days provisions. Jeremy is staying back in base camp. Daily updates to come.
Posted by Jay Piggott

7-day weather forecast for K2 Group, Pakistan

Lat:35.91 Lon: 76.48 Aver. Elev.: 5359m. (map)

personal services

Date	Weather Description	Temp °C	Max Wind Humidity Precip. Pressure
Sun, 29 Jul	Clear weather. Details...	High: 3 oC Low: -9 oC	NE at 20 km/h
Mon, 30 Jul	Clear weather. Details...	High: 5 oC Low: -5 oC	NE at 20 km/h
Tue, 31 Jul	Clear weather in the morning, partly cloudy skies for the rest of the day. Details...	High: 6 oC Low: -4 oC	NE at 19 km/h
Wed, 1 Aug	Partly cloudy skies. Details...	High: 7 oC Low: -3 oC	NNE at 17 km/h
Thu, 2 Aug	Few morning clouds, partly cloudy with a chance of sleet or snow showers during the day. Chance of snow during the night. Details...	High: 5 oC Low: -4 oC	WSW at 18 km/h
Fri, 3 Aug	Cloudy skies early in the morning, snow for the rest of the day. Details...	High: 1 oC Low: -3 oC	WSW at 12 km/h
Sat, 4 Aug	Light snow. Details...	High: 1 oC Low: -2 oC	W at 14 km/h

Update from Base Camp: July 27th 2007

Rain continues. Sam and Ryan have returned without an attempt.
Posted by Jay Piggott

Update from Base Camp: July 27th 2007

Mixed weather continues to hamper progress on the mountain. Sam and Ryan have left to attempt a line on Latok II. Ken and Jeremy will stay in base camp until the weather improves.

Update from Base Camp: July 25th 2007

The weather has cleared overnight, but is mixed again now. Standing by to try the rock buttress on a 5700m peak near to Latok II.
Posted by Jay Piggott

7-day weather forecast for K2 Group, Pakistan

Lat:35.91 Lon: 76.48 Aver. Elev.: 5359m. (map)

Date	Weather Description	Temp °C
Wed, 25 Jul	Chance of snow. Details...	High: 2 oC Low: -6 oC	NE at 17 km/h
Thu, 26 Jul	Light snow. Details...	High: 2 oC Low: -3 oC	WSW at 22 km/h
Fri, 27 Jul	Light snow. Details...	High: 0 oC Low: -2 oC	WSW at 19 km/h
Sat, 28 Jul	Light snow. Details...	High: 2 oC Low: -4 oC	NE at 24 km/h
Sun, 29 Jul	Few clouds. Details...	High: 4 oC Low: -5 oC	NE at 21 km/h
Mon, 30 Jul	Partly cloudy skies during the day. Chance of snow during the night. Details...	High: 6 oC Low: -4 oC	NE at 19 km/h
Tue, 31 Jul	Light snow. Details...	High: 3 oC Low: -3 oC	NNE at 18 km/h

Updates from Base Camp: July 18-24, 2007

The team have made regular contact over the past week (I have included their SMS messages below). Unsettled weather continues to hamper progress on the proposed line. Ken's cold has subsided and the team have managed to acclimatize to 5500m. Reconnaissance continues around the mountain with a number of alternative objectives being considered in light of the current conditions.

Jul 24, 2007 5:30 PM
STILL RAINING,IN BC.4TH DAY IN A ROW.

Jul 22, 2007 6:48 PM
ACLM TO 5400M SUCCESFL. POOR WTHR RTRNS. MORE RECCYING REQD STILL. EYEING SVRL 5500-6000M AS 1ST OBJ.

Jul 19, 2007 11:53 PM
WTHR STILL PRFECT. K&J TO ACCLMTZ BEGINING 2MOROW.

Jul 18, 2007 4:31 PM
WEATHER CLR AND CALM. S & R TO ACCLMTZ, K&J REST IN BC. FLU SLOWLY IMPROVING.

Posted by Jay Piggott

Update from Base Camp: July 17th 2007

Jeremy called in today at 6:37am GMT via Iridium satellite phone.
The Team has now reached base camp. Unsettled weather and frequent storms have covered the mountain and base camp in deep snow. It will take a number of days of clear weather for conditions on the mountain to stabilize, before an attempt on the proposed line can be safely considered. The team will spend this time doing reconnaissance on the mountain and training together. The Team is in good spirits, although Ken is recovering from a cold.
Posted by Jay Piggott

Into the Karakoram

Today, we flew from the capital of Islamabad to the mountain town of Skardu. Our stay in Islamabad happened to overlap with the storming of the Red Mosque. We were woken at 4am of "Operation Silence" (we'd never get away with such a name back home) to the rumble of bombs, 5km away. Despite the warfare not far away, we were never exposed to it in any real sense. Pakistanis seem pretty embarrassed about having such militant extremists in their country. Anyways, the flight today was incredible. We even got a clear look at our objective, along with Nanga Parbat, K2, and a host of others. Five 8000m peaks in a 40-minute flight! In the morning, we leave for Askoli (the road-head). Pakistani civilization again in about a month.

Team Awarded American Alpine Club Award

The team has received the presitgious American Alpine Club Lyman Spitzer Cutting Edge Award
Additionally, we have received word that we will be receiving help from MSR and Thermarest. We are tremendously grateful to the American Alpine Club and MSR/Thermarest for their support.

Little Karim Confirmed

Himalayan Legend, Little Karim, is confirmed as our trekking guide for the expedition. This year, he started a tourism company, Travel Amazing Karakoram.

Little Karim stands only 5'2" tall and might top 110 pounds after a large meal. But underneath that tiny physique is a powerful and spirited alpinist who even Messner says is one of the world's strongest climbers above 8,000 meters. -Mountainzone.com