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)

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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.