K 2, seen from Base Camp

The “Ice Warriors”, as the Polish winter climbers in the Himalayas and the Karakoram have been called, want to do it again. The last remaining first winter ascent of an eight-thousander is to become a Polish under all circumstances. The state sponsors the prestigious project on K2, with an altitude of 8,611 meters the second highest mountain in the world: the Polish Ministry of Sports and Tourism bears the largest chunk of costs with a cash injection of one million zlotys (almost 240,000 euros). “Because we got the money, we had to follow the idea that it is ​a national expedition,” expedition leader Krzysztof Wielicki told desnivel.com (see the video below). All climbers of the K2 winter team are Poles – even Denis Urubko, an avid collector of passports: the native Kazakh received the Russian citizenship in 2013 and in addition the Polish one in 2015.

Experts on winter and K2

Denis Urubko

Expedition leader Wielicki is a pioneer of winter climbing on the highest mountains in the world. In 1980, he scaled with his Polish compatriot Leszek Cichy Mount Everest, it was the first eight-thousander ever climbed in the cold season. Two more first winter ascents followed: in 1986 with Jerzy Kukuczka on Kangchenjunga and in 1988 solo on Lhotse. For the K2 expedition the now 67-year-old has put together a team of ten climbers, which combines more winter expertise than any other expedition before. Including him himself, there are five first winter ascenders of eight-thousanders: Aside from Wielicki, Urubko (Makalu, Gasherbrum II), Adam Bielecki (Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak), Artur Malek (Broad Peak) and Janusz Golab (Gasherbrum I). K2 experience is also abundant in the Polish team: Five of the ten Polish climbers who will set off for Pakistan on 29 December have already reached – in each case in summer – the summit of “Chogori”, how the native Balti call the mountain.

Bottled oxygen only for emergencies

There have been three serious attempts so far to climb K2 in winter, all failed below 8000 meters due to bad weather. Team members of an international expedition, also led by Wielicki, climbed highest in winter 2002/03 on the Chinese north side: Camp 4 at 7,650 meters was the terminal stop for Denis Urubko and Marcin Kaczkan (he is also part of this year’s team) on their summit attempt. This time, Wielicki wants to try it on the Pakistani south side of the mountain via the Cesen route (Southsoutheast Ridge), “but it depends on the conditions”. The Abruzzi Spur (Southeast ridge) is another possibility. Breathings masks are only intended for emergencies. Bottled oxygen “is not necessary, if you are well acclimatized. That’s the key,” Krzysztof told me when we talked at the ISPO trade fair in Munich last February about the upcoming winter expedition to K2.

“Others will score the goals”

The “King of the Eight-Thousanders”

He also wants to be on the mountain, but not to climb to the summit. He would not play “the first fiddle” when climbing, said Wielicki on Polish radio. “The goals will be scored by others.” First and foremost, the Pole, who became the fifth person in the world to scale all 14 eight-thousanders, is required in his role of expedition leader. So he will have to make the hard decision who out of his team of top climbers will form the summit team, if the opportunity arises.  “Denis Urubko, Janusz Golab and Adam Bielecki have certainly the biggest chances,” said Wielicki in an interview of the Swiss newspaper “Neue Zürcher Zeitung”.

Circle would be closing

Nine of the 13 first winter ascents of eight-thousanders to date were made by exclusive Polish summit teams. Another involved a Polish climber: Piotr Morawski in 2005 with the Italian Simone Moro on Shishapangma. If you turn a blind eye, the first winter ascent of Makalu in 2009 could be included, even though the current Pole Denis Urubko (then successful with Moro) at that time was still Kazakh. After the prestigious first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat in 2016 did not go to the account of Polish climbers, from the point of view of the “Ice Warriors” it is almost a matter of honor that this does not happen again on K2. For veteran Krzysztof Wielicki, the history of the Polish “Ice Warriors” would come full circle: “That would be a nice story. We started with the highest, Everest, and could finish with the second highest, K2.”

P.S.: The Spaniard Alex Txikon wants to announce his plans for this winter on Friday. If I was to bet money, I would do it on an Everest expedition with Simone Moro, Tamara Lunger and Muhammad Ali “Sadpara”.

Krzysztof Wielicki

Krzysztof Wielicki is skeptical. “I think they can have a problem because they only slept in Camp 3 and not at 8,000 meters,” answers the Pole when I meet him at the trade fair ISPO in Munich and enquire him about the chances of the Basque climber Alex Txikon on Mount Everest. Txikon, who wants to scale the highest mountain of the world this winter without bottled oxygen, is currently waiting in Everest Base Camp to set off for his first summit attempt. “In my opinion, you should have slept at the South Col, if you want to push to the summit,” says Wielicki. “I wish him good luck, I hope that nothing happens. It’s most important that they’ll come back safely. It doesn’t matter if they climb to the summit or not.”

Wielicki about Txikon: They can have a problem

Empty bottle at the summit

Wielicki (l.) and Cichy after their successful climb

The now 67-year-old knows what he is talking about. On 17 February 1980, Wielicki and his countryman Leszek Cichy had succeeded on Everest the first ever winter ascent of an eight-thousander. Above the South Col, they had used bottled oxygen “We didn`t know that it was possible to climb without,” says Krzysztof. “Our leader [Andrzej Zawada] said, here is the bottle. You have to carry it. One bottle, nine kilos. When we climbed to the summit, we realized, that the bottle was empty.”

Never again with breathing mask

Despite a flow rate of only two liters per minute, the bottled oxygen lasted only for three or four hours. “The mask was frozen. I even didn’t feel that I was using oxygen,” says Wielicki. “It was horrible. I never again used oxygen afterwards.” Even without breathing mask, the Polish climber remained a pioneer. In 1986, he and his compatriot Jerzy Kukuczka managed the first winter ascent of Kangchenjunga (8,586 meters). In 1988, Krzysztof scaled Lhotse (8,516 meters) not only for the first time in winter, but also succeeded the first solo climb of the mountain. In 1996, Wielicki became the fifth person who had stood on all 14 eight-thousanders. Bottled oxygen “is not necessary, if you are well acclimatized,” says the Pole. “That’s the key.”

Wielicki: It was horrible

Still financing problems

K 2

In winter 2017/2018, Krzysztof Wielicki wants to lead a Polish winter expedition to K2, the only eight-thousander that has not yet been successfully climbed in the cold season. The planned financing by Polish government companies has not yet been finalized. “We are a little disappointed with the government”, says Wielicki. “But we fight and I hope that we can overcome the problem.” According to Krzysztof, at the moment 14 climbers are still on his list of candidates, in the end he wants to assemble a team of eight.

Wielicki: I hope we can overcome the problem

“The most difficult challenge”

Denis Urubko

Adam Bielecki, who succeeded the first winter ascent of Gasherbrum I (8,080 meters) in 2012 and of Broad Peak (8,051 meters) in 2013, will surely belong to the team, says Wielicki. And also Denis Urubko, first winter ascender of Makalu (8,485 meters) and Gasherbrum II (8,034 meters): “He wants to go and we want him to join us. I think he will go with us.” Urubko was born in Kazakhstan, but now he has a Russian and a Polish passport. Already in winter 2002/2003, Wielicki and Urubko had been together on K 2, with an height of 8,611 meters the second highest mountain on earth. Wielicki had then also led the expedition on the Chinese north side of the mountain. Urubko had reached an altitude of 7,650 meters before he and his rope partner had been stopped by bad weather and the expedition had been canceled. This time, the attempt is to be made on the Pakistani side of K2. “Either via the Abruzzi Ridge or the Cesen/Basque route, depending on the conditions in the wall,” says Krzysztof Wielicki. “I think, if we talk about winter expeditions on 8000 meter peaks, it is the last and most difficult challenge.”

Wielicki: K 2 the last and most difficult challenge

Denis Urubko on Kangchenjunga

Mount Everest is still awaiting the first ascent this spring. But summit successes are reported from other eight-thousanders. The Russian climber Denis Urubko sent a message that he reached the 8586-meter-high summit of Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain on earth, today at 9:40 a.m. local time. As Denis also his companions, the Polish climber Adam Bielecki, the Spaniard Alex Txikon and the Russians Artyom Brown and Dmitri Sinev, should have started the descent. Bielecki, Txikon and Sinev had previously made a summit bid but had returned from 8350 meters. Initially Urubko and Co. had wanted to open a new route through the North Face. Obviously, it was more of a variant of the British North Ridge route which Doug Scott, Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker had climbed in 1979.

The old man did it again

Carlos Soria on the top

Several successes have been reported from the normal route on the south side of Kangchenjunga. Noteworthy was the ascent of the Spanish climber Carlos Soria. With 75 years, he is now the oldest climber who has ever reached the summit of Kangchenjunga. Soria is already holding the records as the oldest summiter of K2 (65 years), Broad Peak (68), Makalu (69), Gasherbrum I (70) and Manaslu (71). And he wants to complete the 14 eight-thousanders. Three are still missing: Shishapangma, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. The Finn Samuli Mansikka and the Italian Marco Camandona also summited Kangchenjunga, both apparently without bottled oxygen. For Mansikka it was the eighth, for Camandona the sixth eight-thousander.

Too late

Alix (r.) and Luis on Makalu

On Makalu, the German couple Alix von Melle and Luis Stitzinger turned back on 8250 meters on Saturday. “We could twist and turn it as much as we wanted, the time was too close to reach the summit in daylight”, Alix and Luis wrote in their expedition diary. If everything fits they want to make a second attempt around 24 May. Their German companion Florian Huebschenberger was more lucky. The 27-year-old reached the highest point at 8485 meters together with the Swiss climber Mike Horn on Saturday.

Last weekend there were also summit successes on Cho Oyu and Dhaulagiri. Last Wednesday four climbers of a French military expedition summited Shishapangma, after they had climbed via the South Face.

The North Face of Kangchenjunga

Even if it may seem in spring again as though there was only Mount Everest, it is also worth looking to other eight-thousanders. A highly qualified team has been formed to open a new route via the north face of Kangchenjunga: Denis Urubko and Artem Brown from Russia, Adam Bielecki from Poland and the Basque Alex Txikon. Urubko has initiated the project. Denis, who was born in Kazakhstan but is now a Russian citizen, wants to draw a definite line under the past year which was so unfortunate for him.

Achieved nothing

Denis Urubko

“What have I realized in 2013? To be honest, just nothing”, Denis wrote in his blog at the turn of the year. “It was full of pain, horror and destroyed hopes. After the death of Alexei Bolotov I was unable to face myself in the mirror, I was ashamed and hurt.” Urubko and Bolotov had planned to open a new route via the Southwest Face of Mount Everest in spring 2013. But not far away from basecamp, Bolotov fell to death. He had been abseiling, when the rope broke on a sharp edge of rock. The 50-year-old, one of the best and most experienced climbers of Russia, fell down about 300 meters and died instantly.

Like a grail

Adam Bielecki

The Polish climber Adam Bielecki has to overcome a trauma too. In March 2013, after he and three fellow countrymen had succeeded in making the first winter ascent of Broad Peak, Maciej Berbeka and Tomasz Kowalski died during the descent. Later the Polish Mountaineering Association (PZA) accused Bielecki for having let his companions down when he started descending alone before the others. This did not conform with the ethics of mountaineering, said the final report of the PZA. Adam defended himself: “I was near to panic and fighting for my life.” Now Bielecki only wants to look forward. A dream could come true on Kangchenjunga, the 30-year-old climber said in an interview with off.sport.pl: “A new route into terra incognita, where really nobody still has left his footprints! This is like a grail for many travellers or mountaineers.” Before the Broad Peak winter expedition Bielecki – in 2012 with his compatriot Janusz Golab – had also made the first winter ascent of Gasherbrum I.

Eight-thousander No. 11?

Alex Txikon in front of the Lhotse face

At that time the Basque Alex Txikon belonged to the team of the Austrian Gerfried Goeschl that tried to climb G I on a different route and to traverse the summit. Txikon abandoned the last summit attempt while Goeschl, the Swiss Cedric Haehlen and the Pakistani Nisar Hussain continued to climb up. They are missing since then.  In 2013 Txikon and José Manuel Fernández succeeded in making the first winter ascent of the shapely 6000er Laila Peak in Pakistan. The following spring, Alex stood on the summit of Lhotse which was his tenth of the 14 eight-thousanders. Kangchenjunga is still missing in the collection of the 32-year-old climber, who has also been making headlines as a basejumper. The fourth member of the team, the Russian Artem Brown, is still a dark horse in the high-altitude climbing scene.

Kangchenjunga is located on the border between Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim. With 8586 meters it is the third highest mountain in the world. Today’s normal route runs via the south side of Kangchenjunga, where also the British climbers George Band and Joe Brown made the first ascent in 1955. The first route on the north side was opened in 1977 by an Indian expedition.

Namasté, Chomo! Stefan speaking.

Oh no, you again.

Take it easy!I haven’t woken you up from your hibernation, have I?

Look at your calendar! Pre-season. I’m still on vacation.

Do you look forward at least a little bit to the climbers who will visit you in this jubilee season during which the 60th anniversary of the first ascent will be celebrated?

Do you really want me to answer honestly?

Yes, please.

If it was up to me, at least 90 percent of them could go to hell. Nevertheless they will come. Without my invitation.

In this case ten percent remain for you to welcome.

You don’t listen. I said at least 90 percent. But between you and me: Indeed I look forward to a few of the climbers.

For example?

Simone Moro from Italy and Ueli Steck from Switzerland, the Kazakh-Russian Team Denis Urubko/Alexej Bolotov and the Russians Gleb Sokolov und Alexander Kirikov. They will scratch me, where I feel itchy.

Please, explain it to me!

Have you ever heard of RSI?

Should I?

RSI stands for Repetitive Strain Injury. Someone who is always doing the same move, e.g. mousing, will sometime feel pain in his shoulders, neck, arm or hand.

And what has all this got do with you?

(He groans) For lunkheads like you: Year after year hundreds of people are crowding around on the two normal routes, that’s completely overusing. It really hurts. And where nobody is climbing, that is on my beautiful steep walls, I feel itchy. A withdrawal symptom. The opposite of RSI.

I understand: Climbers on new routes offer relief.

No shit, Sherlock! If Urubko and Bolotov climb on southwest face, Sokolov and Kirikov on east face and Moro and Steck whereever but on a new route, they are like a yaktail I can use for chasing the flies away.

That comparison falls short, because these top climbers may scratch your unattended areas, but won’t make you get rid of RSI.

For this I have my own yaktail.

But you don’t even want to …

Come on, don’t give me ethics!

But can you turn a blind eye this jubilee season at least?

My eye has been closed for years.

Why?

Because the blowflies are sitting on it.

Does it mean that you threaten them?

I am only a mountain, do you remember?