The Karakorum remains untouched in the winter, as the news from Broad Peak today is that the team has given up on reaching the summit this season, and will now head home.
This morning, Artur Hajzer posted on his blog that the long range weather forecast does not show another window opening until after March 21st, and by that date, winter is over and their chance for claiming a winter summit would be gone. Up until then, the team could expect winds sustained winds in excess of 100 km per hour (62 mph) at the summit, making reaching the top a dangerous, and all but impossible affair.
With the forecast in, the team elected to give up on the dream of climbing the mountain for this year, and they have already begun the process of taking down base camp and preparing to leave the Karakorum. I'm sure they are all feeling a bit sad and disappointed at this news, and after spending more than two months on the mountain, it'll be a bittersweet departure.
This news closes the book on the winter climbing season on the big peaks, and clearly shifts focus to the spring now. As I said in my earlier post today, we're just a few short weeks from the teams heading to Kathmandu, so expect a busy season ahead, with a jam packed South Side on Everest once again.
Congratulations to the entire Broad Peak team. You gave it your best effort guys, and you have nothing to be disappointed about. Most people wouldn't last a week on BP in the winter, and your visit was more than 60 days. The weather just never gave you break.
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