First camp (5,300 meters). Photo ©M.Zhumayev
Participant of the international expedition to K2 and Kazakhstan alpinist Maksut Zhumayev told Tengrinews.kz about the sportsmen's menu on the way to the second camp. According to Zhumayev, the weather became very bad and it started snowing, but the expedition managed to find a safe way. On July 5 alpinists left from the ABC camp at 8:40 a.m. “Vassiliy and I were insisting on the route we made in 2007, while Ralf and Gerlinda were looking for a new path. But anyway all routes lead to the main morainic corridor that goes to the foot of Chogori. We reached our Depo-Camp in 3.5 hours. There we took ropes, equipment and tents. After having a little rest, we slowly went further to the first camp. After lunch the weather got bad and it started snowing, but visibility allowed us to find a safe way. On a wide glacier we had to tie ourselves with a rope. Ice cracks covered with snow gave our trip additional edge and feeling of danger. But heavy backpacks blunted our emotions and we walked to the camp like drunk cockroaches, avoiding all cracks,” Zhumayev said. On July 6 the team had sweets for breakfast. “Usually we have tea with sweets or instant coffee to energize. Nobody is hungry before the dawn in general, but it's possible to make ourselves eat at least something. We left our warm tents when we couldn't make ourselves eat anymore,” Zhumayev wrote in the expedition's diary. That day the alpinists found old ropes from 2007, but they could not be used again. “Vassiliy went the first, Ralf was belaying him, I was carrying ropes and took pictures and recorded video from time to time. It took us 400 meters of rope to cover the route and another 100 meters of rope to cross a snowy field. We were 50 meters of rope short to reach the beginning of the snow crest.” Kazakhstan alpinist also said that after coming back to the camp they cooked “a wonderful mush soup made of Chinese noodles with canned stewed horse meat” that they brought over from Kazakhstan. 6 alpinists worked on July 7. “Ralf and Gerlinda left the camp first, they were followed by me and Vassiliy, while Darek and Tommy were the last,” Zhumayev wrote. The ropes were hang to the height of 6,300 meters that day. On July 8 the forecasts met expectations: it was snowing. “We had 0.5 kg of potatoes left in Depo-camp. We mixed it with stewed meat and ate it like a culinary masterpiece. Having ate, we managed to take 1,400 meters of rope up the slope. This is a good reserve. Now there is enough rope in the camp to walk to the second camp and even further. We went back to ABC for rest,” Zhumayev wrote. After arrival to the base camp, the alpinists decided to slaughter one of the sheep and cooked its meat with potatoes. “But Gerlinda didn't come for dinner. Either she was very tired or her vegetarian taste was different from our meat menu,” Zhumayev added. Chogori is located in Karakorum mountain system in Kashmir province at the territory of Pakistan. Its height is 8,611 meters.
Participant of the international expedition to K2 and Kazakhstan alpinist Maksut Zhumayev told Tengrinews.kz about the sportsmen's menu on the way to the second camp. According to Zhumayev, the weather became very bad and it started snowing, but the expedition managed to find a safe way.
On July 5 alpinists left from the ABC camp at 8:40 a.m. “Vassiliy and I were insisting on the route we made in 2007, while Ralf and Gerlinda were looking for a new path. But anyway all routes lead to the main morainic corridor that goes to the foot of Chogori. We reached our Depo-Camp in 3.5 hours. There we took ropes, equipment and tents. After having a little rest, we slowly went further to the first camp. After lunch the weather got bad and it started snowing, but visibility allowed us to find a safe way. On a wide glacier we had to tie ourselves with a rope. Ice cracks covered with snow gave our trip additional edge and feeling of danger. But heavy backpacks blunted our emotions and we walked to the camp like drunk cockroaches, avoiding all cracks,” Zhumayev said.
On July 6 the team had sweets for breakfast. “Usually we have tea with sweets or instant coffee to energize. Nobody is hungry before the dawn in general, but it's possible to make ourselves eat at least something. We left our warm tents when we couldn't make ourselves eat anymore,” Zhumayev wrote in the expedition's diary. That day the alpinists found old ropes from 2007, but they could not be used again. “Vassiliy went the first, Ralf was belaying him, I was carrying ropes and took pictures and recorded video from time to time. It took us 400 meters of rope to cover the route and another 100 meters of rope to cross a snowy field. We were 50 meters of rope short to reach the beginning of the snow crest.” Kazakhstan alpinist also said that after coming back to the camp they cooked “a wonderful mush soup made of Chinese noodles with canned stewed horse meat” that they brought over from Kazakhstan.
6 alpinists worked on July 7. “Ralf and Gerlinda left the camp first, they were followed by me and Vassiliy, while Darek and Tommy were the last,” Zhumayev wrote. The ropes were hang to the height of 6,300 meters that day.
On July 8 the forecasts met expectations: it was snowing. “We had 0.5 kg of potatoes left in Depo-camp. We mixed it with stewed meat and ate it like a culinary masterpiece. Having ate, we managed to take 1,400 meters of rope up the slope. This is a good reserve. Now there is enough rope in the camp to walk to the second camp and even further. We went back to ABC for rest,” Zhumayev wrote.
After arrival to the base camp, the alpinists decided to slaughter one of the sheep and cooked its meat with potatoes. “But Gerlinda didn't come for dinner. Either she was very tired or her vegetarian taste was different from our meat menu,” Zhumayev added.
Chogori is located in Karakorum mountain system in Kashmir province at the territory of Pakistan. Its height is 8,611 meters.