Ger McDonnell - 2008

10/12/08

Photo: Our friends Ger and Rolf in happier times. Our sincere condolences to both families and friends.

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Phone +353 64 44181 mobile +353 87 2540204, office, Pat Falvey or Niall Foley.
_______________________

Our sympathy goes to all those who have lost loved one's on K2. Our thoughts and prayers are with you..

A Big thanks to Tom and the Explorers Web team, who we have been friends with for some time, for providing an honest and sincere reflection of the events on K2 during and since the tragedy in August.

A link to their website can be found below

www.explorersweb.com

Explorers Web team

31/12/08

A link to their tribute to Ger and all who were lost with the unfolding evidence and timelines of the events can be found below...

www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=17919

The Gerard McDonnell Memorial Access Scholarship Fund at DCU

10/12/08

Originally from Kilcornan in County Limerick and a graduate of the DCU School of Electronic Engineering, Gerard McDonnell became the first Irish person to scale K2, on the border between China and Pakistan, when he reached the summit on Friday Aug 1st 2008. Tragically Gerard was involved in a fatal accident while attempting to save the lives of fellow climbers on his descent. Remembered by all who knew him as warm, loving, brave and heroic, Gerard’s life will be celebrated through the creation of a permanently endowed Access scholarship fund at DCU. The scholarship fund will be created in Gerard’s memory, whose untimely death came so swiftly on foot of such joyous celebrations of his wonderful achievements.

Those wishing to contribute to the Gerard McDonnell Memorial Access Scholarship Fund are invited to contact the DCU Educational Trust on ph: +353 (1) 700-5467, or contact: Claire Whelehan, DCU Educational Trust. Ph: + 353 (1) 700-8639. Donations may also be made on-line by following the web link http://www.dcu.ie/trust/gift.shtml and requesting that your gift go towards the Ger McDonnell Memorial Access Scholarship Fund.

Thanks

06/11/08

As the dust settles after the tragic disaster on K2, we would like to thank everyone who expressed their sincerest condolences to the McDonnell family. The condolences book which is being compiled at present will be presented to Ger’s family on completion. If you have not had a chance, and would like to be included in this book, please email us before the end of November.

Tribute By Clare O Leary

27/08/08

Tribute to Ger by Clare O’ Leary

.

I first met Ger 6 years ago while preparing for an Everest Expedition; a couple of months later we were in Dublin airport, bound for Kathmandu. It was an exciting time and the 6 of us on the team laughed a lot, had great ole fun and an amazing experience... that expedition also left us with a close bond to one another – the friendships you make with teammates on expedition – living 24 hours a day in one another’s pockets, working towards the same goal, experiencing and sharing the same beauty, hardship, fear, peace and enjoyment, - is very different and the friendship runs deep.

I consider myself lucky to have been on 3 expeditions with Ger – and also took a trip out to Alaska to train and hang out with him there – I got to see what a great place Alaska is and more so how much he loved it – his many great and close friends, especially Annie, his band, Last Night’s Fun, and the many places he loved to climb and train.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve gone through several of my expedition photos, looking at pictures of Ger. Its amazing how he happy he looks all the time – the outdoors and nature was a real passion for him – it didn’t have to be extreme – even the simple things – like meeting a bear when out on his bike (!) was exciting for him. He reveled in the beauty of the mountains, the camaraderie of teamwork and the simplicity of expedition life.

On the mountain, Ger was exceptionally strong, fast, competent and safe. In all the climbing I’ve done with him, I’ve never seen him under pressure. My sister came out to Everest base camp in 2003 and when we met the team in the icefall after their summit bid, she remarked to me – ‘Ger looks like he’s only been to the local shop for a loaf of bread!’ – and it was true; it seemed to take so little out of him.

Ger made friends easily and in him, you knew you had a friend for life. He’s a really genuine, warm hearted, decent guy, full of life, energy and fun. He knew how to enjoy himself and drew people to him – people just enjoyed being in his company – having a laugh, messing about, hearing his stories or listening to him sing or play the bodhran.

For me, one of the things that stood out most about Ger from the start was the warm love he had for his family, particularly his mother. He always spoke a lot about them in a very natural, but touching way. I think that was made me trust him so quickly early on.

Ger’s death has had a profound effect on me and I know also on his many climbing friends. He was and is a very special person, a great inspiration to adventurers and dreamers. Ger’s achievements in mountaineering, particularly mountaineering in Ireland, are huge. Not only that, but his strength and honorability in spending over 3 and a half hours at 8300m, attempting to rescue 3 other climbers, while well aware of the risk to his own life, makes him stand out as a real hero.

I know some people find it hard to understand or accept what draws people to the mountains and such extreme adventure; I think George Mallory sums it up -

‘What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for.(George Leigh Mallory, 1922)

It’s hard to believe Ger won’t be coming home again. I hope his family, friends and loved ones can find strength and comfort at this difficult time, knowing that he died doing what he loved, in a place that he loved and having fulfilled a major personal ambition.

May you rest in peace, Ger.

Clare O’ Leary

Updates from the mountain.

18/08/08

Reports compiled by Pat Falvey and Niall Foley. As you will appreciate news of this source is patchy as we compile news from K2 and other home teams that are now feeding us information as it occurs. We will be doing our best with what is being relayed to be factual as we can be.

other connections for news

http://www.noritk2.nl

www.k2climb.net

Memorial Mass in Limerick

17/08/08

Family announcement.

A celebration of Gerards Life

17th August 2008

1.30pm

Kilcornan Community Centre grounds, Co. Limerick.

A memorial Mass for people, who’s lives were touched by Ger are more than welcome. A Mass will take place along with a musical celebration following the Mass

All are invited to attend.

Issued on behalf of the McDonnell family.

They would like to thank all of those who are sending in condolences from our home page and also like to thank all of those who have been so considerate in their time of grief in the loss of Ger.

Homeward bound

14/08/08

Thursday August 14th

After an official debriefing in Islamabad on Wednesday, Wilco, cas, Jelle and Roeland, Pemba and Mark are on their way home.

Also Ger's family, have also arrived home to Ireland safely and are busy organising everything for Sunday's memorial, They are looking forward to meeting all of Ger's friends and supporters who have been so kind in supporting the family in their time of grief.

Tribute to Ger by Pat Falvey

11/08/08

Picture. Pat and Ger fooling on Denali. (c) Clare O Leary

“Life begins when your ready to live it.” And Ger McDonnell knew how to live life and made the most of it. Sadly due to a horrific accident on K2 we who love him have lost a Son, a brother, family member a partner and for me and many others an wonderful friend. He is now forever in the grips of the gods of the icy mountains, I will feel his presence when I go to them, his spirit will be forever free.

“Do not stand at my grave and weep. I'm not here I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blows. I am the diamond glints on snow.” (Anon)

From the moment I met him there was an instant connection, he reminded me of my earlier days in mountaineering. I was blown away by his love and passion of mountains, wild places, people and most of all his family and in particular his mother.

Ger was a dreamer and his dreams were infectious, He wasn’t afraid to live them and went about achieving them with vigour to make them a reality. I was fortunate to have had similar dreams to his and had the privilege to work with him to fulfil our mutual goals of climbing and adventuring in the highest, remote and most beautiful places on our planet.

Now that the dust is settling and the facts of the tragedy are known and speculations have ended, I can rest and take in this sad tragedy, I can properly mourn his passing.

I will remember him as he was, his smiling face, the glint in his eyes, the story teller, a joker, always ready to sing a song and a tune on the Borhan and while on a summit clinching his fist and rising the tri-colour high. Mixed with this the magic of days and nights camping and climbing in spiritual places. He was never short of dreams, he was a proud Irish man with a love of all Irish, his routes, our culture and traditions and he kept them alive no matter where he went.

I will forever remember him as he was, A loyal friend, a loving family person and a proud Irishman.

May you Rest In Peace

Pat.

(Pat Falvey)

I'd like to thanks also the hundreds of people sending in condolences to the family. Ger was really a love person.

Family meets Ger's team in Islamabad

11/08/08

August 10th and 11th
Ger’s family, Wilco, Cas and Pemba met up for a briefing that was arranged by the Irish Embassy in Islamabad. The meeting according to Wilco was impressive, emotional and of course personal and private.

Names of those who have died on K2 R.I.P

07/08/08

Their Name, Nationality, and Location of death on K2.

May they rest in peace and our prays and condolences go to their friends and families.

1 Dren Mandić Serbian Below the Bottleneck Fell during the ascent.

2 Jehan Baig Pakistani Below the Bottleneck Fell while trying to recover Dren Mandić's corpse.

3 Kyeong-Hyo Park South Korean Bottleneck Serac fall.

4 Hyo-Gyeong Kim South Korea Bottleneck Serac fall.

5 Dong-Jin Hwang South Korea Bottleneck Serac fall.

6 Rolf Bae Norway Bottleneck Serac fall.

7:Jumic Bhote Nepalese Bottleneck Trapped in Bottleneck when serac fall cut the rope.

8. Pasang Bhote Nepalese Bottleneck Died in rescue of Jumic Bhote.

9. Hugues D’Aubarede France in the Bottleneck

10 Meherban Karim Pakistan The Bottleneck. Fell in descent after Hugues D’Aubarede died.

11 Gerard McDonnell Ireland Serac fall in bottle neck while helping others that were injured

†McDonnell was the first Irish person to reach the summit of K2.

Statement on behalf of the family of the late Gerard McDonnell.

06/08/08

We are extremely proud of the many heroic and brave achievements of our son and brother Gerard.
He brought honour not only to us his family, but the whole country when he became the first Irish man to summit K2 on Friday last.
The last few days have been a roller coaster of emotions as we celebrated with joy his historic achievement, and now must try to come to terms with the untimely loss of a great son, brother and friend.
Gerard's love of mountain climbing was surpassed only by his love for his family and friends. Our thoughts are with his long time girlfriend Annie in his adopted home of Alaska, where he lived for the last 11 years.
We are sure like us, Annie will miss most of all Gerard's warm and caring smile that brought light and joy to all he met.
Gerard was a kind and loving son. He had a great love of traditional Irish music, and despite living away from Limerick for the past number of years he was a true and proud Irish man.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our many friends and neighbours for their support at this sad time.
We would like to acknowledge the bravery and selfless acts of his Norit team mates and the members of all the other teams, who risked everything in an attempt to rescue Gerard. We will forever be grateful to them, and the support and information we received from Maarteen - the web master for Norit expedition.
Thanks also to Pat Falvey for his hard work and perseverance in keeping the line of communications between base camp and the family open.
We would like to sympathise with the many other families who lost loved ones to the unforgiving elements of K2 this weekend. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.
We now ask for privacy from the media as we come to terms with the news that our beloved Gerard will not be returning home.
We will not be making any more statements at this sad time and thank you for your co-operation.

*********

Gerard (37) is survived by his mother Gertie, brother JJ, sisters Martha, Stephanie and Denise, his girlfriend Annie and extended family. He is predeceased by his father, Denis

Ends

Picture Ger on Denali in happier times.

Statement issued On behalf of Ger's team Norit K2 Expedition

06/08/08

Following earlier reports concerning the Norit K2 expedition we would like to inform you that Dutch climbers Wilco van Rooijen and Cas van de Gevel are currently slowly recovering in Skardu where they receive medical treatment. We are relieved to say that their frostbite injuries do not appear to be severe.

Both men have endured a lot the last couple of days and are trying to process everything that has happened. Especially the loss of their teammate and friend Gerard McDonnell has struck them deeply. Their thoughts also go out to Gerards beloved family and friends.



The other Norit K2 teammembers, Jelle Staleman, Roeland van Oss, Pemba Gyalje Sherpa en Mark Sheen, are currently still in the K2 base camp and are expected to join them in Skardu over the weekend. They have also endured a lot on K2 this weekend and are looking forward to sharing information with Wilco and Cas to try and get a clearer picture of what happened.



We understand that there is a need for more information. Especially after the different media outings following an interview yesterday. This interview was done immediately upon arrival in the hospital and both climbers were totally caught off guard and were clearly exhausted and disoriented.

They told the home team this morning that they can currently only remember fragments of what happened on the mountain due to the exhaustion and prolonged stay at high altitude with lack of oxygen. They are now sleeping a lot and are looking forward to be reunited with their team members so they can start and compare experiences and memories.



Both team members and relatives have clearly expressed their wish not to have any contact with the media at this stage. The team members will give a press conference upon arrival in The Netherlands where they hope to share more information on their experiences. Their arrival will presumably be late next week.


We hope to have more specific details on their arrival early next week which we will then share with you. Please visit www.noritK2.nl for more information on the Norit K2 expedition.



End of message

K2BaseCamp-NL (23.30hr. K2-time 04/08/08)

06/08/08

K2BaseCamp-NL (23.30hr. K2-time 04/08/08)

IMPORTANT MESSAGE:
We are very sorry to inform you that our friend and climbing partner Gerard McDonnell died while descending from K2 Summit. We deeply sympathize with Ger’s family in Ireland and his girlfriend Annie. Our friend Gerard will not return from K2.

In addition we are also sad to inform you that Hugues d’Aubarede died while descending from K2 Summit as already mentioned by other sources. We feel sorry for Hugues’ family.


This morning, Wilco and Cas have been sucessfully rescued from K2 B.C. to Skardu. The Italian climber Marco has not yet arrived in K2BC. Last news is he is in Camp 1.


STATUS AS FAR AS WE KNOW

ROELAND: BCK2
CAS: Arrived Skardu
PEMBA:BCK2
WILCO: Arrived Skardu
MARK: BCK2
JELLE: BCK2

We'd like to thank Maarten and Ger's team at base camp for clarity on where all the team are now. at 20:00 Pm August 4th. Pat

Bio, Ger McDonnell

04/08/08

Bio in brief Ger McDonnell.

Gerard McDonnell 37 is out on K2 for his second attempt. Reached summit on Friday 1 August 1st Irish person to have reached it’s lofty peak. He is climbing with the Dutch team under the leadership of Wilco one of the worlds top expedition leaders. He has also been climbing on the mountain with Pemba Gyalje Sherpa who has been a Sidar on Numerous Irish expedition with Pat. The Dutch team he is climbing with is called 'Noritk2'.

In 2006 On Ger’s first attempt he got to nearly 8000m on K2 he descended after getting hit by rock fall and pulled out.

Ger summited Everest in 2003 with Mick Murphy, Pemba Gyalje Sherpa and Pemba Rinzee Sherpa as part of the Pat Falvey led Irish Everest expedition to have been the first Irish team to have summit Everest from the original Route on Everst fro Nepal. Ger has climbed Denali 05, Foraker, Broadpeak 06 to name a few amongst many others in Nepal, Scotland, the Alps, Alaska and China.

Ger hails from Limerick, lives in Alaska for the last 10 years having moved there to advance his skills in living in colder climates and to train full time as a mountaineer. He was also a team leader, With Rolf Bae in Antarctic on South Georgia in 06 as part of the Pat’s Irish Beyond Endurance Expedition, that honoured Irish polar hero’s of Shackleton, Tom Crean, Forde, Keohane and the McCarthy brothers.

Living in Limerick are his three sister, brother JJ and mother. His partner Annie lives in Alaska.

Picture with Irish team on Denali.
Left to right. Expedition leader Pat Falvey. John Dowd, Dr Clare O Leary, Ger playing a tune from the Borhan and John Roch. (Pat Falvey)

official update 08:00 am 4th August see below...

04/08/08

official update 08:00 am 4th August see below...

from co-ordinating center.
Captain Azimullah Beg an official Spoke person from Rescue co-ordination center on K2 confirms the following.

GILGIT, Pakistan (AFP) — Pakistani army helicopters evacuated two frostbitten mountaineers from K2 and tried to save another Monday after a catastrophic ice fall on the world's second highest peak killed 11 climbers.

Three South Koreans, two Nepalis, two Pakistanis, a Serbian, an Irishman, a Norwegian and a Frenchman died in Friday's disastrous avalanche on the slopes of the remote 28,251-foot (8,611-metre) Himalayan mountain.

The accident was the worst for more than 20 years on the giant pyramidal peak.
"Two Dutch climbers were brought by our people and their colleagues down to base camp from an altitude of 7,300 metres overnight," army officer Captain Azimullah Beg told AFP by satellite telephone from K2 base camp.

"They were then picked up by army helicopter from base camp this morning and have now been shifted to hospital for treatment for severe frostbite," said Beg from the camp, which sits at 5,200 metres.

The Dutch climbers were identified as Wilco Van Rooijen, leader of one of the expeditions caught up in the tragedy, and Cas van de Gevel, according to Beg and the army-linked company operating the helicopters, Askari Aviation.
A second chopper went up to help a stranded Italian identified as Marco Confortola but could not touch down and returned after a brief contact with the climber, Pakistani mountain guide Sultan Alam said.
"Our four high-altitude porters left a while ago and it is expected that they will bring the Italian climber down this evening," he told AFP from base camp, as the roar of a helicopter could be heard in the background.

The Italian was unable to walk because of frostbite in his leg, officials said.

All three climbers were "badly affected and it appears that at least one of them would have his hand and leg chopped off. This is what our high altitude doctors believe," Alam said.

The disaster happened when a pillar of ice broke away in a steep gully known as the Bottleneck near the summit and swept away fixed lines used by the mountaineers as they made their descent on Friday.
The number of dead climbers had risen from the overnight total of nine, Alam said, adding that the exact number of climbers affected remains unclear but he was aware of 17 who were involved.

"At least 11 climbers have died. This is one of the worst incidents in the history of K2 climbing," Alam said.
The incident was the deadliest to hit the peak on the Pakistan-China border since 1986 when 12 climbers died, said Nazir Sabir, a celebrated Pakistani mountaineer who scaled K2 in 1981.

In Seoul, a mountaineering club on Monday confirmed that three South Koreans and two Sherpas were among those killed, adding that another two Korean climbers got to base camp before the avalanche struck.

The survivors had suspended attempts to recover the bodies of their colleagues due to the "hopeless" weather conditions, Cho Hyung-Gyu, president of the country's southeastern Kyongnam mountaineering club, told AFP.

This is the first official report from K2 as all climber now returning to base camp.

Rolf Bae, We are in shock.

03/08/08

0.28 AM 3rd August.
It is with great sadness that I have received the news from Dave Bolger in Norway that our good friend and climbing partner Rolf Bae has been taken in a tragic accident on K2.

One of the worlds top explorers, have been taken from us, Rolf was climbing with his wife Cecilie Skog and died tragically while descending on K2 yesterday. He will be a great loss to the adventure world and as a friend. May he rest in peace.

Picture on a recent trip to South Georgia as guide on our trip across South Georgia in honour of our Irish polar explorers. Shackleton, Tom Crean, Forde, Keohane and the McCarthy brothers.

It’s at time like this that you just cant take in such a loss.

Sympathy to Ceicilie his Family and friends.

Pat

Wilco found Alive concerm rises for others

03/08/08

K2BaseCamp-NL (08.50 hr. K2-time)
04;00 Ireland.

First light to hit the mountain it can be confirmed that.... WILCO IS ALIVE AND IN C3 WITH PEMBA AND CAS. RESCUE FROM K2BC IS IN PROGRESS. WE ARE BUSY ORGANIZING AND COMMUNICATING. WILCO IS ALLRIGHT, EXHAUSTED BUT HE SOUNDS GOOD. ONLY PROBLEMS WITH FEET.


K2 base camp,,,,,,,

From the Mountain Lodge Killarney.

Phones have been hopping for the last 36 hours here at the Lodge,

My concerns for the others now rise as they are 3 days in death zone, It is now turning into a nightmare for family and friends as we await positive news on the rest of the climbers on the mountain.

With faith comes a glimmer of hope with also the tinge of reality hitting home to us here at home. For those of us that believe in prayer..Pray.
Pray for the family's who are at home patiently waiting on confirmation of climbers whereabouts. I know how they are now feeling.

The next 8 to 12 hours should see all answered on K2.

Pat Falvey

Photo Ger Cooking in ice cave (Pat Falvey)

Rescue report 3rd August 9pm..

03/08/08

Update 3rd August 9 PM Irish time

10 climbers now feared dead on K2 including our beloved Ger McDonnell.

We pray for the spirit and soul of Ger. May he rest in peace.

Ger's family issues heart rendering statement. see below

Update below on climbers that are missing.


3 climbers die from serac (ice avalanche) fall on 1 August while descending from a successful summit earlier in the day in The Bottle Neck just below the summit ridge and exit to the lower section of K2. This is a technical steep section of the mountain above 8000 meters (a place known to us climbers as death Zone) The ice avalanche sweeping away the fixed ropes which is used by tired climbers as a handrail to the safety of the lower sections of the mountain and the safety of camp 4.


August 1st/ 2nd: 5 climbers spotted at top of bottle neck above 8000 meters. Knowing they could not survive in the death Zone they try to get down the icy slopes of the Bottle Neck unsuccessfully and die.

Death toll rises to 8

Wilco and Marco whose where abouts on August 1st and 2nd had been reported as unknown make their way to safety below the bottle neck.

Marco making it to camp 4 while Wilco strays onto Camp 3 on the Cessan route.

Pemba and Cas who were at camp four receive a request that base camp had seen a loan climber descending on the Cessan route to camp 3. They make their way to see who the lone climber was and by break of day it was confirmed it was Wilco.

August 2nd also, Ger and Hugues position had also been reported as unknown. Fears for their safe return rise.

Questions raised for us, included whether they were the other 2 climbers that had gone in the Serac fall on August 1st or if not where Ger and Hugues position was on the mountain.

Break of day 3rd August. The Climbers above Bottle Neck no longer can be seen. As they had not turned up at high camp they to are presumed to have died as they descended the steep icy slope

These climbers would have realised that they could not have survived the Death Zone much longer if they did not move. They may have decided to take a chance on treacherous descent.

Also August 3rd. All surviving climber now at camp 4 are exhausted and need to descend to safety.

The Rescue attempt in place is down scaled knowing that any climber not accounted for would not survive another night in the death Zone. A decision is made to get all climbers back to base camp and do a proper head count to see who is missing.

Base camp reports returning climbers as they return. Cecilie and Norwegian climbers descend safely.

Wilco suffering from frostbite on feet and Cas suffering from frostbite on hand with Pemba descend to safety of base camp.

Present position as we now know it
August 3rd 9.30 pm is.

8 climbers are dead and a further possible 4 need clarification. This can only be done when a head count of all climbers are done at base camp.

We are now awaiting a full update from K2 on position of all climbers which we hope that we will get tomorrow.


What started on August 1st as a great celebration of mountaineering success has turned into the worst disaster on K2.

Our thoughts and prayers go to all the families that now have climbers not accounted for on K2.


other connections for news

http://www.noritk2.nl,

www.k2climb.net

Emergency update K2 base camp NL 14.50 K2 time

02/08/08

EMERGENCY UPDATES ARE HERE (2 August)

K2BC NL 14.50 K2-time. (time changes with every update)

We now know why climbers halted in the Bottleneck. One of them fell and broke Arm or Leg. He is assisted down. That’s slowing it up.

WE NEED SOMEBODY WHO IS IN C3 ON THE CESEN ROUTE. IF ONE OF YOUR TEAMMEMBERS IS THERE PLEASE SEND EMAIL TO NORITK2@TANGRAM.NL

You can open this article in full by clicking the title.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES FROM GERARD.
GERARDS SATPHONE IS NOT WITH HIM. Pemba is usin g that satphone on his rescue mission.
We still do not know were Gerard is.

If you are a family member and you want to communicate something very important please use the following emailadress NORITK2@TANGRAM.NL

ONLY TO BE USED FOR HOME TEAM MEMBERS MARCO, GERARD, HUGUES, or somebody I mistakenly forgot

Members of Hugues d’Aubarede home team please send email

They did allready so now we have the information!

STATUS AS FAR AS WE KNOW

The latest weatherinformation was send to Rescue coordination in K2BC.

K2BC can see 6 people standing still in the Bottleneck. Two HAP’s are on their way up.
ROELAND in K2BC
CAS en PEMBA (rescueteam, and we are in contact)
WILCO just called Heleen. We are still searching for him.
MARCO left Bivouac whereabouts unknown
MARK (rescueteam We are in contact with him!)
JELLE has been seen in C2 from K2BC.
GERARD unknown
HUGUES unknown

Explorersweb (thanks tom) is asking thuraya for the positions of the last 5 calls from the satphones from Wilco . We found Gerards phone. As soon as we receive that information it will be send to K2BC Coordination Centre

K2BC NL is in direct contact with:

Italian (Marco) Home team
Explorersweb (satphonenumbers)
French (Hugues) Home team
K2BC coordination centre

Norwegian home team members
PLEASE USE FOLLOWING EMAILADRESS bjorn.sekkeseter@gmail.com
OR PHONENUMBER 48012723 (Thanks Bjorn Sekkesaeter!!!)

Report Maarten Base camp K2 NL team.

Report from K" Base camp 23:oo

02/08/08

K2BC NL 23.00 K2-time. (time changes with every update)

Touroperators are working together with K2BC to organise more help from helicopters. K2BC coordinates.

K2 BaseCamp (Roeland) can see a person in Orange suit between C4 and C3 at the Cessen route. That person is slowly moving down. Cas and Pemba will descend from C4 towards C3 and try to locate the lonely climber. More news to follow as soon as we hear something.

Maarten K2 Base camp

WE are hoping this may be Ger cross fingers......

Pat

Summary updates on rescue from K2

02/08/08

Summary of updates on K2

From explorers web http://www.k2climb.net/news.php?id=17458

It is now past midnight on K2’

Summary.

Stranded Climbers have now been about 8000 meters for 3 night and family and friend sare becoming more concerned. There is many confusing reports from the mountain but here in Ireland we are optimistic that positive news will be had on Ger in the next 24 hours. Cross fingers and lots of prayers for Ger’s safe descent.

Marco Confortola has been located in camp 4, where he is cared for by high altitude staff. Today, a climber in an orange suit has reportedly been spotted moving slowly between C4 and C3 on the Cesen route. (hopefully Ger) Cas and Pemba are moving down from C4 and will try to catch up with him.

Yesterday, a satphone call made from the peak by Wilco was tracked via a GPS position acquired from Thuraya. The position put Wilco between camp 4 and camp 3 on the mountain.

The Norit website crashed but a mirror site has been set up for updates. The stranded climbers are too high up for an aerial rescue. Helicopter rescues can be made of climbers from camp 2 and below, and an aerial sweep of the mountain could help as well. Teams are coordinating such efforts with the local tour operators.

Missing at this point are Dutch Wilco, Irish Gerard, French Hugues, Norwegian Rolf Bae, several un-named Koreans and high altitude porters. A group of un-known climbers are still reported stuck in the bottleneck. In position for a rescue attempt (camp 4 and above) in the Bottleneck are reportedly Korean climbers and a number of high altitude staff.

Confirmed dead: Serb climber Dren Mandic (Vojvodjanska Expedition) in a fall on the Bottleneck during the August 1 summit push.

Latest tentative location details compiled from several international reports and the Dutch Norit home team:

Bottleneck: 6 climbers were spotted motionless in the area yesterday. 2 high altitude porters were reportedly headed up to the group, who appeared to have suffered an injury to one of the climbers. Identities of these climbers in the section is unknown, but they are likely some of the missing Gerard, Hugues, Rolf Bae, Korean climbers and high altitude porters.

In camp 4: Marco Confortola. Un-named Sherpas and Pakistan high-altitude porters, possibly second Korean climbing team.

Between camp 4 and camp 3, descending: Unknown climber in orange suit, Cas and Pemba.

Between Camp 3 to BC, in place or descending on both routes: Cecilie Skog and two Norwegians, Singapore expedition, Mike Farris-led international team, Serbian Vojvodjanska Expedition, Mark Sheen, Jelle, Sunny Expeditions (Georghe Dujmarescu).

Wrap-up of events

On August 1 at 1 am local time, Norwegian, Dutch, French, Italian, Serbian, Korean, Pakistan and Nepali climbers started their summit push from camp 4. Going well ahead of schedule, a few hours into the ascent a Serbian accident held the Dutch up somewhat.

The Norwegians and French Hugues d’Aubarade reportedly summited before the Dutch and Irish Gerard (it's unclear yet who used supplementary oxygen) and were coming down at the time of the Dutch summit at around 8 pm. Italian Marco Confortola was reportedly behind Wilco at summit time.

On descent, a big chunk of ice fell from the serac below the summit, taking a large part of the fixed lines with it. About 12 people, including Wilco, Gerard, Marco and Korean climbers got stuck either above the traverse or above the Bottleneck.

Rescue efforts

Cas and Pemba Sherpa downclimbed to C4 without fixed ropes, where Mark Sheen was holding for a summit bid.

Dutch Norit Base Camp manager Roeland hurried to the Korean expedition tent organizing a joint rescue effort. A group of at least six climbers were supposed to climb towards the Bottleneck with rope.

K2 BC could see 5 people climbing down the Bottleneck and 2 above. Wilco and Marco were located in a bivouac above the serac at 8300 meters above the Bottleneck, which they left at around 11 am local time. The group of people descending the Bottleneck came to a halt, reportedly due to an injury suffered by one of the climbers. Two HAP's were sent up to assist from camp 4.

Cas - who descended without fixed ropes with Pemba earlier - intended to move back up with Mark Sheen and two Americans, but the climbers were forced to descend.

The missing mountaineers are very seasoned, most are Everest summiteers (Wilco, a skilled polar explorer did Everest without oxygen) and this was their second, even third attempt on the mountaineers' mountain

The are on the Summit!!

01/08/08

2000 K2 time

The candles really worked. Wilco, Cas, Gerard and Pemba are at the summit of K2!
All the way back to the source!

It is a very late at K2. We said it before and repeat it again. Now the most difficult part will start. The summit is only half way ! Light a fresh candle. We at K2BC Netherlands will start celebrations only if they are back safe in C4.

This was Wilco’s third attempt to reach the summit of K2. It’s Cas second time. Gerard just became the FIRST Irishman to become a K2-summiteer. This is Pemba’s first K2 summit.

I will take a short moment to take my breath and wipe some tears from my face.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Maarten
K2BC Netherlands


1600 K2 time - 1100 Irish time report

Cas picked up radio contact with Roeland in K2BC. Cas is the last in a row of approximately 17 climbers. They only have to go 400 meters to the top. Wilco is in front. Gerard and Pemba are both there. One or two Italians. Hugues is there and two Norwegians. The weather is perfect.

1145 K2 time report

Much to my regret I have to inform you that early this morning an accident occurred in the Bottleneck. The messages are erratic and chaotic but as far as I know now a (supposing) Serbian Climber fell several hundred meters down the Bottleneck.

I understand from Roeland that the Norit K2 team assisted in the accident, but are again above the Bottleneck and proceeding towards the traverse. At the moment I don’t have more information, because the communication is a bit chaotic on K2. We all have to wait for more information.


0600 k2 time report

Norit K2 members are complaining about cold feet, but it’s a fact they are moving much faster then expected. In fact they are ahead of schedule by two hours. Cas is observing some clouds in the valleys on the Chinese side of K2 and is wondering if they may become a problem. I think it’s a type of fog caused by condensation from the cold air down in the valleys. I will ask Ab Maas, our meteorologist and give him something to do tonight. You will find the original timetable below with all the major landmarks on the route to the summit of K2. Times will be given in K2 –time and NL-time.

(take in to account the accident with these times, prob 2-3hrs behind)

C4 start
NL-23.00—–K2-03.00

Bottleneck
NL-04.00—–K2-08.00

Top Bottleneck
NL-05.00—–K2-09.00

Traverse
NL-06.00—–K2-10.00

Start last climb
NL-08.00—–K2-12.00

Summit
NL-10.00—–K2-14.00

Back to C4
NL-16.00—–K2-20.00

Images available from the www.noritk2.nl website or www.beyondendurance.ie website

Latest report part 1

31/07/08

It’s a quarter to one in the early morning of Thursday july 31st when I receive the second phone call from C3 at 7160 meters altitude. The wind speed is increasing to a point where the Norit K2 team fear they may loose the tents.

Around 19.00 hr NL-time I receive the First telephone call from Wilco. He has to shout to make the message clear. The wind is increasing. That’s unexpected and I promise him to call Ab Maas, our meteorologist. Ab immediately studies the model and satellite images. Nothing unusual can be detected. We suspect it’s an extreme form of a wellknown phenomenon in the mountains. During the day the valley and the mountain is heating up. The effect will be a wind blowing from the valley up to the colder parts of the mountain. A phenomenon well known by Paragliders and Wilco and myself use this effect in our paragliding adventures many times. The downside is that the same effect reverses at the end of the day. As soon as the sun sets the cold air from the mountaintops flow back into the valley thus creating the described winds. In this case extreme because K2 is an extreme mountain.

The second Telephone call is at 0.45hr. (NL-time) in the early morning of Thursday. The wind is still increasing and the Norit K2 teams fear they may loose the tents. Again I call Ab and the poor man is running out of his bed to once again study the windmodels and satellite pictures. Nothing unusual can be detected. No unforeseen storms or strange things appear on the screens. We really do not know what is going on at K2. The models show a DECREASING windspeed. The only thing I can do is send a reassuring SMS with the message that in Our opinion the effect must be very local and will not last much longer. I pray he will read this message in time and the windspeed will indeed decrease. Only time will tell.

Hugues, the Frenchman and Nick, The American started this morning from C3 to establish a temporary camp just below the shoulder of K2. Wilco did not think that would be a good idea because between C3 and the shoulder he could not find any place to pitch a tent. The latest report is that Nick and Hugues did not find a place either and had to continue climbing towards the shoulder of K2. We hope they foud a safe place to pitch a tent in these conditions. Nothing more is known about ther situation right now.

Latest report part 2

31/07/08

The last telephone call is from 4 o’clock in the morning (NL-time). Wilco reports that all Norit K2 team members are fully dressed and waiting in their badly damaged tents. They consider abandoning the summit attempt. I ask for a little thinking time. I will study the weather forecast and satellite images again and in the meantime Wilco will try to contact other expeditions on K2. The weather forecast does NOT show any signs of bad weather. The nearest precipitation is 300 kilometres to the south of K2 and the winddirection is North East. I send a SMS message to Wilco’s satphone and try to contact Roeland van Oss who is in K2BC. Roeland is trying to find out what happened to Hugues, the Frenchman who climbed towards the shoulder yesterday. I just received a SMS that Hugues spend the night just below the shoulder and moves on to reach C4 on the shoulder of K2. No sign of Nick Rice who might have descended to C3 on the Abruzzi route. The wind decreased and the Norit K2 team decides to climb to C4 on the shoulder of K2.

It will be become a very special summit attempt. At the moment the climbers will reach the summit of K2 a total solar eclipse will take place north of the K2 location. At that moment in time the sun will be covered by 73% at the K2 location. NO effect is expected for the weather and the amount of available light will slightly decrease. For your information we publish a map where you can track the path of the total solar eclipse and the amount of shadow on different locations.

If all works out well and the Norit K2 team will reach C4 on the shoulder of K2 a final summit bid will take place this coming night. Base Camp Netherlands is fully prepared. The PC and telephones are charged. BRING IT ON !

Norwegian couple on summit Bid

31/07/08

Rolf Bae and Cecilie Skog


Report 29th July 2008

from Camp 2 on Abruzzi route

Well it went as we thought, the wind continued throughout the night and morning, so when we are at rest up here and wait. We take it as a rest and gather forces before we are to embark us up to C3, hopefully tomorrow. It is not really so much more to say, we relax and are by well-targeted. As soon as the wind turns and we will put in motion again to the top.

Cecilie Skog

(translated from Norwegian from her blog at: http://www.vgb.no/32091)




Rolf Bae and Cecilie Skog, latest reporting from C2 on July 29, are well known in polar adventure. In 2000, Rolf Bae did a spectacular Antarctic traverse together with Eirik Sonneland and some years later, Bae returned to the ice with Cecilie, when it took the couple and a friend only 119 days (82 days on the ice) to reach both poles back to back, without airdrops and kites.

Rolf is a guide, trainer and expedition leader. We have worked with him in Norway, South Georgia and Greenland.

Yes It’s on ! Tonight at 01.00 hrs K2 time

31/07/08

31-07-08

Maarten Van Eck reports to us from the expedition headquarters in The Netherlands

Yes It’s on ! Tonight at 01.00 hrs K2 time they will ascend to the summit of K2.
The Norit K2 team : Wilco van Rooijen, Cas van de Gevel, Gerard McDonnell, Jelle Staleman and Pemba Gyalje Sherpa.
The weather looks brilliant ! No clouds and an expected wind speed of 4 meters per second.

Together with them are climbers from Italy, Norway, France, America, a few Koreans and one ore two Serbs. They are all in C4 right now and resting and preparing the final summit bid.
I will be up all night long and will publish every time I receive news.

Regards,

Maarten van Eck
K2BC Netherlands.

All going well on summit attempt

30/07/08

All members of the Norit K2 expedition today reached C3 on the Cesen route. Our Italian friend Marco reports to have reached C3 on the Abruzzi route in windy conditions with a bit of fog on the way.

Tomorrow will be a crucial day for all expeditions. The Cesen route expeditions have to get to the shoulder of K2 and build C4. The Abruzzi route expeditions first have to conquer the black pyramid and try to get to the shoulder to build their C4. If all goes well a summit bid will start Friday morning august 1st very early.

Reports from www.noritk2.nl

Photo: Near C4

Ger is in position for a final summit bid.

29/07/08

Below is current update from K 2 Base camp. We all wish the team the best of luck and a safe climb.

From Maarten at Base camp.

The time has come. They are on their way up. Today they all reached C2. Still a lot of wind and a bit of snow. Tomorrow morning they will still have a bit of wind and maybe a little bit of snow. In the afternoon the wind should decrease and then the weather will be perfect for a summit push. The team will start Thursday morning at 02.00 hrs. (K2 time). I will update during the night every time I receive news. Wilco promised to call when they leave, at the moment they have conquered the bottleneck and when they reach the summit. In between we have radio contact with K2BC. Of course he will also call if they all have returned safe in C4 again.

It would be nice if Gerard became the first Irishman to reach K2 summit!

Kind regards,

Maarten van Eck

K2 Base Camp Netherlands.

Ger Reports from K2, the move is upwards

29/07/08

The 31st of July. That's the target date for the first joint summit bid. Some will elect to go a day later. All weather forecasts jived. The weather on the 1st of August is, for the most part, equally as good. That'll give the lead party a buffer if there are any delays. The following days appear to be more than adequate for a safe descent. Initially the Koreans were keen to use the 31st to gain camp 4 and the 1st as a summit day. But they very honorably and gracefully succeeded to the logic of not wasting the first possible summit day. More especially because the weather conditions to gain camp 4 on the 30th should be more than sufficient. The meeting had primarily a humourous tone. Spirits were high. Hopes are high. It was joked that the next meeting would take place at camp 4. Cessen and Abruzzi teams meet there on the 30th. Inshall 'Allah. The Norit International team will leave basecamp on the 28th. Let luck and good fortune prevail !!! Fingers crossed.
Sin e anois a chairde. Ta an t-am ag teacht.

Weather window on the way

23/07/08

Expedition latest update

Cas NEVER uses to much words. It’s plain and simple. All expeditions are in K2BC. It’s very boring and they are spending their days with reading, drinking coffee, reading books and talking (bullshit mostly). Some of the expeditions are leaving because they are running out of time, Some others are trying to rearrange travel arrangements because a good weather window is expected next week. The Norit k2 team will stay and will move up K2 starting July 29 th. Tonight all members will watch a dvd they “borrowed” from the Norwegian Expedition.


Gers latest update - 17 July 2008

Morale hit a new low for the team a few days ago when what appeared to be a possible weather window on the 18th vanished with the changing influences of the jet stream. High winds. No go. So we're still waiting on the weather. To kill some time 4 of us went on walkabout for a couple of days. Did us good to get out of basecamp for a little while. On our return it was back to business and meetings with other teams that are ready for a summit attempt. Another meeting now in a couple of minutes so I''ll keep this brief. Co-operation is looking good. The Koreans, Serbians, Italians and ourselves all seem to be on the same page. So better go. The lads are calling me. Meeting in the serbian tent next door.
All the best for now.

photo: Dining with the Italians

Weather Dispair -July 16th

22/07/08

Weather Dispair - July 16th


Morale hit a new low for the team a few days ago when what appeared to be a possible weather window on the 18th vanished with the changing influences of the jet stream. High winds. No go. So we're still waiting on the weather. To kill some time 4 of us went on walkabout for a couple of days. Did us good to get out of basecamp for a little while. On our return it was back to business and meetings with other teams that are ready for a summit attempt. Another meeting now in a couple of minutes so I''ll keep this brief. Co-operation is looking good. The Koreans, Serbians, Italians and ourselves all seem to be on the same page. So better go. The lads are calling me. Meeting in the serbian tent next door.
All the best for now.

Information from Ger through.

http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/mcdonnell/

The Rope Vaccuum - Gers latest

10/07/08

Photo: Red dot marks the top anchor where our fixed lines on the Cessen (or Basque route) currently end. 400m of bottleneck rope also cached at that point as well as camp 4 provisions.

As might have been mentioned previously, these dispatches are seriously challenged by an inadequately sized and much laboured solar panel. So apologies again for the lack of info and updates on this side.

Well as ye've surely gathered from the Norit website, the first summit push didn't go quiet according to plan. But to be honest we're not too disappointed with the status - fixed lines to 200m or so bellow the shoulder. We've cached 400m of 5mm spectra bottleneck rope at top anchor along with camp 4 provisions (2 tents, gas etc).

From the start of the summit push it was evident that things weren't going to go according to plan. The tracks of the previous days support party were gone with the wind and the trail had to be broken again. Not a major problem. The biggest shock though was while ascending through the traverse bellow camp 2 we met a descending Court who briefed us on a very near miss. Rueland had survived carbon monoxide piosoning that morning and was still recovering from the ordeal. He'd passed out while cooking in the tent at camp 2 and remained unresponsive for over 5 minutes or so. Luckily Court had been sharing the tent with Rueland. Rueland started cooking with an MSR reactor hanging inside a somewhat ventilated tent. Court first noticed Rueland with greatly impaired co-ordination when trying to pour water from the first boil into a bottle and was instead spilling it directly on the tent floor. Just as soon as Court took over the job Rueland passed out. Immediately suspecting carbon monoxide Court opened both vestibules, turned off the stove and shouted to Sheeny in the neighboring tent for help. All they could do was hope Rueland would respond to the fresh air. And thankfully after 5min or so he came around albeit weak and groggy for a couple of hours afterward.

Court had been laying lower and closer to the ventilation and talking to Rueland as he was melting water. Rueland had been sitting up close to the hanging stove. One of the vestibules was open but there obviously wasn't a sufficient cross-flow. The MSR Reactor is an extremely efficient stove and commands much respect when cooking inside a tent. Lesson learned. Rueland is alive thank God.

That experience aside Court was continuing to have problems with his legs and had decided to return to basecamp. Rueland obviously was out of commision after his inadvertent huffing experience and was descending to regain his strength. Sheeny couldn't do much by himself so it made sense for him to descend also (or much more to the point it was best for someone to keep an eye on Rueland). This left the summit party with more work to do - not that it bothered us in the least, we were all more than shocked at Rueland's experience to remotely care about any addtional work that lay ahead. Slept in camp 2 that night with the deep gratitude and relief that Rueland was still with us.

The following day trail breaking to camp 3, set up the 2nd tent and shared out fixing equipment for the camp 4 and bottleneck jaunt.
Morning at camp 3 broke with a stiff wind. So we waited a couple of extra hours before setting off in the hopes that the wind would lapse a little with the rising sun. It did but there was still a stiiff enough wind for the first few hours of fixing ropes that challenged anything dexterous. Progress through the day was slow. Pockets of deep snow (chest deep at times), packs ladden with fix line equipment, camp 4 provisions and increasing altitude were all taking there toll. Eventually the grim reaper of 'progress for the day' raised it's ugly head once more - we ran out of fixed line again. There was nothing for it only to abort the summit bid, cache everything at the top anchor and return to camp 3. We'd agreed that there was no way we'd touch the line allocated for the bottleneck and traverse. Misinformation is a frustating thing. We received many a good piece of advice on the route. But when it came to recommended amounts of fixed line we were more than once advised to take much less than required. So it is on routes not so frequently climbed. Part of the adventure. More cause for celebration when things go right. That evening we returned to camp 3 by headlight. Onlookers in basecamp signaled with their head torches. We signaled back. Later we learned that it was Sheeny just trying to communicate with his teammates "g'day guys, we see you". It didn't exactly come across in the morse code as opposed to our "blah blah blah" which came across more clearly. ; )

So we've been hanging out here in basecamp now since midday July 6th. Back socializing and surfing through the various camps passing the wiles away and hoping for another weather window soon. There's been rumours that the weather is thinking about dealing us a break around the 18th (full moon). We'll see. Fingers crossed.

And by the way thanks to all who sent mail to base camp. Thanks mother, got the holy water (and sweets). The summit couldn't have been a success without it. ; ) Thanks Richard, the chocolate that will hopefully make it up the hill although it's being giving me the eye here in base camp. And Annie of course, thanks for the stuff.

Happy Birthday Donnacadha!!
And congrats to Mike and Kate on taking the pressure off the continuance of the family name. ; )

All the best for now.

Latest plans from exped website

09/07/08

[English] At the first sign of a good weather window the Norit team will move up again. Cooperating with the Koreans will be difficult but Wilco thinks he’s got one big advantage and that’s a very good and reliable weather forecast. (Words of mr. Kim the Korean Expedition leader). That information could well be the key in negotiating cooperation. Wilco also hopes the next good weather window will be around July 18th. A full moon! Wilco also thinks this to be an advantage. For now the Norit K2 team is resting, playing chess and playing the mind game on K2.

NoritK2 latest expedition news

03/07/08

Wilco, Cas, Pemba, Jelle and Gerard reached Camp 3 today. Although there was still a bit of wind last night, today was a beautiful climbing day. All five climbers are in good health and prepare to climb to Camp 4 tomorrow morning.

photo: Under C3

Gers latest dispatch

24/06/08

First of all a quick thank you to Human Edge Tech (and Annie, JJ and Marten) for sorting out the lack of credit on the sat phone. In my infinite wisdom I'd let the credit go down to less than the amount capable of making a call or sms/text to request more.

Also official congrats are in order to Annie from the International Norit team here for reaching the summit of Denali. We knew you could do it. Hearty congrats!

In camp - Shena lives. Looks like she's lost an amount of weight somewhat equivalent to a half dozen micelets and I suppose in the not too distant future we can expect some of her offspring to be frequenting the dinning area. Some of us have taken to serenading her with the Ramone's 'Shena is a punk rocker'. Although she seems indifferent to our entertaining efforts.

On the mountain - Back to the original plan before the weather put a stop to our gallop. Wilco, Cas, Jelle and Roeland are up at camp 2 and hope to complete the approx 200m of lines to 3 tomorrow. It'll be very much an investigative jaunt too as binos from basecamp obviously can't tell much of the snowpack story. Granted we've waited a seemingly ample amount of time for the snow to settle and watched a lot of the recent accumulation sluff off (in major amounts at times) but you can never be too sure. So Pemba, Court, Sheeny and myself head to camp 2 tomorrow and all going well camp 3 the following day. Wilco etc will come down to base camp while we try to spend a couple of days fixing to camp 4. Inshall 'Allah.
Hope all are well beyond.
Dreapadoireacht go deo.