Just a brief update today on the climbing expeditions currently under way in Pakistan. All week long we've heard from various sources that teams were moving up the slopes to get into position to take advantage of a possible weather window, but now that they are there it doesn't appear that the window has opened. At least not yet.Al Hanock hasn't updated on his progress since setting out on his Broad Peak summit bid but the Field Touring Alpine team has posted several dispatches. There latest came yesterday when they reported that their squad was holding tight in Camp 3 amidst steady snow fall. The update says that as much as 20-30cm (7-11 inches) of fresh powder had fallen on the mountain, although steady winds were blowing most of it off as quickly as it came down. There are now some concerns about avalanches higher up however, so the climbers are hoping to assess the challenges and make a decision from there.
If the weather improved today they hoped to move up to C4 and make an attempt on the top tomorrow. If not, several of the climbers still have time before they need to head home, so it is possible that they'll descend, wait out the weather and have another go next week.
Snow is making progress on K2 a difficult proposition at the moment as well. As a result, both Peter Hamor and Tunc Findik are back in Base Camp where they wait for the next opportunity to go up. Both squads have been making solid progress so far, having established Camp 2 and spent a few nights there to acclimatize. For now, all they can do is wait for the weather and the mountain to give them an opportunity to proceed.
Finally, we did receive official word from the Mazeno Ridge team that after reaching the summit of Nanga Parbat on July 15 all members of the group have now safely descended and are back in BC. Communication had been a bit spotty, so it's good to know that everyone got up and down in one piece.
