US mountaineers plan rare expedition to Karakoram range peak

Ogre II has been summited only once, in 1983

A US-based team of climbers is preparing an attempt on a new route up Baintha Brakk II, better known as the Ogre II, in Pakistan's Karakoram range.

According to the website Explorersweb, Alaska’s Ethan Berkeland will be joined by August Franzen, a recent Piolet d’Or recipient, and Vitaliy Musiyenko for the expedition to the 6,960m peak.

Ogre II is far less frequently visited than the higher neighbouring Ogre I, which has seen several new-route efforts in recent years. The report says the mountain has never been climbed in alpine style.

The only successful ascent of Ogre II was made by a South Korean expedition in 1983 via the northwest buttress. The team used heavy expedition tactics, including fixed ropes and higher camps.

The South Korean climb was described as “epic”, with two climbers, Lim Deok-yong and Yoo Han-gyu, reportedly reaching the summit after spending the night in an ice cave without sleeping bags or down jackets. Another member of the expedition died during the trip.

More recently, American climbers Kyle Dempster and Scott Adamson died on the peak in 2016 while attempting, for a second consecutive year, an alpine-style ascent of the north face. They went missing in a storm, and their bodies were never recovered.

Read: Pakistan deploys army helicopter in search for missing US climbers

Musiyenko said in a social media post that the trio intends to attempt the north face, the same line Dempster and Adamson were trying.

To help fund the climb, Berkeland has received the first Legacy Grant, awarded by the Jess Roskelley Foundation and Lowa Sportswear.

The foundation was set up to honour Jess Roskelley, who died alongside Hansjörg Auer and David Lama in an avalanche in the Canadian Rockies seven years ago. The report says this is the first year the foundation is funding a climb.

The grant aims to support “climbers who balance full-time work with bold, meaningful objectives in the mountains.” Berkeland works as an engineer, maintaining seismic monitoring stations for the Alaska Earthquake Center.

The team is expected to travel to the Choktoi Glacier in the Karakoram this summer.