Botched expedition: Mystery shrouds fate of missing climbers in Skardu
Mountaineers went missing on the southern side of Gasherbrum –I peak.
ISLAMABAD:
Three mountaineers, including two foreigners attempting to scale the Gasherbrum –I peak in Skardu, have been missing since Friday morning.
Sources told The Express Tribune that the three climbers – Gerfried Goschl, Cedric Larcher and Nisar Hussian; of Austrian, Swiss and Pakistani origin respectively – went on an expedition to summit the 8,068 metre-high peak on January 13.
The climbers were last spotted climbing the southern side of the peak at 8:30 am on Friday by two group members, Adam and Janusz, who had already scaled the mountain from through the northern side.
According to Hagzer, a member of the Polish team at the K2 Base Camp, two rescue choppers were requested from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to assist in the rescue efforts.
However, the choppers had not arrived till the filing of this report.
“The weather conditions were favourable today for the rescue operation but no one came,” Hagzer confirmed.
The missing climbers are part of the international GI expedition, which is being managed by a private tour company called Adventure Tour Pakistan, sources added.
One of the group members, Alex Txikon, said he was considering “going up and searching for them” if there is no outside help. However, weather conditions worsened again, impeding his efforts.
In addition, according to sources, the climbers at Base Camp are not exactly sure on which side of the mountain their companions are.
No news
When contacted, Abu Zafar, Secretary Alpine Club of Pakistan, said there was no news about the missing climbers.
However, according to some reports received, the three mountaineers had succeeded in scaling the peak.
“There are liaison officers in each group and they have the duty to contact the CAA in case of emergency. However, no contact has been made from the climbers’ side,” he maintained.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Adventure Tour Pakistan’s Managing Director Muhammad Ali said that efforts are underway to locate the missing mountaineers, adding that the situation will be clearer by Monday morning.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 12th, 2012.
Three mountaineers, including two foreigners attempting to scale the Gasherbrum –I peak in Skardu, have been missing since Friday morning.
Sources told The Express Tribune that the three climbers – Gerfried Goschl, Cedric Larcher and Nisar Hussian; of Austrian, Swiss and Pakistani origin respectively – went on an expedition to summit the 8,068 metre-high peak on January 13.
The climbers were last spotted climbing the southern side of the peak at 8:30 am on Friday by two group members, Adam and Janusz, who had already scaled the mountain from through the northern side.
According to Hagzer, a member of the Polish team at the K2 Base Camp, two rescue choppers were requested from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to assist in the rescue efforts.
However, the choppers had not arrived till the filing of this report.
“The weather conditions were favourable today for the rescue operation but no one came,” Hagzer confirmed.
The missing climbers are part of the international GI expedition, which is being managed by a private tour company called Adventure Tour Pakistan, sources added.
One of the group members, Alex Txikon, said he was considering “going up and searching for them” if there is no outside help. However, weather conditions worsened again, impeding his efforts.
In addition, according to sources, the climbers at Base Camp are not exactly sure on which side of the mountain their companions are.
No news
When contacted, Abu Zafar, Secretary Alpine Club of Pakistan, said there was no news about the missing climbers.
However, according to some reports received, the three mountaineers had succeeded in scaling the peak.
“There are liaison officers in each group and they have the duty to contact the CAA in case of emergency. However, no contact has been made from the climbers’ side,” he maintained.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Adventure Tour Pakistan’s Managing Director Muhammad Ali said that efforts are underway to locate the missing mountaineers, adding that the situation will be clearer by Monday morning.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 12th, 2012.