Team members of the "First Russian - K2 Winter Expedition" in Islamabad posing together with Ashraf Aman, the first Pakistani to climb K2, and officials of Alpine Club.
PT Report
ISLAMABAD, December 13: A sixteen member team of Russian mountaineers, led by Viktor Kozlov, a Veteran climber and explorer, will attempt to scale Choghori (K2) in the harsh winter. The team reached Islamabad on the 10th of December.
This Russian team is known for attempting and, almost always attaining, some of the toughest mountaineering tasks. The team comprises of highly experienced mountaineers with a long list of high achievements collectively as well as individually, each climber having two or three 8000m ascents to his name
Their first attempt was at Lhotse where they climbed direct route, the second was at Mountain Everest, again direct and new route
The Russian team leader explaining his plan
successfully, and back in 2004 their target was K2’s West Wall, a straight direct walk where they successfully reached the summit on a new route.
Now coming back to the savage mountain, the team under leadership of Mr. Viktar Kozlov wishes to make yet another record of climbing the world’s toughest mountain in harsh winter. They plan to climb Cesen Route up to 7560m. From there they will attempt to make a new route to reach the summit, 8611m above the sea level.
While unsure about the exact date for attempting the ascent, this Russian team has calculated some good weather windows around the end of January and the first week of February, with the help of their weather forecast partner in Austria.
The Russian Expedition, outfitted by Adventure Tours Pakistan, held a press conference at Alpine Club of Pakistan with Secretary ACP Mr. Abu Zafar. The team is leaving Islamabad for Skardu where they are plan to spend some days around Sadpara Mountains for acclimatization. They also plan to take five or six trips of helicopters flights to transfer all their man and material to the base camp where they will be supported by four high altitude porters to help and complete the base camp. They plan to climb without Oxygen, by fixing approximately 2 km long rope.
The team consist of Viktor Kozlov team leader, Alexey Bolotov, Vladimir Belous, Nikolai Totmianin, Valery Shamalo, Vitaliy Gorelik
Ilias Tukhvatullin, Andrey Mariev, Vadim Popovich and Evgeny Vinogradskiy having 4 8000m ascents to his name. Nikolay Chernyy 73, is the oldest man in the team 73 years and he has remained the coach and summitter of Everest in 1982. Other members include Sergey Bychkovskiy, Igor Borisenko, Vladimir Kuptsov, Sergey Gaydukov and Yury Dimchuk.
This year a large number of climbers climbing Gasherbrum I and II, Nanga Parbat and K2 in winter, which is consider a happy sign by adventure lovers from all over the world.
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—We really wish a successful climbe to our Russian Friends——