Karakoram '99: The Dispatches

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French Ascent of Gasherbrum II
Update from Hushe Village, Pakistan
August 8, 1999

Mortenson

The GII, Gasherbrum II, French expedition has reached Hushe Village by Ghondoghoro Pass. The leader, Pierre Bouchard, informed me that three members reached the summit on the 30th of July. Their names are Yunel Boucher, Pierre Meloni, Jean Louis Arnaud. They had a great time in the mountains. Pierre said that he went to the summit first. He was plowing through deep snow, over 40 centimeters, for 16 hours, and stopped his climb 200 meters from the top.

"They said the glacier at Gasherbrum was very warm after 10am. And the descent after 10am was almost impossible due to deep snow...."

The second team, consisting of three members, summited on the 30th of July after a 24-hour push from Camp III. They said the glacier at Gasherbrum was very warm after 10am and the descent after 10am was almost impossible due to deep snow. They used a bamboo ladder between Camp I and II, with army telephone posts, which work very well.

A team member comments on the climb: "The best part was actually after the climb, coming into the beautiful, magnificent, Hushe Valley. GII is not my type of climbing, up a rope on snow. I prefer alpine mixed climbs."

— Greg Mortenson, MountainZone.com Correspondent

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