GILGIT: Two winter expedition teams are attempting to scale Gash­erbrum-I (8,034 metres) and Gasherbrum-II (8,080 metres) in the Karakoram range mountain situated in Gilgit-Baltistan.

According to the tour organisers, Italian climbers Simone Moro, 52, and Tamara Lunger, 33, along with 45 local porters were on their way to the base camp of Gasherbrum-I. Italian photographers, Matteo Zanga and Matteo Pavana, are also part of the expedition.

Naik Naam Karim, tour operator of the expedition, told Dawn that the climbers got permits to scale both peaks.

The team will complete their adventure in January.

“The team started the trek to approach the Gasherbrum base camp on Friday and are now passing from Paju,” according to the official page of the expedition.

In the next few days, they will stay at the base camp to assess the weather for further planning.

“If the weather allows, they will proceed ahead,” said the tour operator.

The other team — Broad Peak winter expedition — comprising famous Russian mountaineer Denis Urubko, Don Bowie from Canada, and former Miss Finland Lotta Hintsa arrived at the base camp of the peak on Friday.

Team leader Denis Urubko in a satellite message said: “From Concordia to the Base Camp there was 1 metre of snow. Me and three porters have opened the trail and arrived to the Base camp, finally all the team is here, weather is good!”

In another text message from satellite phone, he said:“Don still sick, i marked trail 1km today with Lotta, route- is very difficult, ice there.”

The tour organisers said that the Broad Peak expedition team reached the base camp from Concordia with the help of local porters in one metre deep snow.

The international K2 winter expedition team has confirmed to start their attempt to scale K2 (8,611 metres) from January 9, according to the tour organisers.

The eight-member K2 expedition team leader is Mingma Gyalje from Nepal. Other members of the team are Tamting Sherpa, Pasang Namgel Sherpa, and Kili Pempa Sherpa from Nepal, John Snorri Sigurionsson from Iceland, Gao Li from China, Tomaz Rotar from Slovenia, and Serbaz Khan from Pakistan.

Pakistani climber Serbaz Khan from Hunza, who is part of the team, told Dawn that the rest of the members would arrive in Pakistan on January 4.

The team will trek towards K2 base camp from Skardu on January 9, he said.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2019