GERMAN GASHERBRUM I & II EXPEDITION LEADER RALF DUJMOVITS
3 Pakistanis and 9 Germans summit Gasherbrum II
AUGUST4-2000
By
Asem Mustafa Awan
ISLAMABAD
— Elite German mountaineer Ralf Dujmovits returned from Skardu after
putting nine climbers out of 14 on Gasherbrum II summit at 8035 metres.
Three
Pakistanis all High Altitude Porters also made the summit with the
expedition making the total of 12 climbers standing at 8035 metres on July
22.
Ralf
exercised good judgement and took the chance for a direct push from Camp 2
at 6950 metres to the summit at 8035 metres in July 22.
Ralf
has now seven of the 14 8000ers of the world and he intends coming for
Nanga Parbat in 2001.
He
has climbed Dhaulagiri (1990), Everest (1992), K-2 (1994), Cho Oyu
(1995-98), Shishapangma (1996-97), Broad Peak (1999) and Gasherbrum II
(2000).
The
Nation has the exclusives on the elite German mountaineer in 1994 and in
1999.
General
Manager of the world's leading mountaineering firm Amical Alpine, Ralf at
38 years of age lead 14 climbers who
attempted Gasherbrum II (8035 metres).
Out
of the 14 mountaineers seven including Ralf were also having the permit
for Gasherbrum I (8068 metres) but overall bad weather made them come
back.
The
three Pakistani climbers who summitted with the expedition were Qudrat Ali
from Shimshal who raise his 8000ers to two. Qudrat has been with Ralf on
Broad Peak in 1999 and the two did the route breaking then and were found
doing the same on Gasherbrum II in 2000.
The
other two porters who made the summit were Sabaz Ali from Shimshal and
Ghulam Rasool from Askole. Ghulam Rasool became the first person to make
an 8000er from Askole village.
Paula
Hub from Austria after the summit attained the fete of first Austrian
woman to have three 8000ers. Paula made all the summit with Ralf. She
scaled Cho Oyu in 1995, Broad Peak in 1999 and Gasherbrum II this year.
Paula's husband Karl Hub from Germany at present climbing in Russia has
the distinction of scaling Gasherbrum II summit 20 years. He is the first
German to be on the summit of G-II in 1980.
"It
was overall very bad weather and it was raining till 6000 metres,"
said Ralf adding," On July 20 the weather cleared and we took our
chance and we were lucky and it was a weather window that lasted only for
two days."
"We
had to do all the work as all the expeditions at the base camp waited for
the trail to be broken by us," said Ralf adding," Qudrat and I
broke the trail while the climbers from the other expedition made climbs
from Base Camp to Camp 1 not doing the work."
Ralf
was very critical about the liaison officer he said," He was very
nice till Thursday but on Friday he had a different sign all together in
his eyes."
He
said," The Ministry was very kind as I applied for one liaison
officer for my expedition which comprised 14 members for GI&II."
"One
thing that has happened in the ministry is taking back the amount of 3000
Dollars for the additional member."
"The
Ministry realized that it will raise the number of expedition not the
climbers."
He
said," Karl Kobler from Switzerland had one expedition of 20 or more
climbers they were three liaison officers similarly there were three
liaison officers with Juan Lazkano from Spain and the fact is like mine
they also had one big expedition of twenty odd climbers."
The
other summitters are Stephan Mayers, Jurgen Spescha, Albert Hausler,
Richard Stihler, Alois Bogenschutz, Dr Walter Treibel and
Gerhard Osterbauer from Austria was ninth summitter of the
expedition.
The
expedition made Base Camp at
5000 metres, Camp 1 at 5950 metres, Camp 2 at 6950 metres and summit at
8035 metres in a direct push from Camp 2 and back on July 22.
ENDS
CAPTION:
German Gasherbrum I& II expedition leader Ralf Dujmovits (fifth from
Right). — Photo by the writer