AUGUST10-2000
AMERICAN K-2 EXPEDITION LEADER GARY PFISTERER
Part of K-2 controversy involving Americans and the South Koreans
CHRISTOPHER
SHAW'S ACCOUNT OF K-2
By
Asem Mustafa Awan
ISLAMABAD
— Chris made the summit on July 30 and out of 10 members
from Gary expedition six made the top at 8611 metres.
July
29 Brazilian Summit Day: Four climbers in all with Nasuh from Turkey made
the summit. The entire Brazilian team made the summit.
Nasuh
spent the night at 8200 metres (bivy) and Waldemar made the bivy at 8400
metres.
They
ran of head torch and it is not a place that you want to move if you can't
see," said Chris.
July
30 the America summit day: Chris made the top first, followed by Andrew
Evans of Canada and Andrew Collins from UK and Bill Pierson from USA.
July
31: Summit day for Koreans and Ivan from Gary's team made the summit
"Good
weather in the beginning but the weather got bad as the day went by.
Ivan
made the summit and he summitted with five Koreans and One Nepalese Sherpa
(seven in all)
Fabrizio
(Z) turned back above 8300 metres plus."
"On
their decent below the bottle neck they met Ali Muhammad no one could see
where camp 4 (7900 metres) was. They came across the porter (Ali) and
stuck together as one group. There was a total white out they sat together
in the snow trying to find the way for the camp and after some time
they got a break and found
the camp.
When
they saw it they went to C4 and the Koreans were there and they made hot
drinks to warm up (shoulder) (Ali came down to C4 with Ivan and FZ and
they were probably in the Brazilian tent (there were 2 Koreans tent and
one Brazilian tent in the hollow)."
"Sherpa
probably left earlier to find the way down as we left (Chris, 2 Andy's and
Billy went down at 10:30 am."
Ivan,
FZ and Ali together with the Koreans after they made drinks (it was at
least in the afternoon I not sure about the time.
After
the drinks every body got up to go to Camp 3 (7400 metres) as the weather
was getting worse every minute.
As
they went down to C3 the Koreans were faster and they got ahead. Ali was
moving slower and slower and he was sitting down after every 20 metres in
the snow and he was vomiting, FZ was with him and he was trying to keep
him moving down the hill, begging/ yelling and pushing so that he should
keep moving.
FZ
arrive in C3 and Ali just behind him, the Koreans had already had another
drink at Camp 3 and they were getting ready to go farther down.
FZ
tells the Koreans that this Ali (high altitude porter) is from your
(Koreans) expedition he (Ali) is very sick and you (Koreans) have to help
him.
Koreans
replied that Ali was instructed not to go higher than C3 and this is his
problem since he disobeyed that instruction and is not their problem and
Koreans then left C3 and started down towards C2 (Still the 31st July
towards evening).
FZ
stayed with MAJ giving him food and water as MAJ was not able to help
himself to get food and water FZ gave him medicine
for high altitude illness and give him pills telling him that they
were candies.
Ali
was not 100 per cent right in the mind as altitude was getting to him and
this night (July 31) FZ called Gary in the BC.
(I am
not sure that he made the call, normal time was at 5:00 pm and it could be
the 5:00 pm call as I was in C1)
He (FZ)
called Gary and told him what had happened.
AUGUST
1 FZ brings Ali down from C3 to C2 and this is the part where their are 40
section of fixed ropes and Ali had to be helped by FZ on every section.
They were avalanched twice on the way down and the storm was still there .
It was same the storm that made the white out, added too much snow to
already unstable slopes.
What
would normally take one and a half hour took FZ and Ali five and a half
hour to get down C3 (7400m) to C2 (6700m) 700 metres.
This
night in C2 FZ had to get water for Ali and encourage him to eat and once
again he asks on the radio for help from Gary (5:00 pm standard call)
(Chris at BC). FZ calls Gary and told him that this guy (Ali) needs help
and FZ himself is getting very exhausted and he is already up to 8300
metres and is coming down very slowly.
Gary
went to the Koreans and this is where I (Chris) am angry.
Gary
asks the Koreans at 11:00 am that
whats being done about this situation. The Korean LO (major Tariq Mehmood)
said two Sherpas have been sent to bring Ali down and at 4:00 pm our LO
(Gary's expedition) (Maj Ali) goes to the Koreans to see what had
happened.
He is
insulted by some of the Koreans members, he (American expedition LO) is
told that nothing has been done and no one has been sent up and he was
told that this is not our responsibility by the Koreans.
I
don't know who insulted him and our LO did say he was insulted but he did
not say by whom.
Our
LO is very reasonable man and he blew up. He was senior to the Korean LO
and he told him (Korean LO) to come up with the plan at 5:00 pm as it was
our radio call from FZ.
Korean
LO did come down and said that his (Korean) team would send three
Sherpas to C2 to bring down Ali and they couldn't go that day as it was
too late (AUGUST 1).
The
next day (AUGUST 2) FZ stayed to make sure that Ali is allright, another
high altitude porter from Brazilian was also at that time and I believe he
also helped Ali at that time (Meherban Shah at C2 6700 metres).
The
Brazilian porter Meherban Shah brought him down and the Korean Sherpas
came up as well and they met below C2 and brought Ali Muhammad rest of the
way to ABC and BC.
FZ
left afterwards from C2 to BC (One push) and he met the K Sherpas and K
members between ABC and BC despite everything that he (FZ) had done for
Ali, he (FZ) was refused the cup of tea in the icefall by the Koreans.
The
Koreans pointed out that Ali was just fine and it was just blown out of
proportion saying it to FZ.
Chris
queries:
1)FZ
took charge of Ali at 7900 metres and K were saying that Ali is alright at
5200 that is a huge difference.
2)
This man Ali who carried 25 kg from C2 to C3 could not walk without a ski
pole to lean on when I (Chris) left BC on August 4.
I
have one more thing, before leaving BC, Ali came to our camp. He had been
asked by the Koreans to sign a statement releasing them (K) from any
liability and Ali refused and
they (Koreans) treated him badly and told him to leave the camp.
Ali
told me (Chris) this himself on August 4 before I left the camp at 9:00
am.
I
(Chris) saw Ali at 7:30 am when he was down and he was leaving for
Concordia where he had some friends.
There
are somethings that FZ said and I don't want to repeat and some of the
Sherpas were fairly abusive to Ali. I will say that when I (Chris) met Ali
at our BC he (Ali) was very clear and lucid and he was 100 per cent
mentally.
A
SMALL ACCOUNT FROM JULY 30 ONWARDS
July
30: Chris, Andy, Andy and Billy C4 3:30 am start-summit (1-2 pm)-C4 (6-7
pm)
July
31: Jang Bu Sherpa C4 12:15 am start-summit 6:15 am-10:00 and after C4 (chris,
andy, andy and billy C4 9:30 am going down)
Andy
C goes from C4-C3 and then to C2 on August 1 and C2 to BC on August 2.
--Andy
E and Billy go to C4 to C2 and from C2 to BC August 1.
--Chris
went from C4 to C1 and from C1 to BC August 1. (I wanted to get down
fast).
on
July 31.
Ivan
(Ecuador) C4-Summit-C2 on July 31 and from C2 to BC August 1.
on
August 1 and from C2 to BC August 2.
Chris
has summits of Kanchenjunga in 1998 and K-2 in 2000, he reached 7500
metres on Gasherbrum I.
Anthony
Tonsing (41, member of the Gary's expedition)
He
said," It was a bad Korean expedition."
Tony
has been to Pakistan four times 1993 Gasherbrum II summit, 1997 Broad Peak
summit and leader Gasherbrum I (he managed 6400 metres) he intends coming
back for K-2 in 2002.
he
said," I had a problem with my heel and I had to come down from 6700
metres. Tony reached on top of 'House Chimney'.
The
Sherpas are coming on Friday so more in my next. Andy is expected any hour
so lets see what happens.