원정 개요

C2.5 on top of serac
C3 under serac.

Lock, Pasaban, Izagirre, Vallejo, Gonzalez-Rubio, Sergei Bogomolov and Emil Mamedov went to C2 from BC in about 8 hours. They stayed 3 nights there due to bad weather. On 10 May Lock went up German Ridge. Ropes had been fixed by Spanish and Russian team previously. That day they reached about 6400m but it was already 4 pm and realized that it was too late to get to C3. They descended to top of serac at 6200m and set up C2.5. On 11 May they re-ascended and fixed to 6600m. Deposit of equipment. There was electrical storm. Lock was with Vallejo and Gonzalez. Descended to BC on 11 May, arrived at 7 pm.

They stayed till 20 May at BC and waited for conditions to improve. On 20 May entire Spanish team, Sergei and Lock went to C2. Conditions were Ok, snow deep, but settled. On 21 May Lock and everybody else ascended to C3. Everybody stayed at C3 that night. C3 was placed under huge serac. They placed camp under handle of sickle. Irregular serac fall left and right of camp, very dangerous. On 22 May everybody apart from Lock, Vallejo, Gonzalez and Bogomolov descended to BC. Remaining team opened route to C4. Very technical climbing. Bogomolov developed snow blindness during night and stayed at C3 whilst Lock, Vallejo and Gonzalez went up to C4. Bogomolov escaped serac fall as he had moved into Spanish tent; site of his and Lock's tent was hit by serac fall.

On 23 May Lock and two South Americans ascended technical route (overhanging icefall) in deep snow. They set up C4 at 7100m, 300m below normal C4.

On 24 May team left C4 at 4:30 am. It was very cold. They left at daylight as route was not clear. They took the couloir route that took them almost directly to summit. In hindsight it was very dangerous as route was very slabby. Lock thought it was suicide!! Slabs about from 7800m to top. When they got to summit they had to belay each other up the last 5 meters. It was impossible to stand on summit as it was knife-sharp ridge.

Descended down to C4 and arrived at 8 pm. Descent Ok but couloir dangerous. On 25 May descended to BC.

Pasaban, Izagirre, Vallejo, Gonzalez-Rubio belonged to Edurne Pasaban's Spanish team; Bogomolov and Mamedov from anothers team led by Bogomolov.