The Latok and Ogre peaks rise above Pakistan’s Choktoi Valley. PHOTO: EXPLORERSWEB
A US-based team of climbers is preparing to attempt a new route up Baintha Brakk II, better known as Ogre II, in Pakistan’s Karakoram range.
According to the website explorers web, Alaska’s Ethan Berkeland will be joined by August Franzen, a recent Piolet d’Or recipient, and Vitaliy Musiyenko for the expedition to the 6,960m peak.
Ogre II is far less frequently visited than the higher neighboring Ogre I, which has seen several new route efforts in recent years. The report states that the mountain has never been climbed in alpine style.
The only successful ascent of Ogre II was made by a South Korean expedition in 1983 via the Northwest Buttress. The team used heavy expedition tactics, including fixed ropes and higher camps.
The South Korean climb was described as “epic”, with two climbers, Lim Deok-yong and Yoo Han-gyu, reportedly reaching the summit after spending the night in an ice cave without sleeping bags or down jackets. Another member of the expedition died during the trip.
More recently, American climbers Kyle Dempster and Scott Adamson died on the summit in 2016 while attempting an alpine-style ascent of the north face for the second consecutive year. They disappeared in a storm and their bodies were never found.
Read: Pakistan deploys army helicopter in search of missing US climbers
Musiyenko said in a post on social media that the trio intends to attempt the North Face, the same line attempted by Dempster and Adamson.
To help fund the climb, Berkeland has received the first Legacy Grant, awarded by the Jess Roskelley Foundation and Lowa Sportswear.
The foundation was created to honor Jess Roskelley, who died along with Hansjörg Auer and David Lama in an avalanche in the Canadian Rockies seven years ago. The report says this is the first year the foundation has funded a climb.
The grant aims to support “climbers who balance full-time work with bold, meaningful goals in the mountains.” Berkeland works as an engineer and maintains seismic monitoring stations for the Alaska Earthquake Center.
The team is expected to travel to the Choktoi Glacier in the Karakoram this summer.
