K2 Ski Challenge
8,611 m a.s.l., June – July 2018
On June 15, 2018, as part of the project – HIC SUNT LEONES, I started another expedition under K2 SKI CHALLENGE. I decided to return to Pakistan’s Karakoram mountains to finish the project, which I began in 2017. I planned to ski down from the second highest peak in the world – K2. Unfortunately, a year ago, dangerous weather conditions prevailing on K2 did not allow me to attempt to reach the summit, and I had to postpone the realization of this dream. However, the reconnaissance I made during that expedition confirmed my conviction that this is possible. This year, I managed to achieve the intended goal of skiing directly off the summit.
After a few weeks spent in the Karakoram, on Thursday, July 19th, I started my way up in the late afternoon. On the first day, I ascended to Camp 2, where Janusz Gołąb was waiting for me. On the following day, the team moved to Camp 3, located at 7,000 m a.s.l. The next day, I set off on my own, and after a night in Camp 4 at an altitude of 8,000 m, on Sunday, July 22nd, the summit push on K2 started successfully. I reached the K2 summit around 11:28 am local time, and shortly after, I strapped on my skis and started the historic descent.
The ski descent route was prepared in advance and checked for potential difficulties and threats, but I encountered some problems. There was poor visibility in the higher parts of the mountain, and I had to stay in Camp 4 for about an hour and wait for the clear weather. The descent from the summit led through the shoulder to the Cessen’s route, from where I made the passage below the huge seracs that loom above the so-called Messner’s traverse to reach the ridge on the Kukuczka-Piotrowski route a few moments later. I returned to the base camp around 7:30 pm. I fulfilled his great dream, going down in the history of mountaineering! I would like to dedicate this feat in memory of the 100th anniversary of regaining independence from Poland.
K2 is the fourth eight-thousander I have climbed, the summit of which, like the previous ones, I climbed without additional oxygen.
Team members: Janusz Gołąb (alpinist, Himalayan mountaineer), Piotr Pawlus (cinematographer), Marek Ogień (photographer), and Bartek Bargiel (my younger brother, drone operator).
