Polish climbers seek to conquer Gasherbrum I
PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle
02.01.2012 14:42
Four Polish climbers, including one woman, are in Pakistan to attempt the first-ever, successful winter scaling of Gasherbrum I, one of that country’s four peaks over 8,000 metres.
photo - Aitor Las Hayas
The expedition will last till March this year.
According to expedition leader, Artur Hajzer, the conditions in the Karakorum range are more hazardous than in the Himalayas, with gale force winds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour and the perceptible temperature down to minus 70 degrees Celsius.
Located on the Pakistani-Chinese border, Gasherbrum I is the 11th highest peak on Earth. None of the 16 winter-time expeditions to the summit has been successful.
In 1983, two Poles – Jerzy Kukuczka and Wojciech Kurtyka – made an Alpine-style ascent of the mountain, without the aid of oxygen. (mk/pg)