Don, Bruce and I returned to base camp today, after spending two nights at Camp 2. As you know, a freak snow storm struck the upper reaches of K2, dumping over 2 feet of snow, with winds of 40-50 mph tearing at our tent. It made for a "cozy" camping experience, with the three of us and all our gear inside the vibrating tent.

Luckily our descent was without incident, in no short part due to our timing. With only Bruce still rappelling, a thick and pasty wet snow avalanche thundered (like Niagara thunders) down the face, a few feet to the right of the route. Boulder sized chunks of ice flipped head over heels, sometimes riding inside the avalanche, with others dancing a dozen feet above the torrent. Don and I were immensely impressed by the span and ferocity. Bruce was too concerned with his safety to enjoy the brutal, yet beautiful, destruction of a few square miles of K2's slopes.

Don't worry, we caught some of it on video. And speaking of video, we should be cranking out plenty in the next few days to round out our story telling. 

Of immediate importance: shoveling pounds of food into our malnourished bellies (and most importantly praying for the safety of the three Korean and three Sherpa climbers that just spent nine hours wading through waist-to-chest deep snow to Camp 4; they are planning on making a bold summit bid tonight, in a very foreshortened weather window).

Our fingers will be working very, very hard tomorrow to update you on the many goings on from K2. 

Until then,

Chris Warner