GREAT SUCCESS OF POLISH HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINEERS – GASHERBRUM I (8,068 m above sea level) HAS BEEN CONQUERED IN WINTER FOR THE FIRST TIME
09.03.2012
Gasherbrum I
A four-person expedition of Polish Mountaineering Association initiated by President of the Sport Commission, Ireneusz Raś MP, and under the honorary patronage of Bronisław Komorowski, President of the Republic of Poland, has achieved a historical success in Karakoram.
On 9th March 2012, approximately at 8:30 AM local time, Adam Bielecki and Janusz Gołąb summited in winter Gasherbrum I (8,068 m above sea level) in Karakoram, Pakistan. The ascent was made via the so-called Japanese route from the North-West side. The conquerors made their ascent of the mountain without oxygen. The expedition established the base camp on 21st January 2012 and the summit was reached on the 49th day counting from the beginning of operations. The winter ascent of an eight-thousander in Karakoram is second in the history. Artur Hajzer led the expedition, whereas Agnieszka Bielecka, an alpinist, was the leader of the base camp. Moreover, two Pakistani climbers (Ali Sadpara and Shaheen Baig) supported the expedition. The expedition is co-financed by resources of the Ministry of Sport and PKN Orlen.
A three-person team of another international expedition composed of: Gerfried Goeschl (Austria), Cedric Hahlen (Switzerland) and Nissar Sadpara (Pakistan) is approaching the summit from the South. They plan to reach the summit in the afternoon. If they climb to the summit, they may be rightly called the first winter conquerors – all five of them deserve the title.
Currently, Adam Bielecki and Janusz Gołąb are descending to camp 3, perhaps today they will manage to reach camp 2 at 6,450 m above sea level, where Artur Hajzer, the leader of the expedition, awaits them. It will be possible to talk about a complete success when all the climbers descend to the base camp, what is planned for 10th or 11th March.
Greetings from the entire team.
