Vitaly Lazo
50 years,
2 years ago
Tragedy on Broad Peak. A Story of Rescue and Fall of Kim Hong-bin first-person
Tragedy on Broad Peak. Is There Morality in the Death Zone? Story by Vitaly Lazo.
Photo: Saulius Damulevichus
All the previous posts from the climbers, who ascended Broad Peak on July 18 2021, remind me of the saying: "I walked, and walked, and then fell, and woke up — and my hand is in the cast". Here, as a witness, I will try to give a more detailed vision of what happened on the mountain and an overall assessment — what is happening when the alpinists climb the big mountains in general.
23:00
On July 17 at 23:00 (hereinafter local time) our Death Zone Freeride team left Camp 3 at an altitude 7000 m to ascend Broad Peak. As usual, we walked with skis, filming equipment, without supplemental oxygen. At 16:00, in the area of the "false summit", we decided to turn back and cut the climb. If we want to reach the summit on this day, we have to spend another 1-2 hours on the slope, and then go back — but in this case we will return in the dark, and this is extremely dangerous on the descent.
Compared with the other teams, we have the advantage — we are skiing down and descended quickly. On July 18th at 20:00 at dusk we were already in Camp 3. We prepared a drink, and at 21:30 went to sleep.
24:00
And so it began... At 24:00 we were woken up by our Belgian neighbors: “A Russian girl fell into a crevasse, she needs to be saved! Fallen in the area of the Big Crevasse"!
Note: the ascent to Broad Peak goes from the Pakistani side to the col at an altitude of 7800 m. Then, after reaching the col, one needs to take to the right and climb along the ridge, leading to the summit (3-4 hours). The border runs along the ridge: on the right is Pakistan, on the left — China. The Chinese side is a snow and ice wall with a slope of approximately 70 degrees.
The “Big Crevasse” is located before the col, at approximately 7600 m.
Without a word I put on a down overall and shoes. Asked the Belgians to collect first-aid kits in the camp (ours has run short, because we rescued a Pakistani on the eve of the assault), and try to form a rescue team (there were about 20 people in Camp 3).
I must say right away, that I do not blame anyone — it is really difficult to go up the mountain after a day of work at a high altitude, and for many it is impossible. As a result, I received only a first-aid kit, an oxygen cylinder, a mask… Quantity of "rescuers" — zero.
Anton Pugovkin, Mr. Kim, Vitaliy Lazo.
Great concern showed Monika Witkowska from Poland. She was ready to share everything, to provide all kinds of help, but herself was unable to go, and very much regretted it.
Before the exit, I noticed Anton's active stirring. "Where are you going? Of course, I'm going too".
Anton and I for a long time do not have to discuss many things; if we must go — then we go...
In the Base Camp, the rescue mission was coordinated by the famous Canadian climber and guide Don Bowie, who participated in the winter expedition to Broad Peak with Denis Urubko. At the same time, liaison officers and Death Zone Freeride operator Farit Nalimov took an active part too. Many thanks to him, he proved himself to be a professional!
00:00
So, at 00:00 on July 19, the information was as follows: Anastasia Runova fell in the area of the "Big Crevasse", injuries are possible, but it seems that she is moving on her own.
At 01:00 Anton and I went upward. In my backpack were oxygen, additional clothes, and minimal mountain gear. Anton has a first-aid kit, pad, food, drink.
From the Base Camp Don Bowie said that there was an emergency with Mr. Kim. According to information, Kim also got into a crevasse in the area of the "Big Crevasse", and English climbers have already come forward to look for him. I was advised not to rush yet.
At 04:00, 100 m before Camp 4 (7300 m), I met Nastya! She walked by herself, in one crampoon. I conducted an inquiry, the girl was clearly not in norm... The answers were confusing. To the question: "What happened upward, where exactly, and what’s wrong with Mr. Kim?" I received the answer: “And what about Mr. Kim? I fall alone. Did he fall too?"
Photo: Saulius Damulevichus
(Later, already at the Base Camp, Anastasia explained that Mr. Kim also fell to the Chinese side and was on the same ledge with her.)
A little below Anton prepared a bivi for Nastya's examination, and I sent her to him. And, just in case, continued to climb towards Mr. Kim. A little later, at about 5:00, I was told the news: Mr. Kim fell not in the area of the "Big Crevasse", but on the ridge, on the Chinese side! The British climbers were looking in the wrong place, and Korean alpinist was alone there. I had to go upslope.
Please note that the first correct information about what happened to Kim and where he is appeared at 5 am on July 19 — by this time he had already spent 9 hours on the ledge!
I put on an oxygen mask and "run” upslope. In Camp 4 I take an ice ax, jumars, etc from a tired member of the Korean team. Then I outrun the Pakistani porters coming to the rescue. On the way I found a tangled bight, and cutted off 70 meters. The snow was knee-deep...
At 10:53 I went to the col and then found Mr. Kim! Snowfall, visibility 100 m. I reported to the Base Camp that the climber seems safe: he stands on a ledge on his feet and waves to me.
I organized an anchor on the rock and rapeled to Kim. He was on a small bivi on a 70-degree wall. From me to him was 20 meters. I started to shout and wave but this time he did not react.
When I reached Mr. Kim, he was very happy, but didn't look good. He kept repeating: "Very tired, very tired..." His glasses were sideways, and the alpinist complained that the problem with his eyes began. I straightened the glasses, put the gloves on him, helped to relieve himself... After all, he was a climber without all fingers on his hands!
Kim has already spent about a day at an altitude, in part situated on a 1x2 meter ledge on his legs for almost 14 hours (and for some time being Anastasia's “neighbor”). She fell while being on the fixed rope, and Kim (according to her) calmly descended the same rope, believing that the descent lies exactly where the fixed rope is, namely steeply down to the Chinese side.
I watered Kim, but there was no food at all — everything remained with Anton. Then I organized the rescue by giving a loop through the carabiner to the victim. I put a double anchor station on the cliff. Korean rope was polypropylene (age unknown), without knots. The mechanical aid (MA) was organized by jumars. The reverse blocking — on jumar. The kink was reinforced with two ice axes. The main and drawn lines were laid on the ice axes.
Kim beseech to use his jumar as a backup, and handled him nimbly, that really surprised me! Before going upward myself, I installed his jumar on the main line and showed how it was necessary to move it.
Kim understood everything and demonstrated to me the work with a jumar. Then I went up the main line on two jumars (the wall was vertical, and there were a lot of old ropes on it).
Upstairs I was helped by two porters — Mr. Kim's assistants. On July 18, one of them was in this place and helped to rescue Nastya for 4 hours. After that he didn't have the strength to pull Kim out, so went down to Camp 4 for the night and now came up again.
We started to pull Kim out. One meter, two, three...
At some point, I noticed that the main line had got slack! This is the problem, and the problem is downstairs, with Mr. Kim. I shouted to him, but he stayed silent. Then I realized that I needed to give the rope and go down (most likely, the jumar was jammed and blocked the rope in his carabiner). I gave half of the slack, and left a little for my descent. Going down by the figure-eight descender...
I stopped 5 meters above the climber, and started to shout! But Mr. Kim did not look in my direction, he twitched, trying to do something. I shout: "Stop, stop, freeze!" And at that moment there was a sharp blow... I was thrown against the wall. In truth, at that moment I said goodbye to my life...
In a horizontal position, with some ropes on his feet, Mr. Kim flew down the wall...
The picture is clear. Jumar had blocked Kim’s rope, as a result a slack at the main line was formed. Mr. Kim was either frightened (which is unlikely), or decided to use the old ropes and clip the jumar. And so, after clipping out, the slack abruptly left and a dynamic tension occurred, which led to the destruction of the Korean rope.
Kim and I were on one line — in theory, the destruction could have happened above me. Then we may fall together...
A determined, strong-willed athlete without fingers, Kim Hong-bin was the star of the alpine world. And this famous person died on the Chinese side of Broad Peak... This was his last peak of the “14 eight-thousanders” program...
***
And now about the reasons that led to this result.
The desire for "conquering" the summit at any cost, at any time, led to the fact that a large number of unskilled tourists (namely tourists, not climbers) turned out to be at the key terrain at night. The principle “turn around after turning point” does not work for them. Thus, people create problems not for themselves, but for those around them.
And now about the main thing! Together on the ledge with Anastasia was an invalid alpinist, comrades, invalid! At least 15 people passed him by. Yes, it was dark — but the light of his headlamp was definitely visible.
According to Little Hussein (Mr. Kim's porter), after saving the girl, he cried, because was so tired that could not save Kim — he had no strength left. Hussein asked people to help, but all the “hero-climbers” were exhausted and passed by.
Yes, I can accept that they had no strength to pull the invalid person out. BUT I don't understand why it was impossible to report the accident by radio! If your radio did not work — one can write, using the InReach satellite communicator! Anastasia, your InReach was in the operant condition! Gentlemen, you used them!
One could press the SOS button and leave the device with Kim, one could write a message, and describe the situation that the invalid alpinist is on the Chinese side and is waiting for help.
Now in social networks all are frantic brave men and heroes, conquerors of an eight-thousander... And I will say that you are pathetic, insignificant people who do not care about human life.
It is clear that if Base Camp had received the full information on the evening of July 18th, no one would have joined Anton and me in the rescue mission anyway. But we would know for sure that we are not ought to save Nastya, who can walk by herself, but an invalid person from the wall — and this is a different alignment.
Unfortunately, the modern “hero-climber” has no morality. Not in the “death zone” or on the ground. It is dangerous to go to the mountains not because of objective risks, but because of people. It's horrible. The terrible thing is that it is important for a climber to collect peaks at any cost, and not to lend a helping hand to someone in trouble.
Man is man’s wolf in the mountains... Beware.
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