3 -Mountaineers Missing in Pakistan

Missing climbers: Göschl (right), Nisar Hussain (center) and Cedric (left)

The three mountaineers an Austrian Gerfried Göschl, a Swiss Cedric Hahlen and  a Pakistani Nisar Hussain Sadpara - were just short of a summit of Gasherbrum 1(G-1), also known as Karakorum 1 (K-1) or the Hidden Peak, when they went missing. Winter ascents of the eight-thousanders is considered as one of the most prized achievement in climbing and it is the first time that two Poles of the same team, trying a different route, became successful.

Pakistan Apline Club had to drop Hassan Sadpara, M. Nazir, and Ali Raza to the base camp for search operation of the missing mountaineers but bad weather didn't allowed that. Helicopter rescue operations are also called off.

Gerfried Göschl's website and his last post from G-1 is here: http://www.gerfriedgoeschl.at/?p=1573#comment-1098

Though the rescue mission is called off but we all hope and pray that some miracle happens.

All three of the climbers were very experienced: Nisar Hussain Sadpara was the first Pakistani to have summitted 5 eight-thousanders including K-2 (without supplent oxygen) whereas Göschl (see his profile here ) had summitted this same peak last summer in 2011  and 8 eight-thousanders. He succesfully summit K-2 twice and Everest as well and many other peaks in this region. Cedric had K-2 summit under his belt and was equally very experienced (Cedric Hanlen's website here). This accident is undoubtedly a very big loss to the Apline Community and to their respective countries.

Aside from being mountaineers these brave men were great humanitaians as well. During the earthquakes and floods in Pakistan Gerfried Göschl rallied in Austria and brought relief aid for the Pakistanies. He and his family also opened a primary school called: Pakistan-Austria Primary School in Besham for the children.

Pakistan-Austria Primary School, Besham
A gift from mountaineer Gerfried Göschl and his family.

What can be a better gift for any community that children get an opportunity to go to a school. May God bless them.

Göschl said to his home team on 25th Feb. 2012: "I must confess something I’ve never experienced before. Not even the severe storms of last winter were only close enough to the circumstances here."

Temperatures were close to minus 70 Celcius and the wind was blowing at a speed of 175km/h. He stated in many of his posts: "please, let us keep our fingers crossed" and here I repeat that let us cross our fingers that a miracle happens!



Göschl with his wife and two daughters

  

I am feeling so bad about these brave mountaineers and especially the families that have been left behind.