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Great news from the Karakorum today as word on successful summits have begun to trickle in, starting on Gasherbrum II where Ueli Steck has topped out yesterday and returned to BC today according to the Hardwear Sessions blog. Not many details are known yet on the climb, but it is being reported that Ueli was using this as a training climb for Makalu in this fall.

Meanwhile, ExWeb is reporting that Joao Garcia has summitted Nanga Parbat, claiming his 13th 8000 meter peak and leaving just Annapurna on his list. Joao's climbing partner Amin Ulal also topped out as well.

Korean climber Go Mi-Sun also reached the summit of Nanga Parbat earlier today, but had to use supplemental oxygen to do so. Miss Go has generally climbed without the O's, but perhaps her ambitious climbing schedule is getting the best of her. After resting, she'll move on to the Gasherbrums to have a go at both G1 and G2 in her bid for a second 8000m Triple Header this year.

The summits aren't quite done yet on NP however, as Gerfried Göschl's team is moving up along a new route, and if everything stays on schedule, they should be topping out tomorrow. They're climbing alpine style and established a fourth camp today where they are waiting for the winds to die down before proceeding up.

Moving over to Broad Peak, the Field Touring Alpine team is now in place and ready to begin their summit bid as well. All of their camps are established, and the climbers are finished with their acclimatization process, and now they are watching for a three day weather window that will give them access to the summit. Reportedly conditions are very good on the mountain, and it is only a matter of time before they move up.

The Gasherbrums are abuzz with activity besides just Ueli's successful summit. The Jagged Globe Team set off on their summit bid a few days back, while the Altitude Junkies are in BC and keeping an eye on the jet stream, hoping for a window. Don Bowie and his team have their sights set on G3, and their latest update has them all at 7000 meters and waiting for the winds to die down as well.

Jumping over to K2, it seems that weather has cleared up enough for teams to begin establishing the route to C2. Most of the teams have spent a night at C2 at this point, and are anxious to get higher on the mountain, but conditions have been really dicey so far.

Finally, Kazak climbing legends Maxut Zhumayev and Vassiliy Pivtsov have arrived in Pakistan are reportedly in Skardu. They'll begin the trek to K2 soon and are expected in base camp around the 22nd of the month. I'm not sure what their plans are, but they will no doubt be making some spectacular attempt, alpine style, on the mountain. Stay tuned!

While the weather remains iffy throughout the Karakorum, ExWeb is reporting that teams have begun their summit push on Nanga Parbat, with the plan of reaching the top on Friday, July 10th, provided everything remains on schedule. Both Gerfried Göschl and the Korean team that includes Go Mi-Sun have set off for Camp 1 today. Another team, led by Giuseppe Pompili, is setting off in their wake with the intention of going to C3 to acclimatize. From there, they'll return to BC, rest up, and push for the summit around the 15th of the month.

According to the Field Touring Alpine site, their teams on both K2 and Broad Peak are back to work today following a break in the bad weather. Both teams are working the route and planning to climb high to acclimatize. On K2, the plan is to move up to C2 and spend the night their before going back to BC, but on BP it is being reported that there is more snow on the slopes, creating more of an avalanche threat. The FTA BP team will be more cautious in their approach of course.

The Altitude Junkies are on the Gasherbrums, and are eying both G1 and G2. Their latest update indicates good weather may be on the horizon, at least for the next few days. Snow is predicted to return at the end of the week however, so the team is sitting tight in BC for now, and letting the snow settle. They say that the route from C2 to C3 is quite dangerous at the moment, and the idea of more snow coming by Friday does not sit well. There has been so much snowfall on the mountain that all the ropes from C1 to C3 are buried, and if they can not be retrieved, they'll have to be refixed.

Both the Jagged Globe team and Don Bowie haven't posted an update in the last day or two, but they are also aiming at various Gasherbrum summits. Presumably they are waiting for the snow to settle on the higher portion of the mountain as well, but with more snow in the forecast, it doesn't seem like things are going to get better soon.

At least we have some movement on one off the big peaks. Hopefully we'll hear word on successful summits on Nanga Parbat later by the weekend. If the Koreans, and more specifically Go Mi-Sun, top out, they'll move turn their eyes on G1 and G2, making their bid for the Karakorum Hat Trick. If they pull them all over, Miss Go will have bagged six 8000m peaks in a matter of a few months. Should be fun to watch.

It's been nearly a week since I posted any updates on what is happening in the Karakorum, but for the most part, aside from more teams arriving, the biggest news it the bad weather that is making it rough on the climbers at the moment.

Last week I reported that Elisabeth Revol , Antoine Girard, and Ludovic Giambasi were making a weekend run at the summit of Broad Peak. Unfortunately bad weather turned them back for the second time, and they are now back in BC resting up, and waiting for the weather to pass. The commercial teams on the mountain, such as Field Touring Alpine, have begun fixing ropes, and have established C2, but their latest updates indicate that heavy snow and high winds continue to buffet the mountain. Progress has been steady so far though, and if the weather breaks as expected, they'll push all the way up to C3, and are eyeing a summit bid in about 10 days time.

Switching over to the Gasherbrums, a similar story is being told with snow and winds hitting the various peaks that make up that massif. Don Bowie reports that he, Bruce Normand, and David Falt set off last week to stash some gear at 7000m, but after spending the night in C1 and trying to climb higher on the mountain, they were turned back due to high winds causing "spindrift avalanches". They did console themselves with a bit of ice climbing on a face that was protected form the storm though.

The Altitude Junkies have checked in from G1 and G2 as well, and they report that they have both Camp 1 and 2 established, and they are just waiting out the weather as well. They hope it'll pass in the next few days and they can turn their eyes on the summit, in the mean time, they're finding it impossible to recharge their gadgets the past couple of days thanks to the complete lack of sunshine. The Jagged Globe team has just returned from C2 and are reporting "thigh-deep snow" and unstable condition on the upper portions of the mountain, which means it may be awhile before they can get a real crack at the summit.

Weather seems to be the issue on Nanga Parbat as well, where, according to ExWeb, Gerfried Göschl is acclimatizing on the normal Kinshoffer route, but fully intends to climb a new route when he makes his summit bid. Gerfried also reports that Korean climber Go Mi-Sun has arrived on the mountain, and simply passed on through BC on her way up to C2 where she stayed for the night to begin acclimatization. You may recall, she is the Korean climber that pulled off the Himalayan Hat Trick in the spring, and is looking to knock off three more 8000m peaks in the Karakorum this summer. She'll start on Nanga before heading to G1 and G2.

Finally, on K2 the Field Touring Alpine team is hoping to begin working the route once again on Friday, when winds are expected to die down and allow access to the mountain. So far, it seems that teams have established Camp 2, and are eager to get working on the route to C3, but for now, they sit and wait a storm that is blasting BC.

Hopefully the storms will clear soon, and these climbers can finally get going. But as a base of reference, last year the main summits on K2 didn't take place until the end of July. Still plenty of time.