Islamabad: Denis Urubko, a Russian-Polish mountaineer has launched the first solo attempt to summit Pakistan´s K2 — the world´s second-highest park — during winter, in what fellow climbers described as a reckless decision.
Denis Urubko, 44, was part of a team of Polish mountaineers attempting to be the first to scale the 8,611-metre (28,251 feet) K2 in winter, but broke away from the group after a series of disagreements. The climber left behind his team at K2´s base camp on Saturday, with sources close to the expedition citing his increasing frustration at his fellow climbers´ pace.
“He was trying to persuade the team to push for the summit in February,” a porter accompanying the group told AFP Sunday, adding Urubko argued that conditions in March would make a summit difficult. “He has had a heated debate with the team leader and left for the summit without saying a word,” the porter added on condition of anonymity.
The Polish team confirmed the incident, saying Urubko left Camp Two without a radio after refusing to speak to the expedition´s leader. Pakistani sources said the latest incident followed mounting dissatisfaction after Urubko became upset when