Dutch survivor of K2 avalanche describes ordeal

updated 7:28 p.m. ET Aug. 4, 2008

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Blinded by the glare off the snow and ice, attempting a perilous descent down K2 to save his life, the Dutch mountaineer came upon three Korean climbers.

One sat dazed in the snow. Another held a rope. The third was suspended at the other end, hanging upside down.

"They were trying to survive," the Dutch mountaineer, Wilco van Rooijen, recalled Monday, "but I had also to survive because I was getting snow blind." He said he offered help but they declined, believing help was already on the way.

Speaking by phone with The Associated Press from a military hospital where he was being treated for frostbitten toes, van Rooijen provided a gripping account of his ordeal on K2 before he and another Dutch climber were plucked to safety Monday.

At least 11 people were presumed dead after an avalanche on K2, the world's second-highest mountain. An Italian who was also stranded made his way down the slope with a rescue team after telling a colleague, "I am surely not going to give up now."

The Ministry of Tourism said the 11 believed dead in one of mountaineering's worst disasters included three South Koreans, two Nepalis, two Pakistanis and mountaineers from France, Ireland, Serbia and Norway. It was not clear whether the three Koreans were the same described by van Rooijen.

K2, which straddles Pakistan and China in the Karakoram range, is regarded by mountaineers as far more challenging than Mount Everest, the world's highest peak. K2's knife-edged ridges and icy slopes are steeper and prone to both avalanches and sudden and severe storms.

Van Rooijen said several expeditions had waited through July for good weather to scale the 28,250-foot peak and decided to go for the summit when winds dropped on Friday. As many as 30 climbers set off.

Ropes out of position
The first setback was when the climbers had to reposition fixed ropes that an advance party had mislaid across a treacherous gully 1,150 feet below the summit, he said.

"We were astonished," van Rooijen told the AP. "We had to move it. That took of course, many, many hours. Some turned back because they didn't trust it any more."

Still, many pressed on, he said. They reached the summit only shortly before dark. In the rush to get down, groups including his own drifted apart.

As many as 10 of the fastest climbers were back in the steep gully, known as the Bottleneck, when a huge chunk of ice crashed down from above, sending a Norwegian and two Nepali sherpas to their deaths.

The ice swept away some of the ropes, making it even more dangerous for those caught above, he said.

Video   Rescue follows K-2 tragedy Aug. 4: MSNBC's Contessa Brewer reports on the rescue of two climbers after a deadly avalanche on K-2. MSNBC

The famed Bottleneck and a tricky section of ice known as the Traverse have been the scene of many accidents and deaths before, but not all climbers agree fixed ropes are needed to negotiate those sections. If an avalanche hits, there's little anyone can do.

Van Rooijen, among the stragglers, said he spent the night huddled in the snow with Gerard McDonnell, an Irishman, and Marco Confortola, the Italian who was making his way down the slope on Monday.

By the morning, clouds had descended, making it almost impossible for the climbers to locate each other or see their way. Van Rooijen left the other two and managed to pick his way through the gully.

He said others suffered fatal falls in a similar attempt. The Pakistan government did not give details of how the 11 climbers had perished.

McDonnell, who had taken shelter with van Rooijen at the Bottleneck, was among those believed dead. The 37-year-old was the first Irish person to reach the summit of K2.

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