A dramatic, multi-national attempt to save the accomplished Spanish alpinist, Oscar Perez, who lay injured high on a difficult peak in the Pakistan Karakoram, has sadly been abandoned.
In 2006 Perez and regular climbing partner Alvaro Novellon made the third overall and first true alpine style ascent of Latok III (6,949m), in the Latok Group just south east of the Ogre.
This July the pair arrived on the Choktoi Glacier, on the eastern side of the Latok Group, with the unclimbed but often tried 'Walker Spur of the Karakoram', the North Ridge of 7,145m Latok I, as its goal.
Novellon and Perez made an alpine-style attempt on the North Ridge at the end of July but found conditions to be poor: they climbed to c5,800m on the first day but were severely hampered by deep unconsolidated snow, only reaching their pre-planned bivouac site well into the night.
Next day they climbed two further pitches before having to concede that it just wasn't on. Deep, high-angled snow and large mushrooms on the crest proved far too time-consuming and laborious. They retreated for a rethink.
Immediately to the north stands Latok II (7,103m), a mountain with only three ascents to date, all from the Baintha Lukpar Glacier to the south west. The North West Ridge, which rises from the col south of Ogre II, is unclimbed, although has been attempted twice in the past by British teams.
This ridge looked a more reasonable proposition under the conditions, so Novellon and Perez set off during the first week of August, spending their first night on the col at 5,800m, the second on the crest of the ridge at c6,000m and their third at 6,500m.
On the 6th August, on a quasi-horizontal section of ridge not far above the third bivouac, Perez took a big fall down the right (west) flank, breaking both a wrist and leg.
Getting the injured climber back along the ridge would be impossible, so Novellon lowered him down the west face until the pair reached a ledge at c6,200m.
Details now become unclear, but Novellon, in what must have been a remarkable effort, managed to climb out of this situation, presumably cross the ridge and return to base camp to sound the alarm.
Perez was left in a sleeping bag (no tent) with the little remaining gas and food, and no means of communication.
Novellon contacted his Spanish climbing club, El Pena Guara de Huesca, which immediately started rescue proceedings. Sebastian Alvaro, director of the well-known adventure film series Al Filo de lo Imposible, who just happened to be visiting the Karakoram with his family, immediately offered to coordinate the effort from Skardu.
The American Fabrizio Zangrilli, who was returning home from a failed attempt on K2, also pitched in; a crack team of Spanish alpinists was hurriedly flown to Pakistan; the Spanish government negotiated helicopter assistance, and local agents organized porters and fixed ropes.
This all took time, but by the 14th August it appears around eight foreign climbers, six high-altitude porters and 10 ordinary porters, plus equipment, had reached the Biafo Glacier to the west of the Latok Group.
By the 15th, Jordi Corominas, Jonatan Larranaga and Zangrilli had fixed c1,100m of rope towards the col and returned to a newly established base camp. The idea over the next few days was to fix the ridge for an eventual evacuation and try to reach Perez from above.
Sadly, on the 16th the weather turned bad, making the route both difficult and dangerous. Helicopter flights had to be cancelled. The injured Perez had now been on the mountain for 10 days. Taking all this into account the climbers, coordinators in Skardu, and the Pena Guara came to a unanimous agreement to suspend operations.
Once again, climbers of different nationalities came together in the true spirit of mountaineering to attempt a rescue that was always going to be highly difficult and dangerous.
Had the team managed to reach Perez, found him alive, and successfully brought him down the mountain, it would have been one of the most remarkable stories in the history of mountaineering.
Tragically, this time it was not to be.
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