Milan, February 21st 2008 - Simone Moro and his two climbing partners, Shaheen Baig & Qudrat Ali, are in the final stages of preparation for a summit push on Broad Peak, also known as K3. The veteran Italian climber and sponsored athlete of The North Face® returned to Base Camp with Baig on 19 February after an aggressive charge that brought them within two-to-three hours of Camp 3. Even more importantly, the team was able to securely fix thin ropes along the steepest and most technical parts of the climb, to aid them during their summit bid.

“We suppose that we need 100 meters more rope, and then we should start easily to walk to Camp 3,” relays Moro from Base Camp. “So, we decided to come back directly to Base Camp, following also the advice of [weather forecaster] Karl Gabl that alerted us of the coming strong wind.” Gabl’s predictions were accurate: after one day of glorious weather at Base Camp, a violent storm struck the Karakorum Range, bringing with it winds that exceeded 120 km/hour at 7,000 meters. Even at Base Camp, the howling gusts threatened to tear apart tents and swallowed Moro’s words during a video transmission.

Moro left Italy for Pakistan on 30 December 2007, intent on pushing boundaries and achieving a dream. Broad Peak has never been climbed during the brutal winter months. In fact, only eight of the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter peaks have been summitted during the winter, when unpredictable weather and fatally low temperatures add new danger to the already inherent risks of high altitude mountaineering. In the 12 weeks since his arrival in Pakistan, Moro, Baig & Ali have encountered more than their fair share of dangerous weather, as well as numerous logistical setbacks.

But, their patience and steady acclimatization are paying off. On 17 February, in very bad weather, the men departed Base Camp and climbed swiftly to Camp 2. Says Moro: “…When we arrived to our deposit at Camp 2, we had to prepare the platform on a very icy surface. The night had been terribly cold. We had -35° C and we didn’t sleep well, only a few hours.” Things brightened considerably in the morning with clear skies and the successful push that brought the climbers so close to Camp 3.

Now back in Base Camp, Moro, Baig & Ali are waiting out the storm and preparing their gear, bodies and minds for a final summit push. The weather is expected to clear in a few days—on 24 February—and Moro plans to set out for the summit then.

The North Face®
The North Face, divisione di VF Outdoor Inc., è stata fondata nel 1968. Con sede a San Leandro, California, l’azienda offre i prodotti tecnicamente più avanzati oggi disponibili sul mercato dedicati a scalatori, alpinisti, atleti di sport sulla neve, atleti endurance ed esploratori. I prodotti dell’azienda sono disponibili principalmente nei negozi specializzati in alpinismo, backpacking, running e sport invernali, nei negozi di capi sportivi d’alta qualità e nelle principali catene specializzate in prodotti outdoor.
Per ulteriori informazioni su The North Face visitate: www.thenorthface.com.

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