Mortenson

Pasquale is a geo-physicist from Denver, with several Himalayan climbs experience including Everest (8,488 meters) and Cho Oyu (8,153 meters) in 1995. His work as a seismic and oil exploration engineer has brought him to several of the most volatile regions in the world including Chechnya, Georgia (Soviet Union) and Eritrea. Pasquale looked like a local Pattan (tribal people from NW Pakistan) with his chiseled features and tan. We had a great evening together and he filled me in with a climbing update from Gasherbrum II. I've compiled some Pasquale's thoughts and comments below:

"I need to get home and take my wife on a honeymoon. We've been married a year and it's long overdue. I'm going to take her somewhere civilized; no Third World stuff....."

How did Gasherbrum II compare to your summit climb on the NW route of Cho Oyu, Tibet?
Pasquale: On Cho Oyu, we summitted in two weeks. We were the first team on the mountain, so we had to fix all the ropes. Ironically, when I went around to the other expeditions to get a nominal payment to use our fixed ropes ($100 per team), the only team that refused was a veteran American team. Since all the proceeds went to the Sherpas who helped fix the route, it didn't make sense.

When our Mountain Madness team got to Gasherbrum II, the Koreans had already fixed the icefall, so our climb was pretty much a jug (meaning pulling themselves up fixed ropes with jumars). The weather here was much warmer than my climbs in Nepal. I did not even use heavy thermals once on GII. But the storms here can be bad!

The GII climb with the Mountain Madness group was different than my other climbs. No one had climbed together before. We did not even have one team meeting and everyone just ended up teaming with their own partners. Part of the fun in climbing is the camaraderie, so I missed that.

How would you rate the Balti porters in comparison the Sherpa porters of Nepal?
Pasquale: The Balti porters are tough as hell. I'm impressed. Their hospitality was almost embarrassing.

I always carry my own load, cook myself and share my gear and tents with the locals. They had a hard time dealing with that. After I arrived in Khanday village, where some of my porters were from, I spent time in their village. That was the best part of my whole trip.

Did you ever worry about your personal safety with an ongoing war nearby?
Pasquale: Pakistan is nothing compared to Eritrea. If you screw up in Eritrea, you're dead. There are no tourists there. Where I work in Soviet Georgia now, we always have armed guards with us. They shoot to kill. In Pakistan, it's hard to imagine there is even a war going on when you are on the Baltoro. Totally safe here, but it gives climbers good stories to tell back home.

What about the climbers left on the Mountain Madness GII climb?
Pasquale: With good weather, they should be summitting anytime now. We had North Face VE25 tent at Camp 3 by July 18th, but a week of bad weather brought everyone back to Base Camp. That was when I bailed and headed out over the Ghondoghoro Pass to Hushe valley and Skardu. I had previous commitments and did not have time to stay on GII. Brent Bishop and Chris Boskoff really want to bag GII. Brent was here in 1997 and could not climb because of bad weather, so he would like to nail GII this time around. Chris has been racking up 8,000 meter peaks lately, so she doesn't want to miss this one either.

Would you come back to Pakistan to climb again?
Pasquale: Oh yeah! The mountains and people here are incredible! But right now, I need to get home and take my wife on a honeymoon. We've been married a year and it's long overdue. I'm going to take her somewhere civilized; no Third World stuff.

Later Temperature: 78°F, Raining. Pasquale Scaturro left on an early morning flight to London. Unfortunately, my flight to Skardu was cancelled again due to stormy skies. I decided to wait another day for a flight to Skardu because the Karakoram highway had a landslide in Tatopani last night, about two hours south of Gilgit. In May, the Karakoram highway to Skardu was blocked for 21 days because of a landslide. It would probably be easier to decide by flipping a coin, so let's see what happens.

Pakistan is 99% Muslim. Two words that can get you a long ways here are Asalaam Alaikum (or Salaam), "Greetings in the name of Allah Almighty" and Inshallah "If Allah Almighty wills." Anytime anything is in doubt, an Inshallah goes a long ways toward making friends. Inshallah, the weather will be good tomorrow. Inshallah, I'll be a millionaire by dawn. Inshallah, we will meet again. So, "Blue Skies Ahead, Inshallah" it will be

— Greg Mortenson, MountainZone.com Correspondent