Anatoli Boukreev Summits Fourth 8,000-meter Peak in 80 Days

Tuesday July 15, 1997

REPORTED VIA SATELLITE TELEPHONE FROM THE BALTORO GLACIER: Yesterday, renowned high-altitude climber Anatoli Boukreev made a speed ascent of Gasherbrum II (8,035 meters) in Pakistan's Karakoram, requiring only nine hours and 37 minutes to climb from Advanced Base Camp at 5,800 meters to the summit and 12 hours, 58 minutes to descend back to camp. A week before, on July 7, Boukreev soloed Broad Peak (8,047 meters), near K2 (8,611 meters) in the Karakoram.

Earlier this spring (April 26, 1997), Boukreev lead an Indonesian team to the summit of Mount Everest (8,848 meters). A month later, on May 26, the same day a Russian Expedition attempted their Lhotse-Middle-Shar Traverse, Boukreev climbed Lhotse (8,511 meters) with Italian climber Simone Moro attempting an Everest-Lhotse traverse. He and Moro abandoned the Everest climb after assisting the Russians with their teammate who died on the descent from Lhotse. [Click for the full story.] With the Gasherbrum climb, Boukreev has reached the summit of four 8,000 meter peaks in 80 days.

[Editor's note: Boukreev was killed in December of 1997 on Annapurna. Click for the full story.]

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