K2 - 09, effort and tragedy

Lowell,

I'm not so much trying to be inflammatory as probe your thought process, because your post makes me ask another question.  Where do you draw the line?  You mention that you can't justify free soloing.  But it doesn't seem black and white to me.  You've done your fair share of alpine climbing, right?  So where do you draw the line between scrambling, simulclimbing, and belaying individual pitches?  One man's free solo is another man's third class, right?

Feel free to ignore my question, but I really do mean to ask it respectfully.

Sky

That's a reasonable question.

I wrote: "I love ski mountaineering, but I can't justify seeking out descents where to fall is to die." (My statement about free soloing was abbreviated, but the intended meaning is the same.)

The key words are "I can't justify seeking out ..."  Intent is the key. Skiing you-fall-you-die slopes is not my goal. That doesn't mean that I'll never ski such a slope, if I come upon it and the conditions are just right. But I won't seek them out.

The same goes for solo rock climbing. On an alpine route I'll climb unroped to the point where I'm not comfortable anymore. Then I'll rope up. What I consider 3rd class may be free soloing to somebody else, and vice versa. But I don't seek to free solo a climb that is above my 3rd class threshold.

Sounds reasonable to me, Lowell. Thanks for taking the time.

A trivial observation, perhaps...

Did anybody else notice the equipment that Michele Fait is using in the lead photo in the article that Dan referenced? He's essentially using rando racing gear--Scarpa F1 boots and Trab Piuma skis. (The photo is "alt" captioned as being on K2. I wonder if it really is.) I was not aware that people are doing extreme descents on such light gear (click thumbnail below):

Looking at the picture closer, I see that he's wearing one of those Camp "G-string" harnesses. Again, rando racing gear. Was this really taken on K2?

I had refrained until commenting on that until now -- he has my favorite ski for late spring and early summer ski mountaineering (Trab Duo Sint Aero).
Interestingly, although they both used Dynafit bindings, his partner has a significantly burlier Dynafit-based setup:
www.fredrikericsson.com/images/news/IMG_0234.jpg
(Looks like Scarpa Skookum boots and Dynastar Legend Pro Rider skis.)

Interestingly, although they both used Dynafit bindings, his partner has a significantly burlier Dynafit-based setup:
www.fredrikericsson.com/images/news/IMG_0234.jpg

Isn't that Michele Fait in the picture you referenced? Compare with second photo in the above-referenced article:
www.everestnews.com/pak2009/_MG_7112.jpg