Simone Moro: The Lessons of Broad Peak in Winter

Simone Moro has done an interview with MountEverest.net about his recent experiene on Broad Peak in which he attempted a Winter summit. You may recall, the team arrived early and had a great deal of success in establishing Base Camp and setting fixed ropes. They even managed to establish their high camps before the bad weather set in, forcing them off the mountain. What followed were weeks of blizzards, high winds, and extreme cold, preventing them from making a summit push. Despite all that, a weather window did open eventually, but the climbers found that Camp 4 had been buried and were forced to turn back as that window slammed shut quickly.

Simone says he learned a number of lessons on the climb however, such as logistically planning ahead to send cargo and heavy equipment before the team arrives to make sure that there are no issues with vital gear. Part of the teams gear was delayed in transit and caused some headaches early on. He also said that had they stayed on the mountain, he still wouldn't have made the summit. Once the weather turned bad, it stayed that way.

However, he also says that he'll definitely go back. He isn't finished with Broad Peak, and he loves the solitude of Winter in those mountains. Perhaps next year we'll be following another Winter attempt. Very insightful read.