A mere three days after conquering the summit of Gasherbrum II in the Pakistani Himalayas, Maltese mountaineer Gregory Attard is attempting a second summit push for the twin peak of Gasherbrum I.
The stalwart 36-year-old doctor has confessed his fear and apprehension ahead of the challenge.
On Wednesday, Dr Attard messaged Times of Malta: “Summit push for Gasherbrum I starting tonight. Must admit I’m slightly apprehensive, which is another word for scared.
“This is the most difficult climb I have ever attempted. It has claimed the lives of three Spanish climbers on the day we summited Gasherbrum II but I guess fear keeps you focused and alive.”
Gasherbrum I ranks as the 11th highest peak in the world at 8,080 metres.
This is the most difficult climb I have ever attempted. It has claimed the lives of three Spanish climbers
Its steep, daunting slopes make it the least popular out of the 14 eight-thousanders and only highly experienced mountaineers attempt its ascent.
Dr Attard reached the summit of Gasherbrum II last Sunday at 4.30am (7.30am Pakistani time) following a gruelling nine-and-a-half hour climb from Camp 3 (situated at an altitude of about 7,000 metres).
He reached Camp 2 (around 6,400 metres) of the second mountain yesterday, accompanied by his team that includes two mountaineers from Australia and New Zealand and their respective Nepalese Sherpas (guides).
They will be ascending the Japanese Couloir, a deep, mountainside gulley about 800 metres long today. A Polish climber died in the same spot earlier this month after he fell while descending.
The expedition has so far proven itself to be the ultimate test of endurance.
Last month, Taliban gunmen stormed the base camp of Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth highest mountain also located in Pakistan, and shot dead nine foreign trekkers and a Pakistani guide.
Now, three Spanish climbers Dr Attard had met at the shared base camp of the two Gasherbrum mountains have perished during their summit attempt. However, in the eyes of his friend and fellow climber, Marco Cremona, Dr Attard’s apprehensive message is a good sign.
“It means he’s on the side of caution and not overconfident,” he said.
“Before he left for Pakistan, I gave him the advice of a fellow climber and of a father, as I’m nearly a decade older.
“I told him: ‘You’re young, Greg, and the mountains won’t budge. When in doubt, you know what to choose’.” Together with Dr Attard and Robert Gatt, Mr Cremona became the first Maltese to conquer Mount Everest in 2010.
He explained that, prior to the group’s Everest expedition, a sports psychologist offered him training in motivation to make it to the summit.
“I refused because I wanted the precise opposite. We had motivation in abundance – I wanted rationality.
“If I’m in a situation where I’m close to the summit and all hyped up but my body is telling me no, I wanted to have the presence of mind not to make rash decisions.”