Madison Mountaineering Advances to Camp 3 on K2

Madison Mountaineering K2 Team pushes to Camp 3 after successfully navigating the treacherous Black Pyramid.

K2 / Madison Mountaineering

Madison Mountaineering Reaches K2 Camp 3

Garrett Madison, the founder and lead guide of Madison Mountaineering, just gave an update on the K2 climbing team. The climbers are making steady progress on their summit push on the second highest mountain in the world. K2, standing 28,251 ft., is also the deadliest peak in the world, where for every four climbers that reach the summit one does not return. The Madison Mountaineering team is tackling the famed Abruzzi Spur route to the summit.  The Abruzzi Spur’s base camp sits at approximately 16,896 ft., and ascends through four higher camps. The team just made it to Camp 3 after approximately 2,000 ft. of difficult and technical climbing from Camp 2, up the treacherous Black Pyramid.

K2: Abruzzi Route

• Camp 1 (20,013 ft.): The first 2,000 ft. of climbing passes through mixed terrain with rock, ice, and snow.

• Camp 2 (21,982 ft.): On this segment, climbers navigate the House’s Chimney, an extremely steep rock section that requires technical climbing skills.

• Camp 3 (23,950 ft.): After climbing the Black Pyramid the climbers reach Camp 3. This camp sits on a precarious narrow ledge, subject to rockfall and avalanches.

• Camp 4 (24,934 ft.): The final camp before the summit bid is located at the base of the Bottleneck, a narrow couloir with dangerous seracs hanging overhead.

K2 - Black Pyramid / Madison Mountaineering

The Black Pyramid

The Black Pyramid is a steep face of rock that stands between Camp 2 and Camp 3 on K2. Garret Madison reported on his teams progress as they continue their summit push of The Mountain of Mountains. “Today the team made strong work in this section, moving well on their way to Camp 3. With another good day of climbing under their belt, the team has crawled into their sleeping bags with plans to continue their climb tomorrow (7/29/24). More updates to come!” The Black Pyramid is an extremely technical feature between Camp 2 and Camp 3 on K2, and arguably the toughest stretch of climbing on the approach to the summit. The Pyramid is a prominent rock formation on the northwest face of the mountain and presents  a significant challenge and obstacle for climbers attempting to reach the summit of K2.

This rocky buttress rises over 2,000 meters between Camp 2 and Camp 3 from the Savoia Glacier. It features extremely steep, technical and exposed climbing terrain, with a mix of rock, ice, and snow. The steep slope often exceeds 50 degrees, requiring advanced mountaineering skills and equipment. While there are other routes up K2, the Abruzzi Spur has proven to be the safest and most popular route. Consequently, climbers on this northwest face must navigate the treacherous Black Pyramid section - one of the most difficult and dangerous segments of the entire climb.

The combination of dramatic scale, technical difficulty, and objective hazards including rockfall and avalanches make the Black Pyramid an epic and often deadly obstacle on the journey to K2’s summit. This ominous section has claimed the lives of many experienced mountaineers over the years. Successful passage of the Black Pyramid requires perfect timing, immense physical and mental fortitude, and flawless execution of technical climbing maneuvers. Even with the best preparation and equipment, the Black Pyramid remains one of the most daunting challenges faced by those attempting to summit K2 - the Savage Mountain.

Madison Mountaineering

Madison Mountaineering is a world renowned mountain guiding company led by Garret Madison. Garrett Madison is one of the most accomplished and elite mountaineers in the world. Among his many mountaineering feats, Madison has reached the summit of Mt. Everest 14 times. Madison Mountaineering’s K2 teams successfully summited the world’s second highest peak in 2014, 2018, and 2021. After reaching Camp 3, the 2024 Madison Mountaineering team is less than 5,000 ft. from the summit. More updates to come as the team will soon move to Camp 4 – the final camp before the summit bid.