Azerbaijani mountaineer Israfil Ashurly organized the rescue of his Polish colleague during an expedition in Pakistan.
As he exclusively told Idman.biz, thanks to his actions, Polish climber Waldemar Kowalewski was saved.
The incident took place in Pakistan, in the Karakoram mountain range, the base camps of K2 and Broad Peak were about 3 km apart.
“I was at the base camp of K2, where I planned to climb. The actual emergency occurred on Broad Peak, where Polish climber Waldemar Kowalewski was attempting to ascend but was caught in an avalanche about 3 km from us. Information about the Polish climber’s troubles spread the day after the avalanche,” Ashurly explained.
The Azerbaijani and Polish climbers have known each other since 2019 and have crossed paths three times on different peaks.
“As soon as I learned that Waldemar was in a critical situation, unable to move, and no help was being sent due to bad weather, I immediately contacted the Sherpas from the K2 base camp, as they are best trained for high-altitude operations. By the way, there were several groups of climbers at the Broad Peak base camp, where the incident occurred, but none of them moved to assist,” Ashurly continued.
There was only one day suitable for conducting the rescue operation when the weather on Broad Peak improved. As mentioned, other expedition groups at the base camp refused to participate in the rescue. It was also challenging to negotiate with the Sherpas, who had obligations to other groups. In the end, an agreement was reached with three of them, Dawa Sange Sherpa, Mingtemba Sherpa, and Pasang Tendi Sherpa.
Ashurly himself also took part in the rescue operation on Broad Peak, maintaining visual contact and providing physical assistance when necessary.
“I met Waldemar near the second camp, after which we began the descent together. The Polish climber was wrapped in special mats and polyethylene sheets, which allowed him to slide over snow, ice, and rocks. This way, we were able to transport him fairly quickly to the first camp, and from there, as night fell, descend to the start of the route. After that, the arriving porters carried Waldemar to the base camp,” Ashurly recalled.
The unique aspect of this rescue operation was establishing proper coordination among the people involved, organizing interaction that had been absent for more than a day after the incident.
“I’m glad I was able to do this, acting as the organizer of the climber’s rescue and the main coordinator. I wasn’t just at the base camp, I actively participated in the operation itself. First and foremost, I want to thank the Sherpas who responded to my call, came together as a good team, and carried out the rescue operation professionally. Had we not managed to do this that day, we would have had to wait several days due to bad weather, and it’s unclear what could have happened to the injured Waldemar,” Ashurly added.
The Azerbaijani mountaineer has previously rescued colleagues during climbs on other peaks.
For instance, in July 2022 on Broad Peak, Ashurly discovered Romanian climber Geo Badea in critical condition at approximately 7,700–7,800 meters, halted his own ascent, and brought the injured climber down to 7,300 meters, where other mountaineers took over.
In July 2023, while approaching the summit of Nanga Parbat in Pakistan, Ashurly abandoned his climb to begin rescue operations: Polish climber Pawel Kopec was found in hopeless condition and later died, while Pakistani climber Asif Bhatti, who had gone blind from snow blindness, was carried by Ashurly to Camp 3 and then to Camp 2, where Pakistani climbers met them and escorted them to the base camp.
Idman.biz
