This photo taken by Nick Rice is the last picture in the bottleneck of climbers at 11am on 1er/08. (click on photo to enlarge). The video below shows an approach to the bottleneck on K2. It was taken by K. Unterkircher (disappeared on Nanga Parbat on 15/07/2008) during an expedition in 2004 to mark the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of the mountain by the Wild ' Italian team in 1954 with Lino Lacedelli, Achilles and Walter Bonatti Compagnni. h ttp: / / www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjaV4ejbOCo&feature=related K2 is also called the "Killer Mountain" because than five people arriving at the top, will not survive the descent. It is a very steep mountain with many technical sections, the ice falls and avalanches. Moreover, it is very isolated, seven days' walk from the nearest village.
Some statistics: According to the latest figures, between 1954 and 2007, 284 people have set foot on the summit of K2 and 66 others lost their lives trying to reach. Everest, during the same period, 3681 people attended the summit and 210 are morts.Avec these eleven dead, if we count the "inevitability" of K2 is five times higher than Everest. As in the Italian conquest of K2 in 1954, very controversial, everything was played on July 31. On Thursday 31/07/2008, a score of "summiters" are ready to conquer the second highest mountain on earth: the K2 (8611 meters). Hugh, the Serbs, Koreans, Americans, Spaniards, Dutch and Norwegians have been preparing for weeks, champing at the bit to the base camp three thousand feet below. The weather window is narrow, five, six days, no more. It is especially rare in this season when the monsoon settles on the Himalayan peaks. Everyone knows it's been a month they wait. The day after his arrival at base camp, June 18, Hughes and his climbing partner American Nick Rice, 23, are offered by an association Wilco Van Rooijen, Dutch, 42 years.
At base camp there are five expeditions, whose experience led Norit Wilko composed of five Dutch, one Australian, an Irishman and a Nepalese sherpa (Pemba). proposing to take the path of Hughes Cesen to be more likely to equip it, this route is more direct so much steeper than the Abruzzi, but more protected. The experience of Wilko has already equipped 7,100 meters up the road while Abruzzo is still a virgin.
the two routes converge to 7900 meters on the shoulder to start the last part, called the "bottle neck" or bottleneck to the summit. 
Even if the bottleneck is impressive by the serac which dominates and its steep narrow part of a hundred meters of overhanging ice and snow, it is not the "heart" of the climb the slopes to the C2 is much more difficult and technical. This neck looks like an hourglass, broad at its base and opening again at the top by a huge serac called: the balcony.
The K2 is both physically demanding and technically difficult. To overcome the Himalayan peaks, there are no two ways: the equipment walls and acclimatization of climbers is essential to linking back and forth, from camp to camp, such as bearings for divers.
On K2, four camps before the summit as you have seen in all previous accounts.
To set up the tents, food, sleeping bags and ropes, climbers can count on HAP (High Altitude Porters), Pakistani and Nepalese Sherpa guides. Each expedition uses two or three. Hughes was accompanied with 2 carriers: Karim and Beig.
After two weeks of bad weather, the weather forecast promises a niche of 31 July to 2 August at least. Five days before the final assault, Saturday, July 26, a large meeting brings everyone together at base camp. In all, twenty-six climbers plan to take the Abruzzi, eleven climbers the Cesen. Koreans, Americans and Serbs are too numerous to mount the same day and therefore provide two rotations.
Hugh penultimate left, then right, and the third left behind after the meeting This meeting allows for a roadmap and distribution of materials that each shipment was to climb to Camp 4. A leading group, headed by Sherpas and 2 Pakistani Koreans must leave the camp 23.30 for 4 to install the fixed ropes on the route from the summit, before the start of the Himalayas two hours later. arrange Expedition leaders: in the last part, everyone must ensure the equipment part of the last section, very steep and very dangerous .
The "bottleneck" is a slope of 200 meters long, while ice at 60 degrees. A real slide in the death zone above eight thousand meters.
Rise of four camps to the shoulder, is about 8000 m, is going very well despite the extreme fatigue they feel on these very steep slopes, lack of oxygen, etc., and July 31 in the evening, clear skies is to rendezvous with little wind, less than twenty degrees. Hughes is pleased to have arrived on the shoulder, he feels very fit and very confident for the "final assault" for "his" K2 with the help of Karim and Beig.
From the barrier of 8000 meters, you should know that no one can truthfully say that he told the whole truth. The lack of oxygen, sleep and impair efforts singularly lucidity. The following story is just maybe not the exact truth, especially since the protagonists have not yet made a definitive statement of the facts.
The "deal" signed between expeditions is simple: the Dutch bring the four hundred meters thick ropes required to fit the neck, the Italians and Serbs two hundred meters to ensure the crossing under the crevasses, just after the neck Americans a thinner rope to connect the flags used to mark the path, flags hoisted by the Koreans. ( photo below).
First error: string poorly posed (by the carriers): They are therefore twenty climbers rush to the heart of the night, on August 1. the leading group left Camp IV at midnight, the Himalayas depart between 2:30 and 4 o'clock; 
A Korean seems to insist on the management of the fixed rope earlier than expected this simple decision means that when the climbers reached the bottom of the slope of the bottleneck, there is no longer enough strings. Team Wilco perceiving The Koreans have set the strings before what was expected, because unequip then reposition above, the climbers are waiting under a huge serac suspended, impatient, and are therefore long overdue.
An American of 35 years, Eric Meyer, is still at the foot of the gangway at 7am, he says: "It was three hours later than expected ......... the leading group progressed very slowly, with many climbers very close to each other. The sun has arrived on the serac: 100 meters of ice overhanging very fractured .......... "He prefers down with two other Americans.
Nick Rice, who has been delayed because of a wet sock, confirms this error: "When I awoke, I heard Eric, Chris, Fred and Paul (Americans) back their failed attempt to the summit. They handed me a message asking the Dutch over strings. " Apparently, the Sherpas had set up a part before the neck of the bottle (when it was not necessary) and thus had more rope to fix this Technical presentation and passage of the neck. "
Nick Rice disturbed by the incident of his wet socks and because he no longer feels his fingers frozen, turned around and took this last photo of climbers at the foot of the bottleneck on 1 August at 11am, before returning to C4: expanding the picture you will see the climbers behind each other (between the rocks and the serac)
- Second mistake, a carrier has missed a chord length, Yet most of they continue to climb in retooling the fixed ropes; Wilco says: " Nevertheless, we continued our progress. Of course, it took hours and hours. Some turned back because they had more confidence. "
which Staleman Jelle, a young Dutch climber of 26 years, realizing it will not happen before the summit 8Hpm and has cold feet, took the decision to back down, and 4 Americans. They are too numerous to take the same route.
In the rise of the neck, Dren Mandic Serbian stands fixed ropes to change her oxygen tank. He picks up and drops screaming. There is a debate on whether to try to recover Mandic's body. 2 Serbs and their carrier Hussein waive up and decide to descend to Camp 4 the body to find him a proper burial. In the confusion, the holder of Hugh, Jehan Baig, who has symptoms of AMS (acute mountain sickness), tries to help, too picks of the wall without making a gesture to stop his fall, and switches in the south side; it was missing the first 2 ........... Following the death of Beig who was the only one who reached the summit of K2 before, Hughes has only one carrier Karim, and perhaps more than a bottle of oxygen ..... ....... two Norwegians abandon before the summit, the first dried, turned around shortly after the crossing and joined the camp 4 at 20:30. Rolf Bae stops 100 meters below the summit and awaits the return of the fourth Norwegian, Lars Nessa and Cecilie Skog of his wife with whom he was married for a month.
After 16 hours of climbing, instead of 10 or 11 hours, with the help of oxygen to some, two Norwegians, five Koreans and two Nepalese sherpas arrived at their summit H20 to 17, the Irishman Gerard McDonnell to 19 hours Hugh and his Pakistani Karim Meherban carrier at 19.30, followed by two Dutchmen Wilco Van Rooijen and Cas Van de Gevels with their Nepalese Sherpa, Pemba Gyalje and finally, 20 hours, the Italian Marco Confortola: from Table Arrivals (see: table summit finishes ) prepared by the site Xexplorersweb, (photos below: Gerard, Wilco, and Pemba to the top - Gerard and Pemba - Gerard)
Asked whether it was too late to go to the top, Ashraf Aman, the first Pakistani guide to overcoming the K2 in 1977, has cautiously responded by email:
"Yes, the summit attempt at a late hour can be a factor of fatal accidents on K2. " Rolf, Cecilie and Lars down first. They join up fixed ropes 15 minutes before dark and engage in the crossing under the base of the big serac.
It is night (- 40 °), around 21 hours, a roar shakes the air. A serac overlooking the mouth of the bottle stands: tons of ice slide down the slope and pull out the strings. They carry with them several climbers: Norwegian Rolf Bae (in front of his wife), the Bhote Sherpa Jumic Pasang Bhote and his colleague who tried to help him. Already five deaths. The trap closes .
Cecilie and Lars were 40 to 50 meters of rope in their bag, they go down by a point obliquely towards the rocky side of the neck left. Another 50 meters of rope without escalation, the 45 ° to 50 ° sometimes ice, then the slope is gentler, with 23H, they are at C4.
Above the icefall, the descent of the last fifteen climbers is very slow, but they are grouped. When night falls, panic sets in, the group explodes.
As recounted Wilco, a few days later on a hospital bed in Skardu, panic takes hold of the small group of survivors
"They had no time to initiate a discussion, they descended at full speed but without knowing where to go, some lost on the wrong path bottleneck, the only thing they had to do was go down quickly because when one goes down, it has more oxygen and thus more likely to survive. "
Wilco reportedly tried to convince them all to stick together and together find a solution, but many have not responded, as if enclosed in their own struggle for survival:
"They thought to use my oxygen, my rope. So, in fact, everyone was fighting for himself and I still do not understand why we left each other. "
At 21 hours, 2 Sherpas Pemba which go forward, they discover that the ropes were swept away, trying to alert the climbers below, without success. They use the rope Norwegians, then désescaladent. The night is calm but very dark, they see headlights above the neck. The fear of the serac grows back quickly they reach Camp 4 at 1:30. Under the serac, are always on the front, probably those of 2 Koreans, Mi Sun Go, former champion ice climbing, and Jae-Soo Kim, head of experience, and CAS before Hugh seems to be short of oxygen. Karim is with him ...................
At the top, Hughes allegedly told the other climbers he was very concerned not to have oxygen, and wanted to get off at any price.
Dutchman Van CAS Gevels before him in the bottleneck is the eyewitness of the fall, then the disappearance of Hugh to 0:00 to 1:00 on August 2 Through radio contact, he immediately called Pemba survivors and mountaineers to climb back Hugh C4, research continued overnight in vain ............
Go Mi Sun, Jae-Soo and CAS will arrive in C4 between 2 and 3am.
Confortola and McDonnell dig a hole in the ice. Like Wilco, they spend the night below the summit, to fight against sleep and freezing.
first camp for Gerard, Marco, Wilco
the first light of dawn, they leave in the neck where they discovered three Koreans Park Kyeong Hyo, and Hyokyeong Kim Dong Jin Hwang, in a tangle of rope on a slope, in a difficult posture, head down, but still conscious prisoners of these ropes, missing a shoe to one of them, Marco him wear a glove high altitude.
McDonnel and Marco Confortola trying in vain to help for 3 hours, Marco tries to leave their bottles of oxygenation and masks to help them breathe, McDonnell began to try to cut the ropes and deliver these strings, Confortola exhausted, continued to descend and lose sight of his companion, who he continues to try to save the Koreans. The Italian fell asleep but was awakened by a second avalanche to twenty yards to his right, a bottle of oxygen that the injured down the slope behind the head when he saw several bodies emerge: that of her boyfriend McDonnel he acknowledges his yellow boots, and those of Koreans. He leaves, stops a little further and fell into unconsciousness.
Shortly after, two Sherpas Koreans, C4 parties to rescue those in difficulty, spot Marco. They continue to warn the neck and Pemba radio dating back to the rescue of Marco: he wakes up, gives him oxygen, and aid to descend; few minutes later, a new serac collapses, the avalanche Block brushes Marco and Pemba which will come later in the C4, unharmed.
"He saved my life, without him I would be dead, said Marco. I refuse to talk about responsibility or the responsibility of other Confortola said. I can only think about what I did and be lucky to be alive, learn from it. I put a lot of time for that. "
Mail Donatella, the webmaster of Marco " Yesterday he told what he has lived: he confirmed he did not see what happened while Hughes fell. Marco was the last happened at the top. He saw Hughes before him while they rode: Hughes was faster than him with oxygen. When Marco arrived at the top already down .... Mark Hughes has understood what really happened only when he arrived at base camp. After the night at 8300 meters, he found the three Koreans who had been dragged by the serac, hanging from ropes. He tried everything to help. Both were perhaps already dead .... three hours after it began to descend in the hope of finding someone who can help up ... while he was descending the avalanche took and overwhelmed ..... Then PEMBA saved his life .......
Photo: Confortola on K2 at 8611 m on 1 August 2008. http://www.marcoconfortola.it/ 
