The premiere will take place on June 5 – in the birthday of Valdis Pelsh (head of RD Studio). It was on this day in 2017 that the premiere of the first part of "The High-Altitude Gene, or how to get to Mount Everest" took place. We decided not to break the tradition.

 The film tells about the successes and failures of the members of the expedition of the 7 Summits Club during the assault on the K2 peak in 2023. The film about the ascent of Mount Everest "The High-Altitude Gene", released in 2017, was shown on Russia's main television channel and collected more than 5 million views on the Internet.

They were then "sitting" with a group of climbers on Mount Damavand in Iran. And, as usually happens, there was a conversation about the 14x8000 program, its implementation in the world and in our country. It turned out that I had been the leader of this program for 21 years and there was "no one close", but at the same time I had "stopped" high-altitude mountaineering since 2016.

 They called for "shaking up the old days", making another attempt to climb K2, and took over the organization and financing.

I replied to him: Alex, hello everyone! I am glad to see and hear! You don't let me live up to my age!

Yes, let the young people be puzzled by the question and solve it! It's so cool!

And I'll bend over there and fuck who needs it! I will also make a negative image for Russia! Hugging everyone!

In previous years, there were also conversations on this topic, with the same Abramov, with the famous athlete and guide Sergei Baranov. Sergey, addressing me, said - Listen, now mountaineering has become not the one that you "walked". Everything has become easier, go ahead, and I'll find the money.  But the brakes were "sitting" inside me and I refused.

 But this time Alex convinced me - Listen, Serega, I saw how some girls could not overcome the Baltoro glacier, walked, "died". And then I find out that they climbed K2! The mountain has changed, everything will be fixed, you will be helped by Sherpas to carry the cargo, plus oxygen. This year (2022) 180 people did it!

The last phrase especially impressed me.

- How is it, did they put an "elevator" there!?

I was all in doubt and decided for myself that I needed to "check" my body. Judging of the Kazbek races was scheduled for September. And I decided to make a full-fledged ascent to the top from the Karmadon gorge along the standard route 2B of the difficulty category.

 The full gallery is here…

On July 27, 2023, sisters Maria Oglobleva and Ekaterina Safronova, Dmitry Moskalev and high-altitude operator Vladimir Kotlyar climbed to the top of K2.

On July 28, Lyudmila Korobeshko, Daniil Briman, Valery Tebiev and Arno Ter-Saakov (Armenia – Latvia – Monaco), as well as cameraman Luis Lopez Soriano (Spain) reached the summit.

A total of 8 participants, 2 high-altitude operators and 10 Sherpas ascended the summit of K2 from the expedition of the 7 Summits Club and the 8000 Club. There are 20 people under the leadership of Lyudmila Korobeshko. The ascent took place in bad weather, with a poor condition of the route. The more honorable the victory!

During this expedition, a film was shot, which later became known as "The High Altitude Gene 2. The Mountain of all mountains".   We are waiting for the release of a new masterpiece from RD Studio. In the meantime, watch the trailer!

RD STYDIA team

K2 climbers in Moscow 28.09

 Photos and videos from the RD Studio team.

Tonight, third part of our team started for the summit push. The group consisting of: Lyudmila Korobeshko, Arno Ter-Saakov, Valery Tebiev, Daniil Briman and our high-altitude operator Luis Lopez.

The summiters of K2 of the first wave Ekaterina Safronova and Maria Oglobleva safely descended to the Camp-2.  Dmitry Moskalev and Bartolomey Pachosky stayed overnight at Camp 3. Everyone is resting. Tomorrow they plan to go down to the Base Camp.

A little bit later. Dmitry Moskalev and Bartholomew Pachosky are on top! The weather is getting worse, they are waiting for an unsafe descent. We pray!

At 18:00, the first team left the third camp to storm the summit. Right in front of them is a team of Sherpas hanging ropes. There is a lot of snow. The Sherpas failed to set up Camp 4 due to bad weather. The season on K2 is very difficult. Weekly snowfalls. Short windows of good weather. Now the weather is average lousy. It's snowing at Camp 3. Although all the surrounding peaks are open. We pray for the friends. Good luck today!

The second team is planning an assault tomorrow evening.

Camp-3

Today, the third group of our expedition went up from Camp-2 to Camp-3. In the photo, overcoming the Black Pyramid

Photo from RD Studio. The weather is good below, all the mountains are open, except K2

 Lyudmila Korobeshko (Group-3):

They went out to storm, moving to Camp 2 on 6600. There was no good weather for a week. It seems to be getting better now.

Now at lunchtime on July 25, we came to Camp 2 on K2.

Vladimir Kotlyar, high-altitude operator (Group-1):

Today, according to the forecast, there should be bad weather, but to our joy, the forecast has not yet been justified.

At six in the morning, we got out of the tents, put on the crampons and harness, then and climbed up in the hope for the best.

If this weather lasts for four days, then we have every chance. There is a mountain, you have to climb!

We haven't waited for good weather yet, but there is still hope. Today our third group went up to Camp-1. And groups 1 and 2 continued to "sit out" in Camp-2.

Tomorrow is a key and decisive day - either up or down to rest and wait for the weather window.

Bad weather has descended on K2 again. Rain in the base camp, snow along the route. The first and second groups are together in Camp-2, and the third remained in the ABC Camp. While waiting for news. There is a very strong company of Sherpas on the route, whose task is to make a route to the top. And it is possible that they will succeed.

The first and second group are in Camp-2. Everything is fine with them, tomorrow they will go to the Camp-3.

Vladimir Kotlyar, high-altitude operator: We are in the second camp, altitude 6550. The weather is bad, for the second day in a row. A lot of snow has fallen. Yesterday there were several avalanches along the route, but we were not hooked, almost. We are idling in a tent, baiting stories. Tomorrow we will make our way to Camp-3.

The RD Studio team reports from the base camp: Yesterday, July 21, the second group, consisting of: Maria Oglobleva, Ekaterina Safronova and Bartek. They went out into the rain.  And higher it is already snowing. Bad weather again on K2. The news from the first group is good. They are already in the first camp, the height is 6100 m. They are doing well!  Today, the third group headed by Alexander Abramov is going up.

 Based on this, we have developed our plans.

1. Team 1 - Bogomolov, Moskalev, a high-altitude operator and 3 Sherpas are released on July 20. The peak is July 25.
2. Team 1.1 - The twins and Bartek are released on July 21. The peak is July 25.
3. Team 2 - all others are released on July 22. The summit is scheduled for July 26.

By the evening, the first three were on their way.

 The heads of the expedition to K2 Alex Abramov and Lyudmila Korobeshko and the expedition doctor Andrey Selivanov are in touch.

All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "Høïð Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2!

After breakfast, Alex Abramov arranged oxygen classes. Refreshed our memory of how to use oxygen equipment. And after lunch, the second group of trekkers, led by Sveta Kotlyar and Sasha Spirin, came to visit us. Yead of the RD Studia Valdis Pelsh also arrived with this group. He plans to stay with our expedition and make some live broadcasts for Channel One. The way to us was not easy - 6 long marches under the scorching sun and rains. But the team  overcame it!

In the evening, a "Guitar in a circle" evening was held in a large tent - the trekkers brought with them a guitar bought in Islamabad. We knew that Sveta sings well. But the fact that Dmitry Moskalev has a good voice and a cool repertoire has become a revelation for many.

The heads of the expedition to K2 Alex Abramov and Lyudmila Korobeshko and the expedition doctor Andrey Selivanov are in touch.

The trekkers decided to try to pass through Gondogoro La after all and left our camp at 11 am. And we just got some not very good news from above - our entire Camp-2 was blown away by the wind. 8 tents are missing. 5 seem to have remained. The gas is all gone.

In general, we decided to postpone the exit for one more night. 

 July 13.

Due to the lack of tents, we decided to go out in two groups. The first is 9 participants and 6 Sherpas. This morning, immediately to Camp-1, overnight, then to Camp-2, overnight, then exit to Camp-3 and immediately down. The second group of 3 participants and 2 Sherpas - ABC, C1, C2, down.

 The hurricane raged all night. Our tents were almost torn in the camp. The toilet was torn after all. We got up at 4 in the morning. They tried to put a toilet. In vain. Let's go wake up Vladimir Kotlyar and congratulate him on his birthday. He seemed pleased. At 5 a.m. we went out with a strong wind. By 7 in the morning they came to ABC. We rested a little and went to the first camp. In 4-5 hours we went from 5300 to 6100. There's a problem with places here. There is nowhere to put tents - about 10 tents were barely huddled over the abyss. We were accommodated in 3 tents for 3 participants. And two more Sherpas.

We rest, eat, acclimatize. Tomorrow we will go higher.

 July 14th.

The night in Camp 1 passed quietly. The wind died down. It was even hot. In the morning, everyone woke up long before 7 o'clock - it was at this time that the general rise was planned. We had breakfast and left before 8 am. On the way, we admired the views, who could. The ascent became steeper, there were many rocky areas and mixed. By 11-12 days we came to Camp-2 under the fireplace. It was hardly possible to place 5 tents here. The toilet is a quest again - on a steep slope you have to somehow manage to do something.

After lunch, we decided to make an acclimatization rotation. We climbed 300 meters vertically. On the way, I had to climb the chimney  - everyone was impressed here - 50 meters of almost vertical mixed climbing with flowing ice. But the rest of the route was much simpler and the views are very beautiful - both Gasherbrum, Broad Peak, Masherbrum, Chinese Summits were opened…

We went down to dinnertime to our Camp-2. Having dinner, getting ready for bed at 6600. Tomorrow morning we will go down to the BC to rest and prepare for the decisive assault on the summit.

 July 15th.

We woke up at 6600 in Camp-2, again earlier than planned. At 6 o'clock there was a start according to the plan, but most did not sleep well at this height and at 5 in the morning they were ready to go down. The weather in the morning was not very cloudy and windy.

Around 7 a.m., the descent began. Near the first camp we met our second group with Sergey Bogomolov, Dmitry Moskalev and Volodya Kotlyar. They walked briskly up. By 10 a.m. we were at ABC. We drank tea and rode to the sun for lunch. Kristina was waiting for us here with a film crew, Coca-Cola and - most importantly - with compote!!!

We returned almost whole and healthy.  Only Arno was slightly touched by a stone on the descent, another whistled very close to Daniil, and I managed to fall into a crack not far from BC - I got off with one wet foot!

As it turned out, during the three days of our absence from the camp, the popularity of our expedition doctor Andrei Selivanov increased significantly - a Pakistani princess began to come to his office - that's how we dubbed her. In fact, this is a famous Pakistani climber from the family of a Pakistani government official, Naili Kiani. She has already climbed 8 out of 14 eight-thousand meters. Of the Pakistani ones, only Broad Peak remained to her.  And the next morning news came that rescue work was underway on Broad Peak…

 July 16.

In the morning, everyone slept off after a difficult acclimatization exit. Although the weather forecast was expected to be good, it started raining in the morning. By lunchtime, our second group - Sergey, Dmitry and Vladimir - came down to the camp. The guys worked out their program well and returned satisfied with the results.

After lunch, Alina Pekova came to visit us. This modest girl has gone 5 eight-thousand meters in three months and tomorrow she goes to the sixth - Broad Peak. And then - it looks like K2 and further on all 14. What to say? You can only take off your hat!

A beaming doc came to dinner and boasted that he had just pulled out a tooth of one of the Sherpas, who had been suffering with a bad tooth for a long time. In general, our expedition doctor Andrey is a resuscitator. But here in the camp under K2 he has to face various problems to restore the health of participants in fact of all expeditions:

Yesterday I did a blockade to a Pakistani who fell and got a compression fracture; I was struggling with the asthma of a participant from Estonia who went 4 eight-thousandths without oxygen and now wants to go to K2 without oxygen too…

 July 17.

The morning began at 4.00, when a messenger from the trekking group from the Goro II camp came running and said that oxygen and a doctor were urgently needed, as one of the group was ill. Oxygen was sent urgently, and the doctor came down later.

There was a lot of fuss and commotion, but when mobile communication appeared, it turned out that our group of trekkers was already doing well and they were moving normally to Concordia.

In the afternoon, we held talks with our sirdar about plans for installation of high-altitude camps. So far, the ropes are only up to the Camp-3 (7400 m), plus 8 tents and gas flew away from us in the last bad weather, so it's difficult to plan the upper camps. And according to the forecast, the weather will worsen again soon.

But in the evening, the twin sisters pleased us - they cooked stuffed peppers and mimosa salad!

In touch - the leaders of the expedition to K2 Alex Abramov and Lyudmila Korobeshko.

Alexander Abramov: Mount K2 is exhaustingly difficult and heavy. It seems there are no direct difficulties, but the whole day the climb is at 45 degrees and the relief is mixed. Snow, rocks and ice at an altitude above 7000 m.  In the photo, Camp 1 is perched on a rocky ledge. All night there's ice flying from above, well not rocks. Stones were flying on the ice that year.

 After the rest, on July 14, the group continued climbing at 8 a.m. and by 12 o'clock reached Camp-2 at an altitude of 6550-6600 meters.  Everything is going great so far. Tomorrow, a small ascent up, presumably to the end of fixed ropes and descent to the base camp. And then there will be preparation for the assault on the summit.

Camp 1

We drink teas with sherpas in C2 for 6600. 

Kristina Kozlova: We didn't sleep all night today. There was a strong squally wind, even the toilet was blown away. But this did not change our plans, and early in the morning the team went to the last acclimatization rotation!

Guide and director of the 7 Summits Club Lyudmila Korobeshko reports from Pakistan:

July 11th. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2! Today was an eventful day.  First, finally, the weather has improved. The sun came out (although it was snowing all night, which was not in the forecast).

Secondly, we held a meeting of the leaders of all the expeditions to K2 about the joint hanging of the fixed ropes. We agreed to join our efforts. So according to the general plan, a joint team of route workers will start above Camp 2 on July 14.

Thirdly, our first group of trekkers arrived in the evening. We thought they would be completely exhausted after so many transitions in the rain and snow. And they turned out to be cheerful. We arranged a joint buffet and dancing. Many were previously familiar with joint expeditions. And some people have just met. Uncle Vitya (Viktor Volodin) brought a rare copy of moonshine of his own production. Dasha brought us the most long-awaited - coffee and a little tequila.

Tomorrow we go up  for three nights. Trekkers will most likely go towards the Gondogora La pass in the hope that it will be opened (the weather has improved after all).

July 10th. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2!  The weather has improved slightly today. But clouds and gusty winds still prevail. K2 in the clouds in the morning. After breakfast, we rearranged the tents after the snowfall and attended a puja at Gareth Madison. Then we had a bath day

We had burgers for lunch. Last night they brought two beautiful bulls.... Today, as a women's team under the leadership of Kristina, we cooked a great dinner - soup with meat, Potato Crumbs with minced meat and Greek salad.

It is unclear whether it will be possible to get out tomorrow - the weather is still very unstable and the slopes are avalanche-prone…

The heads of the expedition to K2 Alex Abramov and Lyudmila Korobeshko and the expedition doctor Andrey Selivanov are in touch.

Guide and director of the 7 Summits Club Lyudmila Korobeshko reports from Pakistan:

July 8. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altittude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2! Happy holiday to all - the day of family, love and fidelity! We continue to have the heaviest snowfalls. Today the snow is even stronger than yesterday. And continues to sweep.

For breakfast, to somehow cheer up, I took out  the last pack of coffee. This is a big deficit in Pakistan. We drank in the morning and cheered up. We hope that in a couple of days our trekking group led by Vitya Volodin and Dasha Sivova will come to us and bring us coffee. We are very worried about the friends - since we have such severe snowfalls here, they should now be heavily watered with rain at the crossings, plus the rivers could overflow their banks… But, hopefully, they will be able to get to us.

We were informed today that the Gondogoro La Pass has been closed for about a week. And there are a lot of groups in Concordia waiting for it to be opened. We hope that in a couple of days the snowfall will stop.

Today, after breakfast, our doctor Andrey Selivanov (he is also an instructor-guide) conducted rescue work classes in the mountains with improvised means. Very informative, interesting and useful. We also remembered some of the nodes and beat the situation, what to do in case of loss of equipment when moving along the fixed ropes.

There was a rumor that our tents in Camp 1 were blown away by the wind... Eh, the weather would have been nice sooner. Then we will go up to the upper camps and restore order.

The heads of the expedition to K2 Alex Abramov and Lyudmila Korobeshko and the expedition doctor Andrey Selivanov are in touch.

July 7. All salams from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2! Today was Groundhog Day. It snowed all night again and continued to fall all day. In the morning after breakfast we sat and composed poems about our base camp. For lunch, our chefs pleased us with pizza and PAKORA, a national Pakistani dish of potatoes, boiled eggs and onions.

After lunch, a quiet hour was arranged. And before dinner, guests came to us - Garrett Madison (the leader of Madison Expedition), two Frenchmen from Broad Peak (one of them has already climbed to almost 8000 on Broad - there are no fixed ropes yet) and our friend, who is now going to K2 with Nims. There is nothing special - very heavy snowfalls - it is impossible to go anywhere. So they go to visit each other.

The heads of the expedition to K2 Alex Abramov and Lyudmila Korobeshko and the expedition doctor Andrey Selivanov are in touch.

July 6. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2!

Yesterday we came very tired after going to C1, so we slept without hind legs. Woke up covered with snow, barely dug out. The snow continued until lunch. Then it stopped a little and avalanches began to descend from K2 and Broad Peak. In the half hour that the snow stopped, the most hardened managed to wash in the shower.

In the morning, before breakfast, Kotlyar and I did exercises and brewed the last half-pack of coffee - we have to pamper ourselves with something. We enjoyed a cup of coffee with croissants. Instead of French croissants, we have Pakistani azoki.

Before lunch, we gave interviews on the results of yesterday's release. The RD studio team does not let you relax - they constantly take everything off. Today, even my morning yoga was filmed with a hidden camera. They also plan to take pictures of what each participant does in his free time in his tent. And how Louis (a high-altitude operator) draws pictures at an altitude of 5000.  By the way, Louis is not only an operator, but also a cool climber. He climbed K2 and other 8000. He worked a lot with Carlos Soria as a partner and high-altitude operator.

July 4 and 5th. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2! Yesterday we went to acclimatization in ABC. We walked briskly through the icefall 2 hours from Base camp. We ate and went to bed early.

It started snowing immediately in the evening. By midnight, we were specifically swept up. At 3 we woke up, had breakfast and at 4 in the morning went up in a complete blizzard. With each rope, the slope increased. I had to trail - 10-15 cm of fresh snow fell. Small avalanches were coming down the slope. After 8 a.m. we got out to Camp 1 at an altitude of 6100. There are 6-7 tents stuck here with difficulty. The wind increased almost to a hurricane. So we gratefully stumbled into the empty tents that the Sherpas allowed us to enter. We sat for half an hour, drank tea. We discussed the further ascent to Camp 2. To which our Sherpas shouted with one voice that it was extremely dangerous and it was necessary to go down while the force and the weather allowed.

As a result, we were dumped down into the ABC and then into the Base Camp. The snow never stopped. More precisely, it ended only on the approaches to the base. Here a snowman named Genka was waiting for us for lunch, carefully sculpted by our film crew to our delight.

Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow we rest.

Photos by Arno Ter-Saakov

Tomorrow all participants, together with the Sherpas, will move up early in the morning. And at 12:00 they will begin the descent, each from the height that he will take.

Photos by RD Studio (from puja):

 3 July. Salam to all from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gen - 2" or briefly GenKa2! Today we had a puja - the consecration of the base  camp and the expedition. We held a joint puja with our friends from the 8K company. A stupa with decorations stood directly opposite K2, which was almost completely opened at that time. At the end of the ceremony, we were tied with kats - white scarves, and Abramov, as the leader, was solemnly put on a Pakistani hat on his head. And they gave us something that almost all the participants of the expedition dreamed about, something that is not in Pakistan, but we really want it in the mountains and in the heat - consecrated beer!!!

After the puja, the film crew and I went to our kitchen to prepare a festive dinner. Kristina made cod liver salad, Ivan made mayonnaise, and I made borscht. The dinner turned out to be quite festive - we also added puja beer and dried fish brought from Russia to the table.

Tomorrow we go up for a rotation with an overnight stay. According to the plan - overnight in ABC (5300m), and then ascent to C1 (5500m) and above, then descent to the base camp.

Fotos of Arno Ter-Saakov

July 2. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2! Today, the most conscious participants of our expedition did exercises in the morning, and the film crew recorded all this. It should be noted that sometimes operators break into tents early in the morning and take pictures of how the morning of climbers passes at an altitude of 5000 (okay, not quite like that - they usually knock:)

After breakfast, we all went to ice classes - we refreshed the technique of movement on fixed ropes and descents. Even the operators finally decided to get through! Sasha Kubasov has done this before on Everest, but it was Ivan Vasiliev's debut. And he did a great job.

Before the start of classes, the President of the FAR of Moscow Dmitry Moskalev gave a lecture on the correct technique of movement on fixed ropes. Then the practice began.

Everyone climbed so intensely that at the end of the lessons Sergey Bogomolov's crampons broke down. It's good that there are spare ones. By the way, Sergey is very popular here. Participants from other expeditions approach him and ask for a joint photo.  They ask with a gasp: "Are you the same Russian who has one eight-thousander left to 14?". In the evenings, our entire team gathers around Sergei and enjoys listening to his stories about various cases in the mountains from his extensive biography.

The second most popular in BC K2 is our doctor. Participants from other expeditions began to come to him. After all, Andrei Selivanov is the only doctor in the entire base camp. Today, our entire team was happy to eat what grateful patients brought to the doc. We realized that if anything happens, the doc will feed us!

All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2!

 Morning exercise, breakfast at 7 o'clock. And at 8.30 we went to acclimatization in ABC (altitude 5300). The weather has worsened. The icefall took place in a blizzard. But when we came out to ABC, the sun also came out. We were already descending in good weather. There was a pleasant surprise waiting for us at the camp - even a few: first compote, and then pizza and a salad of fresh vegetables. And for a snack - dried roach. Here you begin to appreciate the little things. During the day, avalanches were rumbling coming from Broad Peak.

June 30. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 “High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2! Today we finally got enough sleep! Firstly, we slept on beds with blankets. Secondly, breakfast was already at 8.00 and there was no need to pack! After breakfast, we had a shower. And after lunch - an afternoon nap.

Tomorrow we make the first acclimatization rotation - to ABC at 5300 and return to BC.

The heads of the expedition to K2 Alex Abramov and Lyudmila Korobeshko and the expedition doctor Andrey Selivanov are in touch.

 June 29. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2! Today is a significant day - we finally came to the K2 Base Camp!!!

It was snowing and raining all night at Camp Concordia. We also went out in the snow. On the road alternately - then snow, then rain, then a little sun. On the approaches to the BC, the majestic K2 finally emerged from the clouds. However, not for long. But it impressed us very much.

By lunchtime we came to the place of BC. We put on a team uniform, raised the flag and solemnly entered the camp. Here we were joyfully greeted by a team of our Sherpas led by Alex Abramov.We comfortably accommodated in single tents with beds (!). Had lunch. Now we rest. Snowfall is forecast for the next 2-3 days. We will rest and acclimatize at the Base Camp.

The heads of the expedition to K2 Alex Abramov and Lyudmila Korobeshko and the expedition doctor Andrey Selivanov are in touch.

Fotos by Arno Ter Saakovs

June 28.  All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2!  Today we spent the first night on the glacier in the Goro-2 camp at an altitude of 4200. It was cold. But the first time we got enough sleep - breakfast was scheduled as early as 7.30. Woke up, opened the tents and gasped - such beauty around: K1 or Masherbrum, just a little short of 8000 - few people have been to its top; Muztag Tower Summits, ahead of the gorge - the Steep pyramid of Gasherbrum IV, on the edges of the two-horned Mitre and Marble Peak…

The trek to the Concordia camp today was quite simple - we reached it in 5 hours. Here Broad Peak has already opened in all its glory. But K2 is still hiding in the clouds.

Tomorrow we go to base camp K2.

I want to mention the friends from the RD studio team. They not only keep up with the whole group -  but also manage to shoot on the road, running ahead of the group. And after coming to the camp, when everyone is resting, they work - they shoot interviews.

The head of the expedition to K2 Lyudmila Korobeshko and the expedition doctor Andrey Selivanov are in touch.

All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2! Wow, what a day we had today - tin!!!  We got up before 4 am. We had breakfast at 4.30 and left at 5. An hour later we reached the famous Baltoro glacier and started moving along it. From the good - these are stunning views, especially of the Trango Towers. And again Broad Peak flashed in the distance. From not very good - we walked almost 10 hours to the Urdukas camp. It's hot again, but the clouds have already started to come and even a little rain has fallen.

The biggest impression of the day is crossing the river. Barefoot, almost waist-deep in icy water - almost frostbitten our feet. But everyone is alive and well. Although one of the participants received a minor knee injury - a few scratches - Andrey quickly healed.

By the way, our doctor Andrey is in great demand - especially among local guys. Yesterday, a delegation of 15 porters came to him - everyone asked them to be treated. Andrey is kind - he does not refuse anyone.

The walk will be easier tomorrow. We'll rest there.

Over the weekend, we (Alex Abramov, a team of Sherpas and Pakistani high-altitude guides-porters) reached the camp Goro-2, 4250m. The weather was great. There was almost no mobile connection, so we communicate with the office by satellite. Yesterday we moved to Camp Concordia, and today we have already approached the Base Camp. And we will start building our camp soon.

June 25. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition on K2 "High-Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2! Today we got up with the roosters again - at 4.30. We had breakfast at 5 in the morning. And we decided to "cheat" a little - we drove up 5 km by car. The remaining 15 honestly walked. Again in the heat, but the places are beautiful - along the river along the sand at first, then along the rocky paths. We saw Broad Peak and K2 in the distance. By lunchtime we reached the Paiju camp at 3400 in a small green grove - hooray - shade!!   Tomorrow will be the longest part of our trekking.

 June 24. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2! We got up early today - at 4.30, because at 5.30 we already had breakfast, and at 6.00 we went out on the trail to K2! In 3 hours we reached the green oasis - Korofon camp along a wide rocky gorge. They had lunch there. Then we continued on our way to the final goal of our today's transition - the Jola camp (3200).

We found ourselves in the camp at noon - the heat is terrible. So we hide in tents until the evening. And the bravest swim in the mountain river Braldu, near which our camp is located.

Tomorrow we have an even longer trek - about 20km to the Paju camp - it's about 7-8 hours on rocky trails and with crossings over numerous rivers.

The head of the expedition to K2 Lyudmila Korobeshko and the expedition doctor Andrey Selivanov are in touch.

Today, a team of Sherpas and I came  to the Urdukas 3900m camp. There is a lot of snow in the K2 Base Camp right now, and the horses can't get through. Now all the expeditions are in Camp Goro 2. Tomorrow we will also be in Goro 2. So far only the porters are going above. We will have to spend a lot of effort to build a comfortable Base Camp. But we will manage as always!

Today is a fantastic sunset behind the Trango massif. At the end of the gorge, the towering eight-thousand-meter Broad Peak is already visible. Do you remember our expedition with Luda last year?

June 23. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2! Hurray! We have finally started moving towards our goal - K2. Early in the morning at 5 a.m. we had breakfast and at 6 a.m. we got on jeeps and moved to Ascole. The road turned out to be difficult and interesting - after an hour the asphalt ran out and the broken primer went. Many times the rivers were forded - in some places it was just dangerous - deep and stormy waters. But our dashing drivers successfully overcame everything. After lunch we arrived in Askole, a village at an altitude of 3050m, settled into tents, had lunch, rested. We are having dinner now and going to bed early, since tomorrow is an early exit. There will be a 7-8 hour walk to the Jola camp.

The head of the expedition to K2 Lyudmila Korobeshko and the expedition doctor Andrey Selivanov were in touch.

June 22. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "Height Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2! This morning we went to one of the highest plateaus in the world - the Deosai Plateau. There, at an altitude of 4,300, bears live, stormy rivers flow, snow caps of mountains rise. There we made a couple of acclimatization trips, visited a high-altitude classified military base, tasted pink Baltistan tea. In the evening we returned to our hotel, where we had a hearty dinner, a barbecue with a bonfire and music.

Tomorrow we leave for Ascole very early in the morning! Towards adventure!

June 21. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition on K2! The second day we are in a hot Skardu. In the morning, we packed the trunks, which will leave earlier immediately to the Base Camp. We walked through the market once again and pleased ourselves with vitamins, which we will not see soon now - we bought cherries, mangoes, melons.

Having received a message from Abramov from the trek, we rushed to buy umbrellas and shorts to escape from the incredible heat that is now on the trek. In the evening we went to a very interesting place - a Cold Desert. We rode on the dunes in jeeps, and the bravest even flew on moto-paragliders and hang gliders.

Already late in the evening we received information that so far the military has not given us the permit to enter the border zone. Well, we are not discouraged. We have a plan B. And tomorrow we will implement it!

Lyudmila Korobeshko, the co-head of the expedition to K2, and Andrey Selivanov, the expedition doctor, are in touch.

Alexander Abramov is in touch on his way to K2 Base Camp:

Yesterday was a great hot day. We had breakfast at 5 in the morning and at 6 in the morning we were already on our way. After 9 am it gets very hot, so we go with umbrellas from the sun. The Karakoram Mountains are something incredible. The views are striking in their beauty. In parallel with us there are 4 more groups. Many familiar climbers. They say that there is an unusual amount of snow this year, and the season is just beginning.

There is also unverified information that this year is a record for the number of expeditions to K2, about 25 expeditions. I am going to K2 Base Camp with Nepali and Pakistani guides.  Our team bears the proud name of GENKA2. Wish us good luck!

June 20.  Greetings to all from Pakistan - now from Skardu (2300m) from the participants of the expedition to K2! Three more members of our expedition arrived early this morning (Sergey Bogomolov, Dmitry Moskalev and Bartek). And already a full team (16 people) we flew to Skardu.

Just 45 minutes of flight - and we are at an altitude of 2300 (the heat, however, is almost like in Islamabad). While flying, we admired the second highest peak of Pakistan – Nanga Parbat (which is often called the killer mountain).

We settled with the maximum comfort available in Skardu at the Summit Hotel. A visit to the castle was scheduled for the evening… And for good reason - the walk around Skardu and the surrounding area turned out wonderful: we visited the local market with colorful characters and goods; we looked at the local sports complex - the stadium where matches are held for two of the most popular games in Pakistan - polo and cricket. The main event of the day is the acclimatization ascent on the top of Karpocho (ruins of the fortress of Karpocho). From here we had stunning views of Skardu, the bends of the legendary Indus and the distant peaks of Karakorum. At the end of the day, we took a picture at the inscription "I love Skardu". And, indeed, we managed to fall in love with this hospitable town.

Tomorrow is our procurement and preparation day. The day after tomorrow we plan to leave for Ascole, where our track to K2 will begin.

Lyudmila Korobeshko, the co-head of the expedition to K2, and Andrey Selivanov, the expedition doctor, are in touch.

June 19.  Greetings to all from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "The High Altitude Gene"! Today, almost all the members of the expedition and the entire crew of the RD Studio have arrived in Islamabad. As soon as the temperature dropped a little below 40 C, we went on a tour of the capital. We visited the Monument of Pakistan - a huge structure in the form of a flower, symbolizing Pakistan itself with its regions. Then we visited the largest mosque in Pakistan (and one of the largest in the World) - the Faisal Mosque, which simultaneously accommodates more than 300,000 worshippers. And we went up to the Himalayas - to the hills that end the Himalayas in Pakistan. This is the Margalla Ridge.

3 more participants will arrive tomorrow, and we will all go to Skardu together.

Today, the Sherpa team of the K2 High Alttude Gene project left with all the things from Skardu. And after 5 hours we successfully reached the last village of Askole. The height is 2900m. 140 porters were already waiting for us here, who would take all our belongings to the K2 Base Camp in 7 days. We are already spending the night in tents. All 20 high-altitude Sherpa porters feel you perfectly. We have a long road ahead of us on the Baltoro Glacier. We will go, eat and sleep. Get fit and fat for hard work on the most difficult and dangerous mountain above 8000m.

The head of the K2 Altitude Gene expedition is Alexander Abramov.

By the way, I met Lhakpa, who climbed Mount Everest 10 times. Now she goes to K2.

The expedition program also includes a trekking trip to the foot of the peak, to the base camp of our expedition (two groups).

 The result of the joint work of RD Studio, the 7 Summits Club and the 8000 Club should be a full-length film that will be watched by millions of viewers. On our side is the experience of filming on Everest of the film "The High Altitude Gene", which had a huge audience of millions. It was repeatedly shown on Channel One - Russian main TV Channel. The documentary will show the most interesting moments of the expedition itself, and the host of the film Valdis Pelsh will tell about the history of the mountain itself, about the dramatic moments of the history of climbing it.

We present the participants of the expedition!

Expedition leaders and guides of the 7 Summits Club and 8000 Club:

Alexander Abramov

Founder and President of the 7 Summits Club. Master of Sports of the USSR in mountaineering, mountaineering instructor, mountain guide, high-altitude cameraman. 12-time summiter of Everest. Three-time summiter to the "Seven Summits", one of the first to complete the "Seven Volcanoes" program. Organizer of numerous expeditions to the main summits of the world.

 Lyudmila Korobeshko

Director of the 7 Summits Club, 3-time Everest climber, the first (and only) woman in the world to have completed the 7 Summits Project twice and thrice. If successful, she will become the first K2 climber in Russia who lives on the territory of our country. And together with Alexander Abramov, they can become the first married couple to successfully complete the ascent to this peak.

 Expedition Doctor:

Andrey Selivanov

A native of Tyumen, skilled in mountaineering and rock climbing. He has been working with us on expeditions as a doctor from time to time since 2005. He has extensive experience in mountaineering expeditions and medical practice in different regions of the world.

RD Studio crew:

Valdis Pelsh – head of the company, author and presenter

Kristina Kozlova - director

High - altitude cameramen:

Luis Lopez

Ivan Vasiliev

Alexander Kubasov

Climbers, members of the expedition:

 Arno Ter Saakovs

If successful, he expects to become the first Armenian at the top of K2. Arno has traveled with the 7 Summits Club many times, including reaching the summit of Mount Everest.

 Daniil Briman

The most famous brewer of the "Seven Summits", elected chairman of the Council of the Union of Russian Brewers. Summiter of Everest and other iconic summits together with the 7 Summits Club. We will wait for the signature author's beer "K2"!

 Valery Tebiev

One of our most active participants in the 7 Summits Club programs. He started with a trip to the North Pole. Climbed of Everest and Manaslu.

 Sergey Bogomolov

Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, "Snow Leopard", who has made more than 60 ascents of the highest category of difficulty in almost all mountain systems of the world. The summiter on 13 of the 14 eight-thousandths of the planet is the first Russian contender for the "Crown of the Himalayas". If successful, he will become the first Russian to reach on all 14 eight-thousand-meters.

 Dmitry Moskalev

Our partner since the very first our Everest expedition in 2003.  President of the Moscow Mountaineering Federation. The second person in Russia who completed the "Seven Summits" program.  Founder and president of the MONT Group of companies (the largest distributor of software from the world's leading manufacturers).

 Ekaterina Safronova and Maria Oglobleva

Twin sisters who have been involved in physical education and sports since childhood (in synchronized swimming). After a passion for parachuting, rock climbing, career and family construction, they turned to high mountains. Elbrus, Lenin Peak, Aconcagua and, finally, the sensationally fast ascent on the eight-thousand-meter Manaslu.