Elite alpinist forced to free climb briefly on K2

Looks like Colin O'Brady was compelled to unclip his ascender and free-climb for a few seconds on K2 this week:

Props to Colin for surviving this.    Shockingly, seems Colin's tent and pillow weren't ready at Camp 3 either.

After his rugged polar adventure, hoping O'Brady can entertain us with similar feats in mountaineering!!

Gripping.

The real question is who was carrying his supplemental O2, him or his sherpas?

Seriously pushing the envelop up there, really inspiring stuff!!

Not hobo Greg, I read about and saw some footage of  this guy.  Complete douche

You guys are missing the point.  He arrived in good shape ahead of others.  Dude’s solid.  Lol.

Pretty sure in this context, the Gumby/non climber use of  “free climbing” was actually meant to imply “free soloing”   

Dang concierge double booked his tent apparently.  That sucks.  Definitely not Michelin rated. 

It's amazing how they fix lines now in the Himalaya.  

When I climbed on Ama Dablam in 2000 (up to Camp 3 at a bit over 20,000 feet) we fixed our own ropes, not sherpas, no one else and we obviuosly led every pitch to fix them for hauling.

When my firend summited Everest in the '80's he said that there was not one meter of fixed rope on the mountain.  You had to know how to climb.  You climbed roped up with aprtner but no fixing at all.

Not Hobo Greg wrote:

That’s the dude who claimed to be first to go solo across Antarctica and berated the guy who did it before him for using a kite sail.. meanwhile this dude followed a groomed road for like 300 miles. Tool. 

I thought it was specifically the first "unassisted and unaided"...

https://explorersweb.com/2019/01/09/crossing-antarctica-how-the-confusion-began-and-where-do-we-go-from-here/ 

Toby Tyler wrote:

After his rugged polar adventure, hoping O'Brady can entertain us with similar feats in mountaineering!!

This article show a very appaling human being... what a bad example for young alpinists/explorers...

I'm amazed they can get a post out. I'm like a quarter of a mile up canyon in the morning, and I can just barely see that I've got no signal before my phone's too cold to stay on. 

I hate the join the choir, but when people are kinda dying all around you, it's a bad look to be faffing about. I just don't have that kind of Power of Disassociation.

Unclipped from the rope? Oh... my... GOD!

Never get off the rope. Gotta remember NEVER GET OFF THE ROPE. Only Tigers can go free solo on K2. FUCKING TIGERS, MAN!!!!!

Xam wrote:

https://explorersweb.com/2019/01/09/crossing-antarctica-how-the-confusion-began-and-where-do-we-go-from-here/ 

Great photo. Everything you need to know. 

The guy sounds like an elite mouth-masturbator more than anything else.

jdejace wrote:

Great photo. Everything you need to know. 

Many seem to be forgetting to get to Antarctica on a sailboat from their hometown.

No yeah we plan on a human powered crossing no wind cheating for us!

Cherokee Nunes wrote:

No yeah we plan on a human powered crossing no wind cheating for us!

so true, I should have said row/paddle boat.

Give credit where credit is due.  While the “self-supported” aspects, distances, worthiness, etc. may be debated ad nauseum by us armchair adventurers,  he owns the first “self-fellating” crossing of Antarctica undisputed.  

Conquistadors of the Useless.

Some day we all will be thankful to make it to the kitchen unassisted for a sammich and it will mean as much to us.

I can almost guarantee he will come out with a book about his experience on k2 with "Impossible" in the title

O'Brady would make an excellent bouldering developer, he has so much creativity and enthusiasm.