Three international teams plan to climb Karakoram range peaks.

Byline: Jamil Nagri

GILGIT -- Members of three international winter expedition teams plan to climb Karakoram range peaks, including K2, GashAerAAbrum-I, GasherAbrum-II, Broad Peak and Batura Sar.

The members of the Broad Peak's winter expedition team comprises famous Russian mountaineer Denis Urubko, Don Bowie from Canada and Lotta Hintsa, a model and beauty pageant title holder who was crowned Miss Finland in 2013. This team has started its adventure.

According to tour operator Asghar, the expedition team will spend 90 days to climb Broad Peak and K2 this winter.

The expedition team aims to climb Broad Peak and then K2.

The official page of Denis Urubko said on Dec 12 that he started the adventure with his companions Bowie and Hintsa.

They have 20 local porters and five donkeys to carry the material that will be used by the mountaineers during the winter.

The expedition team started their adventure from Skardu on Dec 18, and reached Askole, the last village before advancing on foot along Baltoro on Friday.

'Today I am in Paju, surrounded by frozen waterfalls,' Urubko said via satellite. 'The valley is covered with clouds and snow.'

He said the next stops will be at Jula, Paju, Urdukas, Gore II and then Concordia.

According to sources, Urubko's goal is to scale Broad Peak and then move towards K2.

His team members, Bowie and Hintsa, will stay in the base camp to support the climber.

Italian climbers Simone Moro, 52, and Tamara Lunger, 33, will make a winter attempt on Gasherbrum II (8,034 metres) and Gasherbrum I (8,080 metres) in January 2020.

They want to traverse the two peaks in a single push via the Gasherbrum La at 6,400 metres.

The two mountaineers will arrive in Pakistan this month.

K2 winter expedition...