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THE BEST EXPEDITIONS ALMOST ALWAYS START WTH A BUNCH OF DISTANT, BLURRY PHOTOS, OFTEN WITH SOMETHING ELSE IN THE FOREGROUND. SUCH OBJECTIVES TEND TO BE OUTSIDE OF NORMAL EXPERIENCE, HENCE THEY ARE STILL UNTOUCHED TO THIS DAY, AND IT’S ONLY BY GOING FURTHER INTO AREAS THAN OTHERS DO ARE THINGS LIKE ENTIRE NEW ICE AREAS FOUND.
THIS IS A COLLECTION OF ABOUT A DOZEN MULTIPITCH ICEFALLS, ON GRANITE FLANKS RISING ABOVE PINE FOREST. THESE ARE ICEFALLS AT FAIRLY HIGH ALTITUDE, AROUND 5000m AND AMONGST 5700m PEAKS, AND ARE TIERED UP WANDERING FISSURES TO SNOW FIELDS THAT FEED THEM FROM ABOVE. UNCLIMBED – THOUGH WE HAVE CLIMBED NEARBY – THIS IS TRUE EXPEDITION CLIMBING OF UNKNOWN ROUTES AND SO REQUIRES THE FULL GAMMUT OF EXPEDITION THINKING, BUT IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO HABITATION TO NOT NEED THE EXTENSIVE APPROACH LOGISTICS MOST OF OUR TRIPS DEMAND.
THIS IS FRONTIER ICE CLIMBING IN A PLACE YOU WON’T HAVE HEARD OF AND SOMEWHERE WE WON’T BE DISCLOSING, OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE WISHES OF THE LOCAL NOMADS WHO VISIT THE HOT SPRINGS THERE. YES, WE SAID HOT SPRINGS, SOMETHING THAT ALONE MAKES THIS TRIP UNIQUE, HAVING A SIDE OF EAST TIBETAN LIVING THAT FEW OUTSIDERS EXPERIENCE. THOUGH AUTHENTICALLY EXPLORATORY, THIS TRIP IS NOT INTENDED AS A SUFFERFEST, AND HYBRIDIZES THE BEST OF ICE CLIMBING WITH THE BEST OF TIBETAN CULTURE.
TO BE FAIR, TIBET IS COVERED IN ICEFALLS, ESPECIALLY THE NORTH EAST WHERE THERE’S MORE PRECIPITATION TO FEED THEM, WITH THE FAMOUS VALLEYS AT SHUANGQIAOGOU NEAR SIGUNIANGSHAN BEING GOOD EXAMPLES. THE DIFFERENCE HERE IS THAT THE PRIME SEASON IS SPRING, WHEN THE DAYS ARE LONGER. LIKE OUR ICE CLIMBING TRIPS INTO THE GOBI DESERT, THIS IS A TRUE EXPEDITION, AND WILL REQUIRE TIME TO ACCLIMATE AND COVER THE DISTANCES THAT ARE WHAT TIBET IS ALL ABOUT.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
+ 10 DAYS
+ EARLY APRIL 2026 (EXACT DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED)
+ ALL IN-COUNTRY LOGISTICS, ACCOMMODATION & MEALS*
+ ALL PERMITS & ACCESS COSTS
+ EXPEDITION TEAM SHIRT
*NOT INCLUDING DAY FOOD WHEN CLIMBING
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THIS EXPEDITION IS OPEN TO EVERYONE AND IS NOT A CLOSED TEAM, THOUGH NUMBERS WILL BE KEPT SMALL. THE CLIMBING WILL COVER A RANGE OF ABILITIES, THOUGH A REASONABLE LEVEL OF ICE CLIMBING ABILITY IS NEEDED – THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO LEARN. AS A TRUE EXPEDITION THERE WILL BE MUCH MORE THAN JUST CLIMBING, IN A PART OF THE WORLD WITH NO ‘CLIMBING BUBBLE’ AND THAT HAS SEEN FEW OUTSIDERS.
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