FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITION’S PRE-ACCLIMATION PROGRAM IS A WAY OF MAKING THE EXPEDITION TIMELINE MORE EFFECTIVE BY HARNESSING ADVANCES IN INFRASTRUCTURE IN TIBET & XINJIANG, FLIGHT SCHEDULING & MODELS FOR LOGISTICS. THIS IS NOT HOW THE HIGH TECH FAST-TRACKED ASCENTS FOUND ELSEWHERE OPERATE. CLIMBERS LOOKING TO BUY HOME-BASED MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY & TRAINING ROUTINES, HELICOPTER TRANSFERS, ULTRA-HIGH FLOW SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN & HIGHLY STAFFED LOGISTICS TO SUBSTITUTE FOR THE REALLITIES OF 8000m CLIMBING WILL NOT FIND THOSE THINGS HERE.
WHAT CLIMBERS WILL FIND IS EVERY METER OF THE GENUINE 8000m K2 EXPERIENCE LEFT IN PLACE, WITH THE ‘SLOW BURN’ TRADITIONAL ACCLIMATION PROCESS SUBSTITUTED FOR THE ADVANTAGES OF THE RAPID BUT GENUINE ACCLIMATION POSSIBILITIES ONLY EASTERN TIBET CAN ALLOW. THE PRACTICE ISN’T NEW – BUT THE PLACES WE ARE DOING IT HAVE NEVER HAD THIS BEFORE.
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SINCE FLOATING THE IDEA DISCUSSIONS HAVE MOVED ON WITH A PRIMARY CONCERN EMERGING OF OUR IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE NORTHERN KARAKORAM. AS MORE PEOPLE GET INTERESTED IN GOING THERE WE HAVE CHOSEN TO START THE PROCESS OF IMPACT MITIGATION AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE BY SIMPLY REDUCING THE NUMBER OF DAYS SPENT OUT THERE THAT CAN MORE EFFICIENTLY BE SPENT SOMEWHERE ELSE.
OUR MODELLING SAYS COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS K2 CHINESE SIDE EXPEDITION SCHEDULE THIS WORKS OUT EFFECTIVELY THE SAME
- FLIGHTS ARE THE SAME, IF NOT MORE EFFICIENT AS BY FLYING INTO CHENGDU RATHER THAN URUMQI IT’S PROBABLY A MORE COMMON FLIGHT PATH (DEPENDS WHERE YOU’RE COMING FROM OF COURSE)
- ROAD TRANSIT WORKS OUT ALMOST THE SAME, THE TRIP UP ONTO THE TIBETAN PLATEAU IS ABOUT HALF THE DRIVING WE WOULD HAVE DONE ANYWAY FERRYING AROUND KASHGAR AND VEHICLES OUT TO THE TRAILHEAD. WE NOW TRAVEL THIS LEG IN UNDER HALF THE TIME IN MORE EFFICIENT VEHICLES
- WILDERNESS IMPACT, CLIMBERS ON THIS ITINERARY HAVE ABOUT 2 WEEKS LESS OF CONSUMING STOVE FUEL & LIVING IN CAMPS; THIS TRANSLATES PER CLIMBER TO ABOUT 1250g OF FUEL NOT BURNED, 14 SOLID TOILET DEPOSITS NOT MADE, 50 LIQUID TOILET DEPOSITS NOT MADE, 50 DISHES NOT WASHED, 10 AAA BATTERIES NOT DRAINED & 4 LOTS OF WASHING POWDER NOT USED.
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ADVANTAGES OF INTEGRATED PREACCLIMATION
THE COST
SWAPPING OUT THE PREACCLIMATION PROGRAM FOR THE EXTRA TIME IN XINJIANG EQUALS OUT TO COST NOTHING MORE, NOTING IN THIS CASE YOUR TRIP COST NOW INCLUDES THE DOMESTIC FLIGHTS INTO/OUT OF XINJIANG.
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THE TIME LINE
WE GET THAT 8000m TRIPS TAKE A BIG CHUNK OF TIME, AND THAT ONE REASON THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 SEES SO LITTLE TRAFFIC IS IT TAKES LONGER THAN MOST. WE GET THAT IN MOST CASES THE TIME IT TAKES IS THE FIRST PRICE OF ENTRY, BUT WE ALSO REALIZE THATSHORTENING THINGS BY A LITTLE CHANGES IT FROM A MAYBE TO A ‘HELL YEAH’.
THE HIGH ALTITUDE EXPERIENCE
NO OTHER EXPEDITION HAS TIBET & THE KARAKORAM IN A SINGLE ITINERARY. THIS IS BOTH A TRIP THROUGH A RARELY VISITED PART OF TIBET PACKED WITH UNCLIMBED PEAKS TO 6000m & TO THE HIGHEST ALTITUDE WILDERNESS SURROUNDING K2. IF ‘MOUNTAIN TIME’ IS THE GOAL THEN THIS IS THE WAY TO ACHEIVE IT. IN THE COURSE OF THIS TRIP 95% OF THE PEAKS YOU WILL SEE HAVE NOT BEEN NAMED OR CLIMBED – MOST OF THEM WILL NEVER HAD ANYONE TO THE BASE OF THEM LET ALONG THE SUMMIT.
THE ALPINE ADVANTAGES
USING THIS PRE-ACCLIMATION METHOD LETS YOU GET ONTO K2’S NORTH RIDGE IN THE BEST POSSIBLE PHYSICAL CONDITION WE KNOW HOW. THE PHASE IN TIBET IS ALMOST LAZY, FUNCTIONING UNIQUELY AS BOTH A TRAINING TAPER & AS ACCLIMATION. ALL THE REST TIME ALLOWS THE BODY THE +5000m OF GENUINE ADAPTION YOU WILL ARRIVE AT K2 WITH WHICH IS FAR AHEAD OF THE CONDITION MOST PEOPLE START CLIMBING WITH, TRANSLATING INTO THE BEST ADVANTAGE YOU CAN BRING TO THE OBJECTIVE. IF YOU’VE SPENT A YEAR OR MORE TRAINING FOR THE NORTH RIDGE ROUTE THIS IS THE ULTIMATE WAY TO APPROACH IT.
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FAQ
COULD AN INDEPENDANT ACCLIMATION PROCESS ELSEWHERE BE SUBSTITUTED THEN JOIN THE SHORTENED SCHEDULE?
THERE’S MULTIPLE ISSUES WITH THIS
- DOES THE EFFICACY OF OTHER PROCESSES MATCH UP? WE HAVE OUR DOUBTS ANY OTHER PROCESS SHORT OF COMING DIRECTLY FROM TIME ON ANOTHER +6000m WILL, AND THERE WILL STILL BE EXPENSES WITH THE ADAPTED LOGISTICS FOR YOUR EQUIPMENT. BUT CONTACT US TO DISCUSS, IF IT WORKS WE WILL DO IT.
- REGARDLESS OF ALTERNATIVE PROCESS, WE NEED TO HAVE YOUR GEAR PRE-ARRANGED. IT’S NOT IMPOSSIBLE, BUT LEAVING IT UP TO THE MECHANATIONS OF A SEPERATE DELIVERY SERVICE IS ASKING FOR TROUBLE.
- THE SCHEDULES NEED TO SYNCH. OUR ITINERARY IS BASED AROUND REGULAR FLIGHTS FROM CHENGDU WE BOOK IN BULK THROUGH OUR PARTNERS IN CHINA. WE ARRIVE IN KASHGAR TOGETHER AND LEAVE DIRECT FROM THE AIRPORT. ALTERATIONS TO THIS QUICKLY BEGIN TO COMPROMISE THE ACCLIMATION GAINS WE – OR YOU – MAY HAVE MADE.
- IT’S STILL NOT WITHOUT COSTS. THIS WOULDN’T BE A WAY TO MAKE THINGS CHEAPER AS YOU STILL NEED TO ACCLIMATE SOMEWHERE WITHIN A DAYS FLIGHT, GET YOUR GEAR SENT TO GO OUT, BE ON ALL THE SPECIFIC PERMITS & COVER COSTS FOR THE APPROACH LOGISTICS
BUT TRY US. IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE A PROCESS THAT WILL WORK, LIKE IF YOU’VE JUST COME OFF A HIGH TRIP IN NEPAL AND HAVE THE WINDOW TO WORK WITH, WE WILL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO. WE VALUE THE INITIATIVE.
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CAN I DO A FULL BLOWN 6000m ASCENT IN TIBET INSTEAD OF THE ACCLIMATION ITINERARY?
NOW WE ARE TALKING. THIS IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE SO LONG AS a) THE RECOVERY PERIOD DOESN’T COMPROMISE WITH LOSS OF ACCLIMATION – REMEMBER THE PRIORITY WILL BE K2, AND b) WE CAN SCHEDULE YOUR GEAR TO KASHGAR FOR THE INITIAL APPROACH CARAVAN. IF RESOLVED, IT WOULD DEFINITELY BE POSSIBLE TO DO A 3 – 4 WEEK ASCENT (PROBABLY USING SOMETHING NEARLY IDENTICAL TO THE ACCLIMATION SCHEDULE PRESENTED HERE) OF A ‘WARM UP PEAK’ THAT WOULD BE EXCELLENT FOR STARTING OFF THE K2 PROCESS. TIME SPENT AT 6000m WOULD EVER FURTHER ENHANCE THE AFFECT IF DONE EFFECTIVELY.
CONTACT US TO DISCUSS IDEAS
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