THE ‘CLIMBING CULTURE’ ON THE CHINESE NORTH SIDE OF K2 IS THE ABSENCE OF ONE
FOR 20 YEARS NOW WE’VE THOUGHT THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 IS SPECIAL PLACE, MORE SO NOW THAN EVER BEFORE. OVER THOSE SAME 20 YEARS WE HAVE ALSO SEEN THE CHANGES AROUND OTHER 8000m PEAKS – INCLUDING THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SAME MOUNTAIN – AND WHAT STRIKES US IS HOW THE SAME REASONS THAT ATTRACTED US TO THE NORTH SIDE BACK THEN, WE STILL FIND TO BE GOOD REASONS TO BE ATTRACTED THERE NOW.
1) THE VALUES
THE CHINESE NORTH SIDE OF K2 OFFERS UNPARALLELED VALUE TO THE 8000m CLIMBER IN BOTH DOLLARS & CLIMBING. THOUGHT OF AS JUST ANOTHER 8000m TRIP IT COMES IN TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF THE PRICE SPECTRUM – BUT THOUGHT OF AS AN INDEPENDENT EXPEDITION FOR A WESTERN-LEAD, SMALL TEAM WITH IT’S OWN SELF-SUFFICIENT LOGISTICS, CLIMBING ON A ROUTE NO ONE ELSE IS ON, IT AMOUNTS TO EXTRAORDINARY VALUE.
THE COSTS ON THE CHINESE SIDE OF K2 GO INTO AUTHENTIC EXPEDITION LOGISTICS. UNLIKE PLACES WHERE LARGE SCALE SEASONAL INDUSTRIES RUN CONSTANT SUPPLY CHAINS UP THE GLACIERS THROUGH SEASONAL TOURIST VILLAGES, LOGISTICS FOR THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 ARE ONE-OFF EVENTS RUN AS TRUE CARAVANS INTO HIGH ALTITUDE WILDERNESS. THE EQUIVALENT SOMEWHERE LIKE EVEREST OR THE PAKISTAN SIDE OF K2, IS EITHER IMPOSSIBLE OR WOULD COST DOUBLE.
THE COSTS FOR THE CHINESE SIDE SPREAD DIFFERENTLY TO HOW THEY DO ELSEWHERE, WITH A DIFFERENT ECONOMY, AUTHORITY & AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES BEHIND IT ALL. AN EXAMPLE IS THAT THE CAMELS REPRESENT GOOD VALUE; COSTING MORE THEY ALSO CARRY A LOT MORE THAN A PORTER, AND THIS WORKS OUT BOTH A GOOD DEAL IN DOLLARS TO KILOGRAMS & GIVES US A VERY EFFICIENT FOOTPRINT FOR LOGISTICS.
2) THE CLIMBING
THE REAL VALUE IN GOING TO THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 IS IN THE CLIMBING – THIS IS A LEVEL OF ALPINISM ALMOST UNAVAILABLE TO ALL BUT THE MOST ELITE TEAMS. NOWHERE ELSE CAN YOU CLIMB ON A WELL ESTABLISHED ROUTE THAT ISN’T CHOKED WITH SUN BLEACHED ROPES, CARPETED WITH DECADES OF SHREDDED TENTS OR CONTAMINATED WITH SEASONS OF HUMAN WASTE.
ON K2’S CHINESE SIDE EXPEDITIONS YOU ARE PAYING TO NOT WAIT ON FIXED LINES, SHARE TENT VILLAGES & JUGGLE THEIR SCHEDULES AROUND THE DOZENS OF OTHER CLIMBERS ALL PAYING FOR THE SAME THING, WHAT YOU FIND INSTEAD IS A HUGE EXPANSE OF ALPINE TERRAIN WITH THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY FOR MIXED ALPINE CLIMBING THERE IS.
3) THE ROUTE
THE NORTH RIDGE HAS BEEN CALLED THE MOST ELEGANT DIRECT LINE UP ANY 8000m PEAK ON EARTH. IF IT WEREN’T GUARDED BEHIND HIGH PASSES, UNINHABITABLE DESERT, WIDE RIVERS & 20km OF GLACIER IT MIGHT BE THE MOST TRAFFICKED 8000m LINE AS WELL. FOR THE ENTIRE NORTH SIDE OF K2 THE NORTH RIDGE IS THE FEATURE THAT CONNECTS THE GLACIER TO THE SUMMIT WITH EVEN NON-CLIMBERS STOPPED IN THEIR TRACKS BY IT. STEEP AND EXPOSED ON BOTH SIDES, THE 3500m ARETE OFFERS CONTINUOUS CLIMBING WITH FEW ABERRATIONS THAT IS BOTH TECHNICAL & DIRECT.
ROUTE CHOICES FOLLOW THE DISTINCT RIDGE, LINKING THE AVAILABLE CAMPS & SKIRTING AVALANCHE CHUTES & TRAVERSES. WITH VERY LITTLE DEBRIS FROM PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS, LINES FOLLOW MIXED TERRAIN THROUGH PASSAGES & CHUTES OF ROCK AND ICE AND CROSS FIELDS OF STEEP SNOW.
4) THE WILDERNESS
WILDERNESS IS NOT SOMETHING REALLY ASSOCIATED WITH 8000m CLIMBING THESE DAYS. THE GENERAL RANGES MAY STILL HAVE WILD AREAS LEFT IN THEM, BUT VERY FEW COMMERCIAL TRIPS GO INTO THEM. NOW DAYS 8000m TRIPS ARE SYNONYMOUS WITH WIFI FEEDS, HUMAN WASTE MANAGEMENT & WORK PARTIES MANTAINING FACILITIES – THE CONCEPTS OF WILDERNESS DON’T EVEN CROP UP IN THE ADVERTISING.
CONVERSELY GOING TO THE CHINESE SIDE OF K2 MEANS BASICALLY HAVING THE MAJORITY OF THE NORTH SIDE OF THE RANGE TO YOURSELF. AND THAT ISN’T IN REFERENCE TO THE CLIMBERS – THE ENTIRE NON-CLIMBING TEAM INCLUDING CAMP STAFF, CAMEL CREW & LIAISON STAFF ONLY AMOUNTS TO ANOTHER 7-8 PEOPLE. THIS MEANS DAYS ON THE APPROACH ARE IN THE QUIETUDE OF THE MOUNTAINS NOT THE ENDLESS BUSTLE & SANITATION ISSUES OF LARGE ORGANIZED CAMPS. BEING ON THE CHINESE SIDE OF THE KARAKORUM MEANS THERE ISN’T ANOTHER BASECAMP DOWN THE VALLEY, INSTEAD IT’S HUNDREDS MORE MILES OF GLACIER WHERE YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO FIND THE TRACKS OF BEARS THAN OF PEOPLE.
5) THE PRISTINENESS
IF THE PRISTINENESS OF A MOUNTAIN HAS VALUE TO YOU AS AN 8000m CLIMBER THEN IT’S POSSIBLE THIS IS THE ONLY CHANCE YOU HAVE TO EXPERIENCE IT. CROSSING INTO OUT OF THE YARKAND RIVER VALLEY THINGS BECOME NOTICEABLY WILDER WITH VERY LITTLE INDICATION OF THE REACH OF CIVILIZATION. WATERWAYS ARE CLEAN, THERE’S NO SOUND OF VEHICLES OR OTHER PEOPLE, THE ONLY MOVEMENT IS THE SHADOWS OF CLOUDS & WIND ACROSS THE RIVER FLOW.
HUMANITY NEVER HAS HAD A SIGNIFICANT PRESENCE OUT HERE AND PART OF THE REASON THE NORTH KARAKORUM IS SO PRISTINE IS THAT THE CAMELS MAKE NEED FOR SETTLEMENTS ALONG THE WAY UNNECESSARY. THE WATER IS STILL DRINKABLE, ORGANIC WASTE IS AT A LEVEL EASILY ABSORBED BY THE ECOLOGY, THE HUGE ANNUAL FREEZE-THAW CYCLE FLUSHES OUT ANYTHING IN THE VALLEYS. FOR ANYONE WHO’S NEVER SEEN WHAT PRISTINE HIGH ALTITUDE WILDERNESS IS LIKE THE DIFFERENCE IS STRIKING.
6) THE CAMELS
MAYBE IT’S JUST US BUT WE FIND THE BACTRIAN CAMELS THAT INHABIT THE REGION & FORM A CENTRAL PART TO ACCESSING THE NORTHERN KARAKORUM TO BE STARS OF THE SHOW. THESE ARE NO NOVELTY RIDES OR SHOW ANIMALS, THE CAMELS WE TRAVEL WITH ARE THE REAL DEAL AND WE ARE SEEING THEM IN THEIR INDIGENOUS STATE. THEIR DEMEANOUR, ABILITIES, SUSTAINABILITY & CULTURAL POSITION ARE EVERYTHING FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS IS BASED.
FROM THE MOMENT WE MEET UP WITH THE CARAVAN – BY WHICH TIME THEY HAVE ALREADY COME A DAY OR TWO FROM THEIR SUMMER PASTURES – THEY SET THE STYLE & ATTITUDE FOR THE TRIP; STEADILY FORWARD AT A SUSTAINABLE PACE. GENTLE BUT IMPOSING ANIMALS FAR MORE ELEGANT THAN THEY FIRST SEEN, THEY ARE AS MUCH PART OF THE LANDSCAPE AS THE RIVERS & PEAKS AND COVER THE DISTANCES SEEMINGLY EFFORTLESSLY. OTHER THAN SIMPLY BEING THE BEARERS OF OUR LOADS, THEY ARE THE KEY TO THE TRIPS VERY POSSIBILITY BY GETTING US ACROSS THE RIVERS – IF NOTHING ELSE INSTILS IN YOU HOW SPECIAL THIS ALL IS, RIDING A BACTRIAN ACROSS HUNDREDS OF METERS OF ICY WATER WILL BRING IT HOME.
7) THE CULTURES
THE ‘CLIMBING CULTURE’ ON THE CHINESE NORTH SIDE OF K2 IS THE ABSENCE OF ONE. NOWHERE ALONG THE WAY ARE THERE SHOPS SELLING DOWN SUITS, TEA HOUSES ADVERTISING WIFI, PORTERS SELLING BOTTLES OF COKE FOR $10 OR KIDS BEGGING IN FIVE DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. IN IT’S PLACE ARE THE CENTRAL ASIAN PEOPLE WHO FOR CENTURIES HAVE LIVED ACROSS THE TURKESTANI OASES AND FOR WHOM FOREIGN CLIMBERS ARE AS ALIEN NOW AS THEY EVER HAVE BEEN.
TIMES OF COURSE HAVE CHANGED A LOT IN XINJIANG, BUT THEY’VE CHANGED TO THE BEAT OF THEIR OWN DRUM THAT BARELY INCLUDES TOURISM. NOMADS STILL BRING THEIR HERDS TO MARKETS, JADE TRADERS STILL CUT BY THE ROAD SIDE, GRAPE GROWERS STILL DRY THEIR PRODUCE IN MUD BRICK ENCLOSURES. EXPEDITIONS THAT PASSED THROUGH HERE A CENTURY AGO FOUND THE SAME DEGREE OF CULTURAL MIXING AS WE DO TODAY, WITH THE MIX OF COMPETING STATES, CROSS BORDER TRADERS, FARMERS, HERDERS & FRONTIER WORKERS.
8) THE SAFETY
EVERYONE WANTS CLIMBING TO BE SAFER AND THERE’S TWO MAIN WAYS TO ACHEIVE THAT – SAFER PLACES TO CLIMB, AND SAFER WAYS TO CLIMB THEM.
THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 IS RELATIVELY SAFER BECAUSE IT’S COOLER, MORE EXPOSED, MORE DIRECT & HAS LESS PEOPLE ON IT THAN ANY OTHER ROUTE ON K2. IT STILL HAS IT’S SHARE OF RISKS OF COURSE, BUT ADD ALL THAT UP AND YOU GET A ROUTE MORE STABLE, LESS AVALANCHED, MORE OBSERVABLE & LESS PRONE TO HUMAN FACTORS LIKE KNOCKING DOWN DEBRIS & SLOWING DOWN PROGRESS – ALL BASICS OF COMMON CLIMBING PRACTICE.
9) THE STYLE
WE TALK A LOT ABOUT THE STYLE OF 8000m TRIPS AT FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS BECAUSE WE WANT TO AVOID THE ‘ETHICAL MONOCULTURE’ THAT 8000m EXPEDITIONS HAS ALMOST BECOME. WE ARE FINE WITH THE COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL ETHICS FOUND ELSEWHERE THAT GET LARGE GROUPS OF PEOPLE UP & DOWN HIGH MOUNTAINS, WE RESPECT THEY ARE THE APPROPRIATE ETHICS FOR THOSE PLACES – BUT THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 IS DIFFERENT.
ISOLATED FROM THE EVER-PRESENT DEBATE THAT GOES ON OVER ON THE BALTORO, THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 IS ONE OF THE LAST PLACES LEFT WHERE THE HIGHEST ALPINE STANDARDS ARE DEFAULT. WHILST IT’S TRUE THAT THINGS LIKE SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN, SIEGE TACTICS & MACR0-FIXING HAVE BEEN USED HERE, THEY HAVE ALL BEEN REJECTED AS IT WAS REALIZED THE ROUTES COULD BE CLIMBED WITHOUT THEM. THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE ON AN 8000m PEAK WHERE WE KNOW THIS HAS HAPPENED – WHICH MAKES IT SPECIAL – AND EVEN IF WE WANTED TO, ROLLING OUT SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN, FIXED ROPES & FAST TRACKED TRIPS WOULD BE PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE. (IT’S WORTH NOTING HERE THAT A DECADE AGO SUPPLEMENTARY OXYGEN & ROUTE FIXING WERE ALMOST ABSENT FROM THE PAKISTAN SIDE OF K2 TOO – IT’S BEEN FIRMLY ESTABLISHED FOR A LONG TIME THAT K2 IS CLIMBABLE WITHOUT THEM) BY IT’S VERY NATURE THE CHINESE SIDE OF K2 PRESERVES THE TRUE ALPINE STYLE OF CLIMBING BY FAIR MEANS ON A FACE NOT RELEVANT TO INDUSTRIAL-SCALE LOGISTICS.
10) THE FUTURE
THIS SOUNDS CORNY, BUT CONSIDER WHAT THE NEXT 10 YEARS FOR 8000m CLIMBING WILL PROBABLY LOOK LIKE BASED ON THE PREVIOUS DECADE. THE LAST 10 YEARS HAS SEEN HUGE GROWTH IN THE INDUSTRY – TEN FOLD ON THE PAKISTAN SIDE OF K2 ALONE – WITH MORE COMPANIES PUTTING MORE PEOPLE AND MORE OF EVERYTHING ELSE ONTO THE SLOPES OF 8000m MOUNTAINS. THE BALTORO, KHUMBU, ROMBUK, ANNAPURNA SANCTUARY ETC ARE FEELING THE RESULTS OF NON-STOP HUMAN TRAFFIC THAT HOWEVER EFFICIENT IT HAS BECOME IS STILL OUT-WEIGHED BY SHEER NUMBERS. ROADS GO EVER FURTHER OUT, HELICOPTERS HAVE BECOME REGULAR SERVICES, THE SEASONAL MIGRATION OF LABOURERS IS NOW A HUGE FOOTPRINT OF RESOURCES ALONE.
IT’S THE WAY OF HUMANITY AND WE HAVE NO REASON TO CHANGE IT – BUT WE HAVE EVERY REASON TO MAINTAIN ONE PLACE WHERE IT HASN’T TAKEN ROOT. GOING INTO THE NORTHERN, CHINESE SIDE, OF THE KARAKORUM IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEMONSTRATE THESE THINGS CAN BE DONE WITH EFFECTIVELY NO FOOTPRINT. IT’S A CHANCE TO DO IT RIGHT BEFORE THE NEED TO UNDO THE PROBLEMS ARISES.
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