YOU REALIZE ON THE FIRST DAY YOU’RE NOT DOING THINGS 1000 PEOPLE BEFORE YOU ALREADY HAVE. IT TAKES A WHILE TO ADJUST TO
ALEX S
ALL 8000m PEAKS ARE OF COURSE UNIQUE, BUT THE PROCESSES TO CLIMB THEM ARE LESS SO. NOW THAT THE SAME COMPANIES RUN ALMOST EVERY TRIP TO ALL THE COMMON ROUTES, IT’S MADE IT INEVITABLE THAT ASIDE FROM THE LOCATION IT’S THE SAME ON ONE PEAK AS IT IS ON ANOTHER. EVEN THE BIG DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NEPAL & PAKISTAN HAVE ERODED AWAY. MANY CLIMBERS FIND GREAT COMFORT IN THIS, LIKING THE FAMILIAR FACES, FAMILIAR RESOURCES, FAMILIAR EXPECTATIONS. BUT A FEW ARE ALWAYS LOOKING OUTSIDE THE BUBBLE.
PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ABOUT THE CHINESE SIDE OF K2 IS DIFFERENT, SO WHITTLING IT DOWN TO A CONVENIENT 10 TOOK SOME TRYING, BUT HERE YOU ARE;
1) CAMELS
WE GET CALLED OUT ALL THE TIME FOR MAKING A BIG DEAL ABOUT THE CAMELS, BUT REALLY THEY SET THE ENTIRE TONE OF THE TRIP. WHAT THEY CAN & CAN’T DO DEFINES HOW EVERYTHING FLOWS, AND THIER NATURES AND THE CHARACTERS OF THE PEOPLE THAT HERD THEM ARE AS INTEGRAL AS THE BALTIS, HUNZAKUTS & SHERPAS ARE TO TRIPS ELSEWHERE. WITH THE CAMELS, TRIPS TO THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 WOULD CHANGE COMPLETELY, AND NOT JUST THEIR ABILITY TO CARRY AND BE RIDDEN – STARTING THE DAY WITH AN ESPRESSO AS THE CAMELS GET GOING IS SOMETHING SPECIAL AND WE ARE PROUD TO BE HELPING KEEP THESE INDIGENOUS ANIMALS AND THE CULTURE AROUND THEM IN WORK.
2) THE QUIETUDE
STRAIGHT AWAY UPON LEAVING THE ROADHEAD YOU NOTICE HOW QUIET IT IS. SIMPLY THE FACT THAT A CARAVAN OF CAMELS AND A FEW PEOPLE DON’T MAKE MUCH NOISE, BUT ALSO THE SILENCE OF THE RIVERS, THAT UNLIKE THE UPPER INDUS, ARE NOT THE CRASHING GRADE 6 WHITE WATER FOUND THERE, BUT MOSTLY WIDE, MEANDERING AND SHALLOW.
CAMPS ARE ALSO SMALL, WITH THE SHUFFLING OF THE CAMELS REPLACING THE BUSY, ENDLESS ACTIVITY OF LARGE GROUPS OF PORTERS, AND CROSSING THE HIGH PASSES IS JUST THE SOUND OF OCCASIONAL BIRDS AND THE WIND.
3) THE FOOD
IT’S CHINA – YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING. THIS DOESN’T MEAN WE BRING ALONG ANYTHING TOO WEIRD, BUT IT MEANS THAT IN THE BIG CITIES WE SOURCE FROM WE CAN GET MUESLI FROM SWITZERLAND, PASTA FROM ITALY, LAKSA PASTE FROM MALAYSIA, CHOCOLATE FROM AUSTRALIA, BEANS FROM BRAZIL & COFFEE FROM AMERICA. THEN OF COURSE OUR KITCHEN CREW ARE FROM SICHUAN SO IT’S THE BEST OF WHAT CHINA HAS, AND THE LOCAL NOODLES & STEWS THAT THE UYGHERS & KYRGYZ EAT, AND IT’S LIKE HAVING YOUR OWN PRIVATE FOOD FAIR.
4) SANITATION
WE ACTUALLY RANK THIS FIRST BECAUSE WE KNOW NO GREATER RISK EXISTS ON COMMERCIAL TRIPS THAN SANITATION. BUT NOT ON THE NORTH SIDE. THERE’S NO OLD LATRINES TO STUMBLE INTO, NO YEARS OF FROZEN URINE IN THE CAMPS, NO OLD FOOD DUMPED IN CREVASSES, NO RABID DOGS, NO KIDS WITH HEPATITUS, THE RIVER WATER HAS NO HABITATION UP STREAM, BASECAMP HAS SPRING WATER YOU CAN DRINK FROM. ENOUGH SAID.
5) CAMP FIRES
THERE’S ENOUGH DRIFTWOOD IN THE SHAKSGAM RIVER TO HAVE OCCASIONAL CAMP FIRES, AND WE CAN CARRY IN SOME JUST FOR THE PURPOSE. NOTE WE NEVER CUT FIREWOOD, SO THE EXTENT OF HAVING CAMP FIRES IS A BIT RANDOM, LIKEWISE WE DON’T LIKE LEAVING SCARS ON THE LANDSCAPE SO WE KEEP FIRES TO PLACES WHERE IT’S ALREADY SOMETHING THE LOCAL HERDERS DO.
BUT YEAH – IT’S AMAZING.
6) THE ROUTE
EVERY 8000m ROUTE IS UNIQUE – SORT OF. OF COURSE THEY ALL COVER DIFFERENT TERRAIN, BUT THESE DAYS THEY’RE ALL SET UP IN THE SAME WAY, WITH THE SAME TENTS (QUITE LITERALLY OFTEN), THE SAME RIGGING & THE SAME WAY OF CLIMBING. WE KNOW, WE’VE DONE A FEW.
BUT THE NORTH RIDGE OF K2 IS WHAT AN 8000m ROUTES IS LIKE WITH ALL THAT REMOVED. YOU ACTUALLY CLIMB RATHER THAN JUG ALONG IN LINE, AND CAMPS ARE SET ACCORDING TO AVAILABILITY, NOT COMPANY. CLIMB THE NORTH RIDGE 2 YEARS IN A ROW AND IT WILL BE 2 DIFFERENT ASCENTS – AND YOU WON’T BE FOLLOWING DECADES OF SUN BLEACHED JUNK TO KNOW YOUR WAY.
7) THE PEOPLE
BOTH THE LOCALS & THE FOREIGN CLIMBERS ARE DIFFERENT TO ANYWHERE ELSE.
THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE OUR TRIPS HAPPEN ARE CHINESE DOING THE LIAISONS, KYRGYZ RUNNING THE ACCESS & UYGHERS RUNNING THE LOGISTICS. EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN LANGUAGE & CULTURE STILL DISTINCT BESIDES MILLENIA OF INTERACTION. UNTIL RECENTLY THESE CULTURES HAD HAD ALMOST NOTHING TO DO WITH THOSE OF EUROPE, SO WE ARE AS FASCINATING TO THEM AS THEY ARE TO US. IT’S A CHANCE TO SEE HOW OTHER PEOPLE DO THINGS.
THE CLIMBERS TOO DON’T REPRESENT THE NORMAL 8000m CROWD, SOME COMING HERE TO ESCAPE IT. NOT NECESSARILY ANY BETTER AT CLIMBING, EVERYBODY WE GO OUT WITH IS THERE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DO THESE THINGS THEMSELVES, NOT SEEING THEMSELVES AS MERE TOURISTS. THIS MAKES THE BACKGROUNDS OF THESE CLIMBERS OFTEN DIFFERENT, USUALLY WITH DIFFERENT ASCENTS IN THEIR RESUMES. THEIR SKILLSETS ARE DIFFERENT, THE CONVERSATIONS ARE DIFFERENT. ‘THE MISFITS WHO FIT TOGETHER’ HAS BEEN VOICED AS AN ADPT DESCRIPTION.
8) THE CULTURE
A TRIP TO THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 HAS A LOT OF IT. NOT SIMPLY THE DIVERSITY OF CULTURE AS WE MENTIONED ABOVE – BUT THE PRESENCE OF IT.
IT’S BECOME INCREASINGLY EASY TO SKIP THROUGH NEPAL & PAKISTAN AND STAY ENTIRELY INSIDE THE GOLDFISH BOWL OF WESTERN CULTURE, WITH MINIMAL CONTACT WITH THE LOCALS. MOST PEOPLE THAT WILL TALK WITH YOU DO SO FOR WORK, MOST THINGS YOU DO YOU WILL DO IN AN ISOLATED AREA SET UP FOR WESTERN-STYLE CLIMBING. COMMERCIAL 8000m CLIMBING ITSELF HAS A STRONG CULTURE UNTO ITSELF THAT IT OVER-RIDES THE CULTURE IT’S ON TOP OF.
BUT NOT IN THE NORTHERN KARAKORAM.
FROM ARRIVAL IN KASHGAR YOU FIND YOU ARE SOMEWHERE WESTERN CLIMBING CULTURE IS IRRELEVANT. ANY IN ENGLISH OR EVEN LATIN SCRIPT IS INFREQUENT, IT’S CENTRAL ASIA OR NOTHING. THE UYGHERS & KYRGYZ WE TRAVEL WITH HAVE DONE THIS HISTORICALLY – RUNNING CARAVANS INTO WILDERNESS ISN’T SOEMTHING THAT POPPED UP WITH FOREIGNERS A FEW DECADES AGO. BOTH THEIR CULTURES AND THE CULTURES OF CHINA ARE THE OVERWHELMING FOREGROUND TO THESE TRIPS – AND AT FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS WE DO LITTLE TO CHANGE THAT. BY THE END OF THESE TRIPS YOU WILL KNOW HOW TO SAY HELLO IN 3 MORE LANGUAGES, HOW TO RIDE A BACTRIAN CAMEL, HOW TO SHAKE HANDS IN CENTRAL ASIA, WHAT THE OLD TRADE ROUTES WERE THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS, HOW TO COOK DUMPLINGS LIKE A NOMAD & THE DETAILS OF SOUTHERN XINJIANG. AND YOU’LL HAVE GOT IT FROM THE SOURCE.
9) CHINESE INFRASTRUCTURE
WE MAY USE CAMELS TO CROSS THE RIVERS, BUT FROM KASHGAR TO THE TRAILHEAD IT’S FREEWAYS ACROSS DESERTS & RAPID LOGISTICS. MOST NOTABLE IF YOU USE OUR PRE-ACCLIMATION OPTION, MODERN CHINESE INFRASTRUCTURE RUNS THINGS IN WAYS ONLY DREAMT OF SOUTH OF THE KARAKORAM DIVIDE. ROAD TRANSPORT COVERS IN HOURS WHAT ELSEWHERE TAKES DAYS, COMMUNICATIONS GET US DATA TO MAKE DECISIONS ANYWHERE, INSTANTLY, DELIVERY SYSTEMS LETS US MOVE STUFF CHEAPLY ACROSS A COUNTRY HALF THE BREADTH OF THE USA AGAIN. THIS ALL MAKES THE ORGANIZATIONAL LOGISTICS STUNNINGLY EFFICIENT & RELIABLE. WE’VE SEEN WASHED OUT HIGH ALTITUDE ROADS FIXED IN MINUTES, WEATHER REPORTS SEND TO BASECAMPS 24hrs & FORGOTTEN CRAMPONS SEND OUT OVERNIGHT TO NOMADIC VILLAGES.
OF COURSE IT ALSO MAKES THE AIRPORTS, HOSPITALS & HOTELS NICER TOO.
10) THE GEAR
JUST YOUR BASIC HARNESS FOR THE NORTH SIDE IS DIFFERENT. THIS IS PROPER ALPINE CLIMBING, SO BE READY IF ALL YOU’RE USED TO CARRYING IS AN ASCENDER.
EVERYTHING FROM THE VEHICLES FROM KASHGAR TO THE BOOTS YOU USE COMES TOGETHER TO FORM A DIFFERENT SET OF STUFF THAT NO OTHER STANDARD 8000m ROUTE USES. WE PACK FOR PORTAGE BY CAMELS, WE USE VERY NICE VEHICLES FOR EFFICIENT FREEWAY TRANSIT, OUR CLIMBING GEAR IS MORE STRIPPED DOWN, YOUR BOOTS & CRAMPONS ARE SET UP FOR TECHNICAL CLIMBING, THE TENTS ARE DIFFERENT BECAUSE THEY GO IN DIFFERENT PLACES, WE USE DIFFERENT STOVES, THE ROPES ARE NOT WHAT YOU FIND ON NORMAL 8000m ASCENTS. THE MOST NOTABLE DIFFERENCE IS THE ABSENCE OF SUPPLEMENTARY OXYGEN – WITHOUT WHICH EVERYTHING ELSE CHANGES AROUND IT, FREEING YOU UP TO CLIMB TO YOUR ABILITY, NOT TO WHERE THE BOTTLES ARE.
IN THE 8000m WORLD THE STUFF YOU USE ON THIS TRIP IS A MIX FROM ACROSS SEVERAL STYLES OF CLIMBING UNIQUE TO THIS ROUTE, CLIMBED THIS WAY.
