Month: June 2023

SINCE CHINA HAS REOPENED WE ARE BUSY RESTARTING TRIPS AFTER 3 YEARS. THIS INCLUDES TO THE NORTH SIDE OF K2, AN AREA NOTORIOUSLY REMOTE AND LITTLE DOCUMENTED, THAT HAS SEEN NO PRESENCE UP THE GLACIER IN OVER A DECADE. EVEN IN THE BUSIEST OF YEARS THE NORTH SIDE OF THE KARAKORAM USUALLY SAW NO ONE…
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TO DO WHAT WE DO TAKES A HUGE RESERVOIR OF UNIQUE KNOWLEDGE, THAT COMES FROM A CLIMBERS EYE SO IT COVERS ALL THE DETAILS. OTHER SOURCES HAVEN’T COME FROM LONG HOURS ON FOOT, MAKING SICHUAN MOUNTAIN GUIDE UNIQUE IN THE WORLD OF EXPEDITION PLANNING. EACH OF US AT FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS RUNS OUR OWN…
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IF YOU’RE TRAINING SPECIFICALLY FOR HIGH ALTITUDE THEN THE VAST AMOUNT OF YOUR TIME AND EFFORT WILL BE GOING ON SUSTAINABLE ENDURANCE. EVEN THE MOST ELITE TRAINING SCHEDULES FOR ALPINISM VERY RARELY BREAK MORE THAN FIVE HOURS A WEEK DEVOTED TO UPPER BODY STRENGTH, WHICH MEANS EVERY MINUTE COUNTS AS BEING PRODUCTIVE. WE HAVE LONG…
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GOOD CLIMBING AT THE HIGEST ALTITUDES IS BUILT ON THE BACK OF GOOD CLIMBING AT LOWER ONES, AND AS STEVE HOUSE PUT IT “TO DO HARD ROUTES AT 8000m START WITH HARD ROUTES AT 6000m”. CLIMBING BELOW 5000m OF COURSE IS A HUGE PART OF ANY PROGRESSION AS WE’VE DISCUSSED HERE, BUT AT SOME POINT…
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WE’RE NOT KIDDING WHEN WE CALL OUR EXPEDITION GROUPS ‘TEAMS’. THIS IS NOT SOME SLEAZY WAY TO SOUND PRO OR ALTERNATIVE, IT IS EXACTLY HOW THINGS RUN. AT THE FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL OF ACQUIRING PERMITS AND ORGANIZATION, WE PRESENT AS THE FTRE TEAM AND LOGGED AS AN INDEPENDENT AND CLEARLY DEFINED GROUP. THERE ARE NO BOTTOMLESS…
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IT DOESNT HAVE TO BE FUN TO BE FUN…..BUT IT HELPS. THANKS TO THE WRITING OF HERZOG, TWIGHT, KIRKPATRICK AND COUNTLESS OTHERS THE IDEA OF FUN SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN STRAINED OUT OF EXPEDITION CLIMBING, TO THE DEGREE THAT NOT ONLY IS CLIMBING MEASURED BY THE SUFFERING, IT IS HARD TO CONVINVE SOME TO EXPERIENCE…
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THERE WAS A TIME WHEN CLIMBERS LOOKED AT MAPS AND OBSCURE PHOTOS, SAW SOMETHING THEY LIKED, THEN LINED UP AN EXPEDITION BEHIND IT. THE VERY UNKNOWNESS OF AN OBJECTIVE WAS REASON TO DO IT, THE URGE TO GO WHERE THERE WAS NOTHING DOCUMENTED, AND TRY AND DO SOMETHING NEW. FROM THIS NEW FORMS OF CLIMBING…
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TRIP COSTS REFLECT THESE YEARS OF CHANGES, AND TO OUR ASTONISHMENT WORKED OUT EVEN LOWER THAN EXPECTED, BEING AMONG THE CHEAPER TRIPS TO K2 AND THE KARAKORAM THAT ARE INTERNATIONALLY LEAD

THE CIRCLE OF CLIMBERS WHO HAVE DONE FIRST ASCENTS IS SMALL, WITH THOSE WHO HAVE DONE THEM IN THE HIMALAYAS SMALLER STILL. MORE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INTO SPACE OR PASSED SAS SELECTION THAN HAVE DONE FIRST ASCENTS IN TIBET OR XINJIANG, MAKING IT THE LEADING EDGE OF A SPORT THAT WITHOUT IT IS LOST. THE…
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