“THE SIZE OF EUROPE AND MORE NEW MOUNTAINS THAN WHAT IS KNOWN PUT TOGETHER”

FEW TODAY HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEDGE OF THE SPIRIT TO SURVEY ENTIRE RANGES KNOWING NONE OF THE HIGHEST EXTREMITIES HAVE BEEN LOOKED DOWN FROM UPON

– H.W TILMAN

AT FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS WE HAVE THE LARGEST AREA OF HIGH ALTITUDE OPERATIONS OF ANY CLIMBING BUSINESS. WHILST MANY COMPANIES COVER DOZENS OF PEAKS AROUND THE GLOBE THEY ARE ISOLATED AND DISCONTIGUOUS, WHILST THE AREA WE COVER – XINJIANG AND TIBET – IS A SINGLE NETWORK OF MOUNTAINS CONNECTED BY PLATEAU, WATERSHEDS AND GEOGRAPHY.

THIS YEAR WE RETURN TO K2, ON THE NORTH SIDE, IN CHINA, THAT HAS ONLY EVER HOSTED A FEW DOZEN CLIMBERS. BY 8000m CLIMBING STANDARDS THIS SEEMS INCREDIBLY OBSCURE AND REMOTE, YET IN REALITY IT IS ONE OF THE MORE ACCESSIBLE LOCATIONS ON THE SCALE OF WHAT’S OUT THERE. FOR EXAMPLE THE EASTERN SIDES OF BROAD PEAK AND THE GASHERBRUMS ARE ONLY A FEW DAYS TREK AWAY, AND THEY HAVE SEEN AS MANY EXPEDITIONS AS CAN BE COUNTED, TOGETHER, ON ONE HAND. WHILST THE POPULAR PEAKS ELSEWHERE SEE A FRENZY OF ATTENTION WITH EVEN A MINOR VARIATION ON ROUTES, THE ENTIRE CHINA SIDE OF THE KARAKORAMS 8000mers HAVEN’T EVEN BEEN WELL PHOTOGRAPHED.

AND THEY ARE THE WELL KNOWN ONES.

K2 SITS ON THE EDGE OF A HIGH ALTITUDE MOUNTAIN PLATEAU, THAT EXTENDS 1500kms NORTH AND 2500kms EAST, WHICH EQUALS ABOUT 2/3 THE SIZE OF THE CONTINENTAL US OR THE SIZE OF WESTERN EUROPE. WHILST SOUTH OF THIS THE PEAKS HAVE BEEN SATURATED WITH CLIMBING BECAUSE IT COMPRISES A NARROW BAND ONLY 200km ACROSS, THE MASSIFS AND RANGES ACROSS THE COMBINED XINJIANG AND TIBET REMAIN LARGELY UNTOUCHED.

DESPITE COMMON (AND UNINFORMED) GEOPOLITICS DIVIDING CENTRAL ASIA AND TIBET, GEOGRAPHICALLY IT IS A CONTINUOUS LAND MASS OF HIGH ALTITUDE MOUNTAINS GOING FROM CENTRAL SICHUAN TO EASTERN KAZAKHSTAN. WHAT MOST PEOPLE RECOGNIZE IS USUALLY THE STUFF AROUND THE EDGES LIKE K2 AND MINYA KONGA, WHILST DOZENS OF SUB-RANGES CONNECT IT UP, ALL RISING TO 6000m AND MANY TO 7000m.

OBVIOUSLY A CENTURY AND A HALF OF CLIMBING HAS TAGGED MANY MAJOR SUMMITS BUT A SURPRISING NUMBER THAT ANYWHERE ELSE WOULD BE MAJOR, REMAIN UNCLIMBED, UNNAMED AND UNVISITED. IN SOME AREAS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PEAKS IN ENTIRE RANGES THE SIZE OF THE ALPS LAY WITHIN A FEW HOURS OF TOWNS, AND EVEN MAJOR PEAKS THAT HAVE HAD ATTENTION USUALLY HAVE ENTIRE SIDES THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN DOCUMENTED.

THINGS OUT IN XINJIANG AND TIBET ARE NOT LIKE THE SITUATION SEEN IN PAKISTAN AND NEPAL TODAY, BUT ARE LIKE WHAT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN LIKE THERE IN THE EARLY 1950s. THE AGE OF EXPLORATION LIVES ON ACROSS MUCH OF THE TIBETAN AND TURKESTANI RANGES, BUT OF COURSE UTILIZES THE ADVANTAGES OF TODAY LIKE COMMUNICATIONS, MODERN GOVERNMENT, SATELITE IMAGERY AND INFRASTRUCTURE.

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FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS IS THE ONLY OPERATOR THAT COVERS THIS AREA, AND NOT JUST IN ITS ENTIRITY – ANY OF IT AT ALL. A FEW PEOPLE RUN ICE CLIMBING TRIPS OR OCCASIONAL TRIPS TO ROCK AND EASY ALPINE OBJECTIVES, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO FOREIGNERS GETTING PERMITS THERE’S NO ONE ELSE IN THE LINE BUT US.

THIS OBVIOUSLY MAKES TURNAROUND VERY FAST, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY IT MEANS THERE IS NO INDUSTRY THAT CAN RAILROAD WHAT WE DO. THERE IS NO MASS OF PEOPLE DOING THE SAME STUFF THAT WE HAVE TO ALIGN WITH – OR FIGHT AGAINST – AND NO NEED TO SHARE THINGS LIKE PERMITS AND LOGISTICS WHERE WE DON’T HAVE CONTROL.

INSTEAD, EVERY SINGLE ELEMENT IN OUR OPERATIONS IS ONE-TO-ONE, BESPOKE, UNIQUE, ORIGINAL AND DIRECT, TO THE DEGREE THAT OUR PERMITS GET SIGNED IN FRONT OF US AND THERE IS NO BUREAUCRACY IN THE WAY. CONTRARY TO THE IDEA THAT CHINA IS A HUGE FACELESS MONOLITH OF ADMINISTRATION, WE DO MOST OF OUR REDTAPE AND PLANNING WITH THE AUTHORITIES OVER SPICY BARBEQUE AND WHISKY IN CROWDED STREET RESTAURANTS.

IT’S WORTH NOTING THAT THESE ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATIONS OVERSEE VAST AREAS, THAT ARE COMPLICATED, DIVERSE, SOMETIMES VOLATILE AND ALWAYS REMOTE. SIMPLY DISMISSING THINGS AS ‘THE XINJIANG MOUNTAINEERING ASSOCIATION’ OR ANY OF THE PROVINCIAL OR NATIONAL BODIES IN THE NETWORK, BELIES THE SCOPE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS AND THE OTHER BODIES THEY CONNECT TO.

GETTING A FIRST ASCENT PERMIT IN SICHUAN – A PROVINCE WITH HUNDREDS OF PEAKS ABOVE 5000m ACROSS AN ALPINE AREA THE SIZE OF GERMANY – IS SURPRISINGLY STRAIGHTFORWARD CONSIDERING THE DATA THAT IS NEEDED TO WORK OUT WHERE AND WHAT IT IS, ALONG WITH ALL THE REQUIRED LOGISTICS THAT ENSURE THINGS PAY PROPERLY, ARE SAFE, ARE DOCUMENTED AND HAVE CONTINGENCY. THIS PARADIGM GOES TOO FOR PLACES LIKE THE ARKATAG, ALTUN, SAUYR AND ULAGH RANGES – PLACES WE BET YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF TILL NOW – WHERE AUTHORIZING A PERMIT TAKES MUCH MORE THAN JUST POPPING SOMEONES NAME ON A LIST.

TO US, FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS, ALL THIS MEANS FREEDOM, WHERE WE CAN HAVE THINGS ENTIRELY OUR OWN WAY FROM THE OBJECTIVE TO THE EXECUTION. FOR SURE THERE ARE PLACES WE CAN’T GO AND LIMITS ON WHAT LOGISTICS CAN ALLOW, BUT 95% OF WHAT FILLS OUR REMIT WE DECIDE THE ENTIRE PROCESS OURSELVES. AND WE TAKE THIS TO ITS FULLEST TO TRAVEL, EAT, STAY AND CLIMB WHAT WE WANT. THE PLAYGROUND THAT IS XINJIANG AND TIBET LETS US INVENT ENTIRELY NEW TYPES OF EXPEDITION, COMBINING THE CONTINUOUS HISTORY OF FINDING NEW MOUNTAINS WITH THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY TO CLIMB THEM.

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THE OVERWHELMING BULK OF RUNNING TRIPS ACROSS THIS REGION IS LOGISTICS, THAT INCLUDES FINDING THE PEAK, NOT MERELY CLIMBING IT. A FAVOURITE MEME OF OURS IS THAT IN THIS GAME WE ARE USUALLY THE FIRST TO THE BASE OF A PEAK, AND ANY CLIMBING OR SUMMITING IS ALL BONUS AFTER THAT.

WE SPEND A HUGE AMOUNT OF TIME AND ENERGY LINING UP ALL THE PIECES THAT CONNECT CLIMBERS FROM THE AIRPORT TO THE MOUNTAIN, VIA STRINGS OF ROADS, TRAILS, HORSES, CAMELS, YAKS, HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, TENTS AND SHOPS THAT ARE UNIQUE EVERY TRIP. THESE STRINGS OF PLANNING ALMOST ALWAYS EXTEND OUT TO PLACES NO ONE KNOWS THE FAR END OF, AND IN THE CASE OF K2 GO VIA TIBET ACROSS SEVERAL TIME ZONES AND THE LARGEST EXPANSE OF MOUNTAIN TERRAIN ON EARTH.

WE COULD EASILY RUN THINGS NEVER RETURNING TO ANY MOUNTAIN TWICE, AND EVEN THE MOST VISITED AREAS WE GO TO HAVE SEEN ONLY A COUPLE OF ASCENTS, WITH EVERY TRIP TO ANYTHING GOING PAST 95% UNCLIMBED OPPORTUNITIES. THIS MAKES THE JOB ONE OF CHOOSING FROM A HUGE ARRAY OF POTENTIAL, AND NARROWING THINGS DOWN WITH VARIOUS SYSTEMS OF LOGIC BLENDED WITH THE IDEAS OF EACH CLIMBER.

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PERHAPS WITH A LITTLE HUBRIS (IN THE GREEK SENSE AT LEAST) WE ARE CONSISTENTLY SURPRISED WITH THE AMBIVALENCE TO EXPEDITION ASCENTS THE ‘CLIMBING COMMUNITY’ EXPRESSES. WITHOUT DOUBT GREAT ASCENTS STILL GO ON, BUT RARELY ARE THEY EXPEDITIONARY IN NATURE, USUALLY BEING FED BY THE SAME LOGISTICS AND PROCESSES THAT THE BULK INDUSTRIAL ASCENTS HAVE.

SHARING THE SAME FEED-IN AS INDUSTRIAL CLIMBING ALMOST ALWAYS DETERMINES HOW AND WHAT CAN BE DONE, BECAUSE IT DICTATES WHAT CAN BE CARRIED, THE TIMES IT CAN HAPPEN BY, THE PERMITS AVAILABLE AND LOTS OF DETAILS EVEN DOWN TO THE WAY FLIGHTS WORK TO GET THERE. EVERYWHERE HAS ITS OWN FOIBLES AND IDIOSYNCHRACIES, SIMPLY THAT CHINA HAS FEWER, BECAUSE THERE IS NO ESTABLISHED INDUSTRY FOR EXPEDITION CLIMBING THAT RUNS THINGS TO FORMAT.

THIS MEANS THAT AS WE STAND HERE TODAY, THE MAJORITY OF THE WORLDS HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING IS UNEXPLORED AND WAITING, AND THAT THE FREEDOM TO DECIDE WHAT YOU DO AND HOW YOU DO IT IS UP TO THE CLIMBERS. YOU CAN PICK A SPOT ON A MAP, GO AS CRAZY AS YOU LIKE, AND IT’S VERY LIKELY YOU GO THERE, AS THE FIRST TO ATTEMPT IT. OF COURSE THE RULES APPLY TO BEING IN SOMEBODY ELSES LANDS, BUT MOST ARE SURMOUNTABLE USING TACT, RESEARCH, EXPERIENCE AND PLANNING.

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MUCH OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE INDUSTRIAL CLIMBING SYSTEM IS SIMPLY RELATED TO OVERCROWDING, EXPLOITATION, BAD ECONOMICS AND POOR INFRASTRUCTURE. ALL THE WORLD IS CONVINCED THAT SAME HALF DOZEN PLACES ARE ALL THAT THERE IS, PUTTING ENORMOUS PRESSURE ONTO SYSTEMS THAT ARE HIGHLY CORRUPTABLE WITH THE RESULT WE SEE ON THE NEWS. OF BICKERING, SOCIAL PROBLEMS, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, BAD MEDIA, SCAMS AND ACCIDENTS.

ALL THAT HAS LOST SIGHT – LITERALLY – OF WHAT ALPINE CLIMBING IS BASED IN, WHERE IT COULD BE THE EXPRESSION OF EXPLORING WILDERNESS IT IS INSTEAD THE COMPRESSION OF THE WORST OF URBANIZATION. WHERE ONCE THE IMPETUS WAS TO OPEN UP THESE PLACES, 25 YEARS OF SEEING THE IMPACT CLIMBERS HAVE HAS CHANGED THAT COURSE. WHERE THE VASTNESS USED TO BE THE LOGIC THAT WE COULD SPREAD OUT ANY IMPACT, IT IS NOW THE VERY THING WE TRY TO PROTECT. WE WANT THE FUTURE GENERATIONS TO NOT HAVE TO SIFT THROUGH MAPS COVERED IN NAMES AND SCOUR PHOTOS FOR NEW ROUTES ON CROWDED PEAKS, BUT TO BE ABLE TO ENTER ENTIRE RANGES AS THE FIRST CLIMBERS TO DO SO.