BETTER TO ASK NOW
FAQ
01
WHAT’S YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHINA AUTHORITIES?
WE ARE NOT AGENTS FOR ANY GOVERNMENT OR ORGANIZATION IN ANY COUNTRY. FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS IS AN INDEPENDANT COMPANY. WHEN WE RUN TRIPS IN CHINA WE INTEGRATE WITH CHINESE COMPANIES FOR PERMITS, LOGISTICS, LIAISON AND RESEARCH – AS PER CHINESE LAW. THESE COMPANIES ARE INDEPENDANT, PRIVATE ENTITIES THAT HAVE INTERFACES WITH THE CHINA MOUNTAINEERING ASSOCIATION AND THEY HAVE LONG HISTORIES NAVIGATING THE SYSTEM, BUT THEY DON’T REPRESENT THEM.
02
WHAT’S YOUR HISTORY WITH THE NORTH SIDE OF K2?
WE FIRST WENT TO THE NORTH SIDE OF THE KARAKORUM IN 2001. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER TRIP IN 2002. IN 2005 & 2006 WE WENT INTO THE FAR EASTERN & FAR WESTERN PARTS OF THE KARAKORUM. IN 2010 WE CLIMBED K2 AND BROAD PEAK FROM THE PAKISTAN SIDE. THAT SAME YEAR WE RECCED SOME OTHER AREAS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE KARAKORUM. IN 2010 WE CONSULTED TO THE TEAM THAT WENT ON TO SUMMIT FROM THE NORTH SIDE IN 2011. IN 2017 WE BEGAN THE PROCESS WITH THE XINJIANG MOUNTAINEERING ASSOCIATION FOR OBTAINING PERMISSION TO ACCESS K2, BASED ON BRINGING THE ESTABLISHED SICHUAN SYSTEM & STANDARDS TO XINJIANG CLIMBING.
03
CAN I JOIN A TEAM?
YES, SO LONG AS IT’S COMMONLY AGREED. UNLIKE OTHER 8000m TRIPS, THESE ARE NOT OFF-THE-RACK PERMITS, SO ANY TEAM NEEDS TO BE REGISTERED AS ONE FROM THE START. SOME TEAMS ARE OPEN TO SOLO CLIMBERS JOINING, SOME ARE NOT. ASK US.
04
WHY DON’T OTHER COMPANIES GO WHERE YOU DO?
A FEW COMPANIES SAY THEY GO TO THE NORTH SIDE OF K2, BUT NONE SINCE 2011 ACTUALLY HAVE. WE CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT THE LOGISTICS AND STYLE IN CHINA DON’T FIT WITH THE BUSINESS IDEAS OTHER COMPANIES HAVE WHO DON’T HAVE OUR EXPERIENCE OPERATING THERE.
05
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY TIBET?
‘TIBET’ IS NOT CLEARLY DEFINED, SO LIKE TIBETANS, WE CALL TIBET ANYWHERE WITH A PREDOMINANT TIBETAN CULTURE. IF YOU LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AND IT LOOKS LIKE TIBET, IT IS TIBET. THIS IS NOT RESTRICTED TO A SINGLE PROVINCE, THE MAJORITY OF TIBETANS LIVING IN SICHUAN & QINGHAI. AS SOME PARTS OF TIBET ARE CLOSED OR UNPREDICTABLE WE DO THE MAJORITY OF OUR TRIPS IN AWAY FROM THE SOUTHERN & WESTERN AREAS.
06
ARE THERE POLITICAL ISSUES WITH VISITING TIBET?
THE FIRST THING YOU REALIZE WHEN BEING IN TIBETAN AREAS IS THAT IT’S COMPLICATED. WE SUGGEST CLIMBERS VISIT WITH AN OPEN MIND BEFORE MAKING THEIR OWN JUDGEMENT.
THERE ARE RULES ABOUT THE DISPLAY OF IMAGES RELATING TO THE DALAI LAMA & THE TIBETAN EXILE FLAG, AND VISITING AS CLIMBERS IS NOT THE TIME OR PLACE TO DISPLAY AN AGENDA. CHINA’S SECURITY ESCHALON HAS DEALT WITH THIS BEFORE.
07
HOW SAFE IS XINJIANG?
XINJIANG HAS A LOT OF BAD PRESS BUT NONE OF IT AFFECTS THE TRAVELLER. THERE IS HEIGHTENED SECURITY UNLIKE IN THE REST OF CHINA, BUT CIVIL UNREST OR VIOLENCE IS NOT AN ISSUE. XINJIANG IS SEVERAL MAGNITUDES OF ORDER SAFER THAN PAKISTAN
08
ARE SHERPAS EMPLOYED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF K2?
WE DON’T EMPLOY SHERPAS OR HAPS, AND THE XINJIANG SIDE HAS NO TRADITION OF LOCAL PEOPLE WORKING AS PORTERS, NOR A HISTORY OF PEOPLE BEING EMPLOYED TO FIX ROPES ON THE PEAK. PEOPLE OF ANY NATION ARE FREE TO JOIN AS EQUAL MEMBERS OF A TEAM
09
DO YOU FIX ROPES ON THE NORTH RIDGE?
‘FIXING PARTIES’ EMPLOYED SOLELY TO FIX MILES OF ROPES FROM GLACIER TO SUMMIT ISN’T AN OPTION ON THE NORTH SIDE. WE ‘SHORT FIX’ SECTIONS ONLY WHERE THE SMALL TEAMS REQUIRE IT FOR SAFETY & SPEED.
10
WHAT COMMS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF K2?
CURRENTLY THE EXTEND OF CELL RECEPTION IS UNKNOWN, BUT THE PRESENCE OF BORDER INSTALLATIONS MEANS IT’S CREEPING IN AND VERY SOON COULD BE WITHIN IN NEAR-LINE OF SIGHT WITH THE FOOT OF THE GLACIER. ON THE MOUNTAIN TO BASECAMP WE USE MEDIUM RANGE RADIOS
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11
DO YOU INCLUDE TIPPING IN YOUR TRIP COSTS?
NO. TIPPING AS SEEN IN NEPAL & PAKISTAN ISN’T PART OF THE CULTURE IN CHINA. ALL CREW ARE PAID PROPER LIVING WAGES SET EITHER BY THE GOVERNMENT OR INDUSTRY THEY WORK IN. EVERYONE IS PAID AS AN EXPERT IN THEIR FIELD WHETHER IT’S A CAMEL DRIVER OR A TRIP LEADER. GRATUITIES FOR EXCEPTIONAL WORK ARE GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED AND ARE A PERSONAL MATTER, BUT NO SYSTEM OF ORGANIZED TIPS EXISTS.
12
WHY IS THIS WEBSITE ALL IN CAPITALS AND FULL OF MISTAKES?
WHAT YOU ARE READING HAS BEEN HAMMERED OUT ON KEYBOARDS NOT IN ENGLISH, OR HURRIEDLY TRANSCRIBED FROM A COLD TRAIL WITH GLOVES ON. YES, WE CAN DO SWEEPS FOR MISTAKES, BUT THE PERSON DOING THIS IS A CLIMBER NOT A WEB MASTER. WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF ON A MOUNTAINSIDE AT 3am WITH AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF RAPPELS AHEAD, WE THINK THEN YOU WILL APPRECIATE THAT DIFFERENCE.