CRITICAL THINKING

AS WE GEAR UP FOR OUR RETURN TO HIGH ALTITUDE WINTER CLIMBING IN TIBET WE HAVE BEEN REAPRAISING THE INSULATION OPTIONS OUR CLIMBERS ARE WEARING. THIS IS POINT OF REAL INNOVATION TO THE DEGREE WE HAVE ABANDONED OUR EARLIER RECOMMENDATIONS, AND FOUND LIGHTER, MORE VERSATILE AND WARMER OPTIONS BY COMBINING VARIOUS METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION. WE…
Read more

INSULATED CLOTHING IS CURRENTLY A REAL AREA OF INNOVATION. AS CONDITIONS FALTER IN THE TRADITIONAL SEASONS FOR THE HIMALAYA AND KARAKORAM, WINTER BECOMES MORE AND MORE OUR FOCUS, WITH DEVELOPMENTS IN CLOTHING MATCHING PERFECTLY WITH COLD ASCENTS IN TIBET AND XINJIANG. WE HAVE BEEN ADAMANT ABOUT INSULATION SYSTEMS BEFORE, BEING IN A NICHE WHERE THE…
Read more

CLIMBING SEASON, HOWEVER YOU DEFINE IT, COMES FAST, IS INTENSE, THEN IS ALWAYS GONE TOO SOON. A WELL PLANNED SEASON IS SPENT DOING WHAT YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR, AND RARELY HAS THE TIME TO WORK OUT STUFF THAT NEEDS REPETITION AND PRACTICE TO BE EFFECTIVE. FOR US THE ‘ON’ SEASON IS AUTUMN AND WINTER, WITH…
Read more

WE SPECIALIZE IN EXPLORATORY EXPEDITIONS, TO REMOTE AND OBSCURE PLACES FOR SIGNIFICANT OBJECTIVES. EVEN OUR MOST FAMILIAR TRIPS ARE USUALLY WITH THE IDEA OF NEW ROUTES OR DONE IN NEW CONDITIONS, AND AT THE VERY LEAST OUR TRIPS WILL BE LIGHTER AND MORE AGILE THAN HOW THINGS WILL HAVE BEEN DONE BEFORE BASED OFF OUR PROPRIETRY LOGISTICS.

‘CRAP’ ‘BARELY LITERATE’ ‘BIASED’ ‘INSULTING’ ‘INTENTIONALLY PROVACTIVE’ ‘WRONG’ ‘PROPAGANDA’ THESE ARE SOME OF THINGS SAID ABOUT THE CONTENT OF WHAT WE PRESENT HERE, AND THOUGH THE CRITICISMS MAKE UP ONLY A SMALL PART OF OUR INTERACTION WITH THE CLIMBING INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY, THEY NEVERTHELESS REPRESENT THE DIVIDE BETWEEN WHAT WE DO AND HOW WE DO…
Read more

DONE WELL THESE THINGS ARE FUN AND THE SIGN OF REALLY GOING REMOTE, AND PERSOUSAL OF GREAT CLIMBING LITERATURE SHOWS THEY WERE ONCE AN INTEGRAL PART OF EXPEDITIONS. WHERE NOW INDUSTRIAL IDEAS ATTEMPT TO SHAVE APPROACHES OFF TRIPS, VIEWED AS WASTING TIME AND THEREFORE MONEY, REAL EXPEDITIONS VAUNT THE APPROACH AS THE SIGN THINGS ARE AUTHENTICALLY EXPLORATORY.

PART OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO PROVIDE INSURANCE & RESCUE OPTIONS TO OUR CLIMBERS, SO WE RESEARCH AND CONTACT PROVIDERS THAT CLAIM TO COVER SUCH THINGS, AND ASK DIRECTLY. OUR MOTIVATION IS ONLY TO PREVENT A NASTY SURPRISE SHOULD AN INSURANCE CLAIM EVER BE NEEDED, AND PROVIDERS WHO BACK WHAT THEY CLAIM WE ACTIVELY PROMOTE.…
Read more

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…
Read more

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…
Read more

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…
Read more