IT’S EASY TO THINK K2 IS THE ONLY BIG OBJECTIVE OUT THERE
R B
.
10 YEARS IN THE NEGOTIATING AND 40 YEARS SINCE THE LAST ASCENT, IN 2023 WE HEAD TO THE NORTH SIDE OF GASHERBRUM I
IF K2 ISN’T ENOUGH THERES MORE 8000m OPTIONS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE KARAKORUM THAT INCLUDE ALL OF THE GASHERBRUMS AND BROAD PEAK. OFTEN OVERLOOKED, BOTH BROAD PEAK AND THE GASHERBRUMS HAVE THEIR NORTHERN & EASTERN SIDES IN CHINA. DESPITE BEING WELL VISITIED OBJECTIVES FROM THE PAKISTANI SIDE, FROM CHINA THEY HAVE ONLY HAD A HANDFUL OF VISITS, EVEN LESS THAN K2. EACH SITS AT THE END OF THEIR OWN GLACIERS AND TRIPS TO THESE PEAKS ARE A STEP BEYOND EVEN K2, BUT ENTIRELY DOABLE.
.
IT’S TAKEN YEARS TO ACHEIVE, EVEN LONGER THAN FOR K2, AND FROM 2022 WE HAVE SECURED THE RIGHT INFORMATION AND CONFIDENT PERMISSION TO GO TO G1, BEGINNING WITH A RECCE TREK ONLY TO FIGURE OUT THE NUTS AND BOLTS, WITH AN ASCENT EXPEDITION SCHEDULING FOR 2023.
ACCESSED VIA THE SAME APPROACHES AS K2, GETTING TO BROAD PEAK & GASHERBRUM BASECAMPS REQUIRES ANOTHER ONE OR TWO DAYS, THEN LIKE K2, CARRIES TO HIGHER CAMPS FURTHER UP THE GLACIERS. EVEN LESS FREQUENTED THAN K2’S LOWER CAMPS, THESE ARE ABSOLUTE 8000m WILDERNESSES WITH MORE COMPLEX AND BARELY RECORDED ASPECTS TO THE CLIMBING.
FOR THE 8000m EXPEDITION AFICIONADO THESE TRIPS ARE TRULY THE FINAL WORD IN GREAT PEAK CLIMBING WITH AS YET NO CLIMBER HAVING SUMMITED MULTIPLE – LET ALONE ALL – 8000m PEAKS IN THE CHINESE KARAKORAM, CERTAINLY ONE OF THE GREAT UNCLAIMED HIGH ALTITUDE OBJECTIVES.
.
WHAT’S INVOLVED?
RECORDS SHOW ONLY ONE ASCENT OF G1 FROM THE CHINA SIDE IN 1982, AND ONLY A HANDFUL OF OTHER ATTEMPTS, MAKING THIS A VERY EXCLUSIVE OBJECTIVE. RESEARCH SHOWS THERE IS A STRAIGHTFORWARD LINE FOLLOWING AN APPROACH THAT HAS SOME COMPLEXITIES, BUT ALL DATA IS FROM A DECADE OR MORE AGO.
G1 IS A DAY OR TWO FURTHER OUT THAN K2, BUT UNLIKE K2 IS OBSERVABLE FROM MUCH EARLIER ON. LOGISTICALLY IT IS ALMOST THE SAME, WITH A LOWER BASECAMP AND A HIGHER BASECAMP BUT UNLIKE K2 THE HIGHER BASE HAS SOME GREENERY AND A WARMER ASPECT.
FROM WHAT WE SEE THE CLIMBING IS NOT AS STEEP AND AS SUSTAINED AS THE K2 NORTH RIDGE. WHAT APPEARS AS THE LOGICAL ROUTE CROSSES EXPOSED RIDGE AND STEEP SNOW BETWEEN ROCK SECTIONS WHICH HOPEFULLY HAVE MORE STABILITY THAN THE SOUTHERN SIDE. RESEARCH TOO SUGGESTS THAT THE LOWER PART OF THE ROUTE INVOLVES GAINING A RIDGELINE FROM A MINI-MASSIF, AND CAMPS LOOK FEASIBLE BASED ON THE FACTORS THAT USUALLY DETERMINE THEM. THAT THE ONLY RECORDED ASCENT WAS DONE SIGHT-UNSEEN, BY A MODEST TEAM, WITH NO DEATHS SUGGESTS IT WASN’T A ONE OFF, AND THAT DUE TO ALL OTHER ACTIVITY ON THE CHINA SIDE OF THE GASHERBRUMS SINCE BEING ON OTHER PEAKS, SUGGESTS THIS IS THE PRIMARY ROUTE OPTION.
ATTEMPTING THE NORTH SIDE OF G1 TICKS THE BOXES FOR CLIMBERS WANTING TO BE PART OF THE FUTURE OF 8000m CLIMBING BY BEING ON A TRUE FRONTIER EXPEDITION. THIS IS FOR THE CLIMBER WHO TAKES GREAT PLEASURE IN BEING OUT IN UNTOUCHED MOUNTAINS WITH AN OBJECTIVE THAT HAS HIGH HISTORICAL RELEVANCY. THESE AREA NEVER WILL BE FORESEEABLY OVER-COMMERCIALIZED AS THE CAPABILITIES OF TODAY BYPASS THE INDUSTRIES THAT RESULT IN THAT.
.
WHAT’S IT COST?
AT THE TIME OF WRITING THE TRIP TO G1 NORTH SIDE COSTS ONLY SLIGHTLY MORE THAN THE NORTH RIDGE OF K2. WE ARE FINALIZING COSTS WITH THE AUTHORITIES AND LOCAL PROVIDERS – NOT SURPRISINGLY THIS TRIP DOESN’T HAVE AN OFF-THE-RACK OPTION. WE EXPECT A FEW MORE DAYS IN THE TIMELINE AND THE SUPPLIES THAT GO WITH THAT, AND THERE’S SOME ADDITIONAL BUREAUCRACY AS WITH DOING ANYTHING NEW. LIKE K2 THESE TRIPS WILL INCLUDE OUR PRE-ACCLIMATION SCHEDULE IN TIBET FIRST SO WE ARRIVE IN PEAK CONDITION TO GET ON WITH THE CLIMBING.
TEAMS WILL BE SMALL, LIMITED IN NUMBERS FOR THE OPTIMAL LOGISTICS THAT ALLOW US TO MOVE WITH A LOT OF FREEDOM UNBURDENED BY THE DEMANDS OF A HUGE BACKEND. WE WILL BE PUTTING OUR FINEST CREW ON THIS ONE, WITH A DIRECT LINE TO THE MOUNTAINEERING ASSOCIATION TO GIVE US AN UNPRECEDENTED DEGREE OF FREEDOM, BASED ON HOW WE RUN THINGS IN EASTERN TIBET. IF YOU’RE IDEA OF 8000m CLIMBING IS THE BEHEMOTHS OF NEPAL THEN THIS WILL BE A PARADIGM SHIFT. A TRIP LIKE THIS HAS BEEN IMPOSSIBLE UNTIL NOW.
.
FOR ANYONE WANTING TO TRUELY BE PART OF AN EXPEDITION DOING SOMETHING NEW THIS IS THE CHANCE. TO JOIN THE PROCESS CONTACT US NOW.
