UNIQUE SITUATIONS CALL FOR UNIQUE STRATEGIES
AS OF 2022 ALL LOADS MUST COMPLY TO BE CAMEL SAFE FOR TRANSPORT ON OUR KARAKORAM TRIPS
WE TAKE THE SAFETY OF OUR TEAMS VERY SERIOUSLY AND THIS INCLUDES THE ANIMALS THAT WORK WITH US. JUST AS WE CONTRIBUTE TO RESEARCH TO CONSERVE THE SNOW LEOPARD, WE ALSO HAVE PRACTICES TO SAFEGUARD THE CAMELS ON OUR TEAMS.
WE ALREADY HAVE NO PRACTICES THAT ENDANGER THE HORSES AS WAS ONCE COMMON ON KARAKORAM TRIPS, SOMETHING WE HAVE WORKED WITH IN A JOINT EFFORT WITH THE XINJIANG MOUNTAINEERING ASSOCIATION, AND OVER THE COURSE OF DEVELOPING THE NEW GENERATION TRIPS TO THE NORTH KARAKORAM WE NOW HAVE PROTOCOLS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE CAMELS DURING THE RIVER CROSSINGS. IN THE PAST CAMELS HAVE BEEN INJURED & DROWNED DURING CROSSINGS, FROM STUMBLING AS THEY FORD THE +1m DEEP RIVERS THAT THEN INUNDATES THE LOADS THEY CARRY – ALREADY AT UP TO 80kg AND OFTEN CONTAINING EQUIPMENT THAT DOESN’T FLOAT – CARRYING THEM AWAY. AS TRADITIONAL AS THIS MAY BE, IT’S A LEVEL OF CRUELTY OBVIOUSLY UNACCEPTABLE TODAY, AND IS SOMETHING EASILY RESOLVED BY THE USE OF PLASTIC BARRELS.
FOR ORGANIZATION WE USE 120L CHEM BARRELS HOLDING AROUND 20-25kg EACH. USING THE SAME METHODOLOGY AS FOR OUR RIVER DESCENTS, THIS PROVIDES A FLOATING ‘LIFE JACKET’ FOR A STUMBLING CAMEL WITH BUILT IN REDUNDANCY JUST LIKE A MULTI-CHAMBERED RAFT, AS WELL AS SYSTEMATIC ORGANIZATION FOR LOADING AND FURTHER CARRIES UP THE GLACIER.
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OUR CAMEL SAFE REQUIREMENT MEANS THAT ALL LOADS NOW MUCH FIT THE 45cm DIAMETER OPENING OF THE BARRELS, WHICH INCLUDES PRE-LOADED PACKS READY FOR THE CARRIES BEYOND THE RIVER CAMPS. SOME PACKS WE HAVE SEEN ON PREVIOUS EXPEDITIONS HAVE TROUBLE MEETING THIS CRITERIA DUE TO HAVING LARGE FRAMES, AND INCLUDES SEVERAL WELL-KNOWN TREKKING PACKS AND MANY DUFFELS.
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TO RESOLVE THIS, AS WELL AS TO PROVIDE AN EXPEDITION-GRADE PACK SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR EXTENDED EXPEDITIONS IN TIBET & THE NORTHERN KARAKORAM, WE HAVE WORKED WITH ALPINE LUDDITES TO DEVELOP A ‘KARAKORAM NORTH’ PACK THAT TICKS ALL THE BOXES. DECADES OF USING DIFFERENT PACKS AND TRYING TO GET WHAT MET OUR CRITERIA MET WITH MANY POINTS OF FAILURE RANGING FROM STRENGTH TO COLOUR & WEIGHT TO CONFIGURATION, BUT NOW WE HAVE ARRIVED THANKS TO ALPINE LUDDITES MOTIVATION TO GET THE JOB DONE AND SPECTRUM OF SOLUTIONS AND INNOVATIONS TO BRING TO THE PROBLEM. SCRATCHING ALL OTHER PACKS FROM OUR LIST FOR CLIMBING-SPECIFIC DEMANDS, WE OFFER THESE DIRECTLY TO OUR TEAMSTERS. THESE ARE THE BEST POSSIBLE PACKS FOR THE JOB, WITH AN ARRAY OF SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS AND A LEVEL OF CUSTOMIZATION NOT FOUND ELSEWHERE.
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