IT’S NOT EASY, BUT IT’S DOABLE. OVERALL A TRIP TO THE NORTH RIDGE IS DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF IT’S ‘OLD SCHOOL’ STYLE OF BEING REMOTE & ISOLATED. THE THINGS THAT CAN MAKE IT FEEL HARD ARE THE ABSENCE OF THE NOW-EXPECTED 8000mLUXURIES LIKE A LARGE SOCIAL ELEMENT, FREQUENT RESUPPLY & INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATION. ONCE YOU RELAX INTO – AND EVEN FIND THE ADVANTAGES OF NOT HAVING THE DISTRACTIONS & DRAMA AROUND YOU – THE NORTH SIDE BECOMES THE MOST PRISTINE 8000m EXPERIENCE YOU CAN HAVE.
THE ROUTE ITSELF HAS HARD ELEMENTS BECAUSE IT SIMPLY ISN’T AN ASCENT UP A WELL DEFINED LINE. REAL CLIMBING NEEDS TO BE DONE, SO YOU NEED TO BE PROFICIENT IN THE ACTUALITIES OF CLIMBING A MOUNTAIN. THE ACTUAL LEVEL OF CLIMBING IS NOT SUPER HIGH, BUT THE ALTITUDE & LOADS MAKE IT HARD. IN FACT THE ABSENCE OF OTHERS ON THE ROUTE REMOVES MANY OF THE COMMON DIFFICULTIES TAKEN FOR GRANTED ON BUSY PEAKS. YES THERE ARE THE IN & OUTS OF ALPINE CLIMBING, BUT THERE THERE’S ALMOST NO INS & OUTS OF CLIMBERS CLUSTERED ON FIXED ROPES, CONGREGATED IN SMALL CAMPS, MOVING AROUND THOSE COMING THE OTHER WAY OR MOVING AT DIFFERENT RATES. NO ONE HAS THEIR TENT SPACE TAKEN, OR THEIR SLEEPING BAG MISLAID, OR DEBRIS KNOCKED DOWN ON THEM. IF BEING IN A SMALL TEAM ON AN ENTIRE MOUNTAIN SIDE IS YOUR IDEA OF GOOD CLIMBING THIS IS FOR YOU.
THE SKILLS YOU NEED FOR THIS ROUTE ARE THE ABILITY TO CLIMB SEVERAL HUNDRED METERS OF STEEP MIXED GROUND A DAY, ON SECOND, SHORT FIXED, TRAVERSING & MAYBE EVEN ON LEAD. YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO COVER NON-TECHNICAL & RELATIVELY SAFE GROUND USING SIMU-STYLE, AND YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO COVER VERY EASY GROUND BY YOUR SELF. YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO ABSEIL INDEPENDENTLY ALL THE TIME, BACKED UP WITH A PRUSSIK WHEN REQUIRED.
PREVIOUS 8000m-STYLE EXPERIENCE IS AN ADVANTAGE, BUT A HISTORY OF TECHNICAL ALPINE CLIMBING ON SMALLER PEAKS WILL GET YOU FURTHER. BOULDERING V12, CRANKING M10, RUNNING OUT WI7 & PULLING 5.13 DON’T MEAN THAT MUCH ON K2 AS THE BROADER SKILLS OF STRATEGY & RESILIENCE OVERSHADOW MOST OTHER THINGS.
CAMPS ON K2 CAN HAVE THEIR OWN DIFFICULTIES. IF YOU HAVEN’T CHOPPED A LEDGE IN THE DARK OR PUT UP A TENT IN THE WIND YOU WILL BE INTRODUCED TO THAT HERE. FOR MANY THE LONG DAYS IN SMALL CAMPS ARE HARDER THAN THE CLIMBING, SO LEARNING HOW TO MANAGE YOUR DOWN TIME IS AN IMPORTANT SKILL.
FOR ALL THE DIFFICULTIES OF A NORTH RIDGE EXPEDITION, THE UNIQUELY GOOD PARTS MORE THAN MAKE UP FOR IT. IF IT WAS EASY MORE PEOPLE WOULD BE THERE AND THE EXPERIENCE WOULDN’T EXIST. JUST AS IT’S GUARANTEED YOU BE COLD, EXHAUSTED, SCARED & HUNGRY AT TIMES – POSSIBLY ALL AT THE SAME TIME – YOU WILL ALSO BE AMONG THE VERY FEW WHO HAVE LOOKED NORTH ACROSS THE HIGH ALTITUDE OF DESERTS OF CENTRAL ASIA FROM HIGH ON K2’S FLANKS, AND IT WILL ALL BE WORTH IT.
