THE NORTHERN
KARAKORAM
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REAL WILDERNESS
FREE OF DEBRIS
ALPINE STYLE
NORTH SIDE
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WE THINK STYLE MATTERS. K2’S NORTH RIDGE IS SO ELEGANT A FEATURE IT DESERVES TO BE CLIMBED IN THE BEST STYLE POSSIBLE.
THE NORTH RIDGE’S RELATIVELY SHORT CLIMBING HISTORY HAS ALWAYS ENCOURAGED GOOD STYLE, WITH EVEN THE FIRST ATTEMPT BY SIEGE BY THE 1982 JAPANESE TEAM PUTTING SEVERAL CLIMBERS ON TOP WITHOUT SUPPLEMENTARY OXYGEN, USHERING IN THE DEMISE OF THE SUPPLEMENTARY OXYGEN ERA FOR SERIOUS ASCENTS. THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PLACE THAT’S ASKED FOR THE HIGHEST ALPINE ETHICS TO BE USED, SOMETHING ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THESE DAYS EVEN IF NOT APPLIED. IT’S WORTH RECALLING THAT EVEN JUST 10 YEARS AGO ‘O-LESS’ ALPINE STYLE WAS THE NORM ON THE PAKISTAN SIDE, AND THEN THINGS BEGAN TO CHANGE.
THE K2 NORTH RIDGE STYLE
- IT’S ABOUT THE CLIMBING – TWO TOOLS, PLACING GEAR, MILES OF OPEN MOUNTAIN ABOVE YOU. THIS IS WHAT SO MANY OTHER TRIPS PRETEND TO BE.
- IT’S A NORTH SIDE – FROM THE ALPS TO DENALI, NORTHSIDES HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE IN CLIMBING LORE FOR BEING COLDER & LESS VISITED. NORTH SIDES HAVE ALWAYS HAD THEIR OWN RULES.
- APPRECIATING THE REMOTENESS – REMINDING YOURSELF THERE WAS A TIME WHEN CLIMBING THE HIGHEST PEAKS ON EARTH WAS ABOUT NEGOTIATING THE MOUNTAIN, NOT THE PEOPLE
- APPRECIATING THE LACK OF JUNK – VALUING BEING ON VIRTUALLY PRISTINE HIGH ALPINE TERRAIN
- MEETING THE MOUNTAIN ON FAIR TERMS – IF YOU’VE WANTED TO TRY A TRUELY ‘O-LESS’ ASCENT THIS IS FOR YOU
- THINKING FOR YOURSELF – MAKING YOUR OWN LINE WITHOUT DECADES OF DECAYING ANCHORS & LINES, PICKING THE BEST ROUTE & CAMPS FOR THE TIME
- LIVING IN TRUE ALPINE CULTURE – THE NORTH SIDE IS SO FAR BEYOND HUMAN HABITATION THE CULTURE OUT THERE IS UNTAINTED BY ‘LOW LAND’ CONCERNS
- ENJOYING THE WHOLE EXPEDITION – KASHGAR TO YOUR HIGH POINT, THIS ENTIRE TRIP IS A REAL EXPEDITION, WILL MANY PHASES & FACETS YOU CAN’T SEE ON OTHER 8000m TRIPS
- KEEPING A TRADITION – THIS IS BIG PEAK CLIMBING FROM THE GOLDEN ERA AND THE LAST OF IT’S KIND TO REMAIN FREE OF COMMERCIALIZATION
- CAMELS – NAME ANOTHER TRIP WHERE BACTRIAN CAMELS ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO THE PROCESS. FIVE MINUTES AROUND THESE INCREDIBLE ANIMALS WILL TELL YOU THIS IS NOT LIKE ANY OTHER TRIP
- LEAVING NO TRACE – ONLY ONE OR TWO SMALL, SELF-SUPPORTED TEAMS A YEAR LEAVES VERY LITTLE TRACE. THE WILDERNESS YOU SEE ONE YEAR, YOU WILL SEE IF YOU GO BACK AGAIN.
COMPARED TO THE SAME 40 YEARS THAT HAS SEEN THE EXPLOSION IN COMMERCIAL 8000m CLIMBING, THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 HAS REMAINED ALOOF FROM THE ETHICAL DEBATES THAT HAVE DEFINED 8000m CLIMBING ELSEWHERE. THE REMOTENESS, THE POLITICS, THE GEOGRAPHY & THE ENIGMA HAVE ALL MEANT A STYLE HAS ARISEN THAT SETS THE NORTH SIDE APART. THIS IS STILL A PLACE WHERE NEW ROUTES & NEW INTERPRETATIONS ARE NORMAL, AND THE TYPE OF CLIMBER WHO ENDS UP THERE IS REMOVED FROM THE COMMON REALITY FOUND IN BASECAMPS ELSEWHERE.
HAVING BEEN TO BOTH SIDES SEVERAL TIMES OVER TWO DECADES, AS WELL AS SEVERAL OTHER 8000m PEAKS AND HIGH ALTITUDE ASCENTS, WE HAVE DISCERNED SOME OF WHAT MAKES THE NORTH SIDE UNIQUE. THIS IS A TRUE FUSION OF THE FINEST TRAITS IN BOTH CLIMBING LORE & GEOGRAPHY, AND THOUGH ALL OF THESE ELEMENTS CAN BE FOUND IN OTHER PLACES, ONLY THE NORTH SIDE OF THE KARAKORUM BRINGS THEM TOGETHER WITH SO MUCH STYLE.
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YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN K2 NORTH SIDE AFTER 10 YEARS; WHAT TO EXPECT
