K2 NORTH RIDGE CLOTHING STRATEGY

.

PART OF WHAT MAKES HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING HARD IS MANAGING YOUR CLOTHING OVER A SPECTRUM OF CONDITIONS AND DEMANDS, AND K2’S NORTH RIDGE BEING AN AMPLIFICATION OF MOST 8000m ASCENTS ALSO AMPLIFIES THE CLOTHING EQUATION.

OFTEN THE RESPONSE TO MORE COMPLEX SCENARIOS IS A MORE COMPLEX STRATEGY, BUT ON K2’S NORTH SIDE THAT’S NOT THE WAY FORWARD, WITH MUCH OF THAT COMPLEXITY ARISING FROM THE WAY THE ROUTE IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR CARRYING THE EXTRA STUFF IT WOULD REQUIRE.

.

POPULAR 8000m ROUTES THAT FOLLOW THE COMMERCIAL MODEL ARE WELL KNOWN AS GREAT ‘GEAR-OFFS’ WHERE HUGE CLOTHING LISTS CAN BE ISSUED BECAUSE THE LOGISTICS EXISTS AND A CLIMBING STYLE IS USED THAT MAKES HAVING A BIG WARDROBE FEASIBLE. VERY DIFERENTLY. THE NORTH RIDGE IS A MIXED ALPINE ROUTE SO CLOTHING NEEDS TO BASE OF THAT. OBVIOUSLY IT’S ALSO A HIGH ALTITUDE ROUTE, WHICH IS A MAJOR FACTOR, AND ALONG WITH THAT IT’S NORTH FACING, UNRELENTINGLY & CONSISTENTLY STEEP AND IT’S LOGISTICALLY MINIMALLY SUPPLIED – ALL THINGS THAT DEMAND A MORE STREAMLINED SYSTEM AND WAY TO USE IT.

EVERYTHING ABOUT THE NORTH RIDGE SUGGESTS A SIMPLIFIED STRATEGY AND OVER THE COURSE OF A DAY ON THE ROUTE CLOTHING IS SOMEWHERE IT WILL BE CERTAINLY FELT AND A GOOD STRATEGY WILL MAKE AN IMPACT ON SAFETY, TIME, TEAMWORK AND SUSTAINABILITY.

.

OUR K2 GEAR LIST INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING AS ON-MOUNTAIN CLOTHING;

• UNDERWEAR, VEST/BRA/BRIEFS AS NEEDED, MINIMAL, WORKS FOR TOILET FUNCTIONS
• BASELAYER, LEGS, MEDIUM WEIGHT, DESIGNED TO INCLUDE TOILET FUNCTIONS, BREATHABLE AS POSSIBLE
• BASELAYER, TOP, CHEST POCKET, BALACLAVA HOOD, UNZIPS TO VENT
• SHELL LAYER, LEGS, SOFTSHELL OR HARDSHELL, FULL LENGTH SIDE VENTS
• SHELL LAYER, TOP, SUPERLIGHT & PACKABLE, FULL PROTECTION HOOD
• MIDLAYER, TOP, SYNTHETIC INSULATION, BALACLAVA HOOD, MINIMAL POCKETS
• DOWN SUIT, ONE PIECE, TWO PIECE OR DOUBLE – WE ADVOCATE TWO PIECE FOR VERSATILITY. MATCHES UNDERLAYERS FOR TOILET
• SOCKS, PRIMALOFT OR SIMILAR, x 2 PAIRS

CLIMBERS FROM REGULAR 8000m BACKGROUNDS ARE OFTEN SURPRISED BY HOW ABBREVIATED THAT SEEMS. WHERE’S THE EXTRA MIDLAYERS? DON’T I NEED FLEECE? SHOULDN’T I BRING A FULL WEIGHT SHELL JACKET? AND THE REPLY IS “YOU PROBABLY WON’T USE THEM”. THE GRADIENT, CAMP OPTIONS, CLIMBING STYLE AND ABSEMCE OF SUPPLEMENTARY OXYGEN MEANS THE NORTH RIFGE OF K2 IS CLIMBED DIFFERENTLY TO, SAY, THE ABRUZZI WHERE YOU ASCEND IN LOOSE GROUPS TO LARGE SET CAMPS THEN SETTLE IN FROM EARLY AFTERNOON. INSTEAD THE NORTH RIDGE IS LONGER, SLOWER, BUT MORE CONSISTENT DAYS WITH ‘AVALANCHE HOUR’ COMING AT DIFFERENT TIMES TO THE PAKISTAN SIDE, SMALLER CAMPS THAT GET LESS SUN AND IN GENERAL LESS TIME WAITING.

.

THE STRATEGY

USING THE ESTABLISHED CONCEPT OF THE ‘ACTION’ AND ‘IDLING’ SUITS, EACH LAYERS WORKS AS FOLLOWS, IN ORDER OF FUNCTION;

ACTION LAYER; WORN ALMOST ALL THE TIME AND THE FOUNDATION FOR THE OTHER LAYERS

• UNDERWEAR – GOES ON THE BASECAMP, STAYS ON TILL RETURN. UNDERWEAR AT THIS LEVEL IS FOR HYGIENE AND DECENCY AND SHOULD BE AS MINIMAL AS POSSIBLE. YOUR BASELAYER DOES THE WORK OF COVERING YOU, ALL YOUR UNDERWEAR NEEDS TO DO WHEN ON THE MOUNTAIN IS HOLD THINGS IN PLACE. GO AS KINKY AS YOU LIKE, TAKE OR LEAVE AS REQUIRED.

• SOCKS – WITH GOOD FOOT DISCIPLINE NEED ONLY TO SWAP ONCE OR TWICE PER ROTATION. THE KEY HERE IS TO WEAR SYNTHETIC LIKE WOVEN PRIMALOFT (NOT THE PUFFY VERSION) THAT RETAIN VIRTUALLY NO SWEAT AND DRY VERY FAST. AT NIGHT AND IN TENTS SWITCH TO YOUR (SYNTHETIC) BOOTIES TO DRY THEM AND YOUR BOOT LINERS OUT. FORGET MERINO, IT WAS SUPERCEDED COMPLETELY WHEN PRIMALOFT YARN CAME ALONG.

• BASELAYER – GOES ON IN BASECAMP AND STAYS ON TILL RETURN. AT EXTREMES OF HEAT YOU STRIP DOWN TO THIS AND VENT/ROLL UP THE CUFFS. AT EXTREMES OF COLD IT FORMS A DRY, STABLE LAYER DIRECTLY ON YOUR SKIN. AT ALL TIMES IT NEEDS TO BREATHE AS WELL AS POSSIBLE SO AS TO NOT COLLECT MOISTURE – THIS LAYER HAS NO BUSINESS WITH INSULATION. WHATEVER THEY MAY SAY ABOUT MERINO AND POWERSTRECTH ON EVEREST, STAYS ON EVEREST.

• SHELL LAYER, LEGS – GOES ON IN BASECAMP, STAYS ON TILL SWAPPED OUT FOR YOUR DOWN SUIT. REVERSE ON THE DESCENT. THIS LAYER NEEDS TO PROTECT YOUR LEGS FROM ABRASION AND WIND SO NEEDS TO BE SOLID BUT NOT HEAVY DUTY. FULL SIDE ZIPS ARE NEEDED TO VENT WHILE YOU HAVE A HARNESS ON AND GET ON/OFF OVER YOUR PUNISHER BOOTS. THEY DON’T NEED TO BE ESPECIALLY WARM BECAUSE WHEN IT GETS THAT COLD YOUR DOWN PANTS GO ON.

• MIDLAYER, TOP – GOES ON EARLY, STAYS ON LATE, PROBABLY FROM ABOUT CAMP I. WORN FOR EVERYTHING BEYOND WHAT A BASELAYER WILL DO, IS THE INNER PART OF YOUR FULL INSULATION SUIT. ‘MIDLAYER’ IS A MISLEADING TERM HERE AS THIS WILL FORM PART OF YOUR ACTION SUIT SO ALSO FUNCTIONS SOMEWHAT AS A SHELL, SHEDDING A LARGE DEGREE OF PRECIPITATION AND WIND. IT’S VITAL THIS LAYER IS SYNTHETIC AS DOWN WON’T COPE WITH THE ABUSE AND MOISTURE. YOU WILL PROBABLY SLEEP IN THIS MUCH OF THE TIME SO MAKE SURE IT’S COMFORTABLE, WITH A BALACLAVA HOOD YOU CAN EXTEND THE INSULATION AROUND YOUR HEAD WITH AND BREATH INTO INSTEAD OF YOUR SLEEPING BAG. ANY POCKETS YOU NEED SHOULD BE IN THIS LAYER.

IDLING LAYER; FOR WHEN THINGS GET COLD, SLOW OR BOTH

• DOWN SUIT – GOES ON ABOUT IN VARIOUS CONFIGURATIONS ABOVE ABOUT CAMP II, VENTS AS NEEDED. FORMS PART OF YOUR SLEEPING SYSTEM. WE ADVOCATE TWO PIECE SUITS FOR A REASON; VERSATILITY. NO ONE PIECE OR DOUBLE VENTS EVEN CLOSE TO A TWO PIECE WHICH ALLOWS SUCH A SPECTRUM OF BODY TEMPERATURE MAINTENANCE WITH MINIMAL MESSING ABOUT DONNING AND DOFFING THAT EVEN BOTH PIECES CAN GO ON MUCH LOWER THAN WHERE OTHER OPTIONS KICK IN, THUS NEGATING NEEDING TO CARRY EXTRA INTERMEDIARY LAYERS AND THE MESSING ABOUT THAT GOES WITH THEM. WHEN NOT IN USE THE SECTIONS OF THE TWO PIECE PACK BETTER, AND QUICKLY THROWING ON IS FAR LESS OF A PROCESS THAN A FULL ONE PIECE SUIT.

• SHELL JACKET – GOES ON AS REQUIRED, USUALLY IN THE LOWER SECTIONS AS WIND PROTECTION. IN THIS PARADIGM A SHELL JACKET DOESN’T GET MUCH USE, PROVIDING ONLY THE EXTRA PROTECTION (USUALLY WIND) THAT THE SYNTHETIC MIDLAYER CAN’T HANDLE. BUT WHEN IT’S NEEDED IT’S NEEDED, SO HALF THE VALUE IN THIS LAYER IS IT’S ABILITY TO PACK SMALL, GO ON FAST AND CINCH DOWN AGAINST THE ELEMENTS LIKE SPINDRIFT. DON’T GO TOO LIGHT; RUNNING JACKETS ARE LIGHTER THAN MOST ALPINE JACKETS AND ARE TANTALIZINGLY COMPACT, BUT THEY DON’T HAVE THE FEATURES NOR PROTECTION OF A REAL ALPINE CLIMBING SHELL THAT WILL HAVE WIDER SLEEVES, ADJUSTABLE CUFFS, A FULL HOOD AND BE MORE ROBUST. THIS ITEM NEEDS TO PACK INTO THE LID OF A PACK OR EVEN A POCKET FOR EASY ACCESS AND SHOULD BE NICE AND BRIGHT AS SPIN DRIFT AND SNOW GOES HAND IN HAND WITH LOW VISABILITY.

.

THE ASTUTE READER WILL HAVE NOTICED MOST CLOTHING IS CONTINUOUSLY, OR NEARLY, WORN, AND PROBABLY ALL OF IT IS WORN ONCE ABOVE ABOUT 6500m WHERE IT IS VENTED WHEN TOO WARM. VERY LITTLE OF IT IS CARRIED AND SOMETIMES NONE AT ALL. AS BASIC AS OUR CLOTHING LIST FIRST APPEARS, IT’S FAR MORE VERSATILE THAN EMSEMBLES OF MANY MORE PIECES AND/OR WITH ONE PIECE SUITS DUE TO THE DESIGNS AND MATERIALS IN IT.

IT’S ILL-CONCEIVED TO THINK ON THE ROUTE IS THE PLACE TO WORK ALL THIS OUT, AND THE BASICS LIKE TOILET FUNCTIONS, HELMET COMPATIBILITY AND BULK CAN BE WORKED OUT IN YOUR LIVING ROOM. THE REST REQUIRES SEVERAL TRIPS THAT MIMIC CONDITIONS TO WORK OUT. THINGS TO REALLY LOOK FOR IS COMPATIBILITY WITH YOUR HARNESS WHICH MEANS NOT JUST FOR THE TOILET BUT ALSO LINE OF SIGHT FOR TYING ON, EASE OF ADJUSTING AND HOW GEAR HANGS.

.

OVERALL, THE GOAL HERE IS TO HAVE AS SIMPLE A SYSTEM AS POSSIBLE THAT REQUIRES THE FEWEST PARTS TO CARRY AND MANIPULATE, THAT COVERS THE GREATEST SPECTRUM OF USER NEEDS. DESIGN & MATERIALS HAVE COME ALONG A LOT IN THE LAST 5-10 YEARS, WITH KEY PARTS ENHANCING THE WAY OTHERS CAN WORK. IDEAS THAT WERE CONSIDERED EXTREME NOT LONG AGO HAVE BEEN MADE ACCEPTABLE AS THE MATERIALS HAVE EVOLVED, BUT THIS ALSO RAPIDLY MADE SOME STUFF REDUNDANT.

STREAMLINED SIMPLICITY WILL ALWAYS BE THE KEY HERE, AND EVERY YEAR WATCHING CLIMBERS FUMBLE ABOUT WITH COMPLEX, DISJOINTED, MISUNDERSTOOD AND ERRONEOUS ‘SYSTEMS’ HAS GIVEN US GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WHAT WORKS BEST. ESPECIALLY WHEN EQUIPMENT COSTS FORM A SIGNIFICANT PART OF A CLIMBERS BUDGET, SEEING MONEY BLOWN ON THINGS THAT DON’T WORK SHOULD BE SOMETHING THAT CAN BE AVOIDED.