K2’S NORTH RIDGE IS AUTHENTIC TECHNICAL 8000m CLIMBING, SOMETHING RARELY SEEN IN THE COMMERCIAL 8000m CIRCUIT AND USUALLY RESERVED FOR ONLY THE SMALL SCENE OF ELITE HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBERS. TAKING ON THIS ROUTE PUTS A CLIMBER AMONG A VERY SMALL COMMUNITY, MORE PEOPLE HAVING BEEN TO THE MOON THAN HAVING DONE THIS.
BUT ‘TECHNICAL’ DOESN’T INHERENTLY MEAN UNOBTAINABLY DIFFICULT, IT SIMPLY MEANS A SPECTRUM OF TECHNIQUES IS NEEDED FOR THE ASCENT. UNLIKE MOST 8000m TRIPS WHERE THE TECHNIQUE IS A SINGLE ONE OF JUGGING A FIXED LINE, THE TECHNIQUES FOR THE NORTH RIDGE ARE WHAT YOU WILL FIND ON MIXED ALPINE ROUTES ALL OVER THE WORLD. THERE’S SIMPLY MORE OF IT. DUE TO THE NORTH RIDGE BEGINNING RIGHT OF THE GLACIER, THIS IS THE GREATEST EXTENT OF TECHNICAL ALPINISM POSSIBLE.
THE TECHNIQUES USED ARE FAMILIAR TO MOST ALPINISTS; USING ROPES TO ASCEND SAFELY EITHER BY A LEADING-&-SECONDING METHOD, SHORT FIXING SECTIONS, OR SIMU-CLIMBING WHERE POSSIBLE. THIS MEANS TWO TOOLS, PLACING GEAR LIKE PITONS, WIRES & SCREWS, BELAYING & MANAGING ROPES. ROUTES NEED TO BE PICKED, CAMPS NEED TO BE SET, ANCHORS FOR DESCEND NEED TO BE INSTALLED & GEAR NEEDS TO BE MOVED. AND ON K2’S NORTH SIDE IT’S THE TEAM THAT NEEDS TO DO IT.
LEARNING AND DEVELOPING THESE SKILLS ISN’T SOMETHING TO DO ON K2 ITSELF, BUT CONCERTED EFFORT WILL GET A CLIMBER THERE. THE SKILLS ARE NOT ELITE OR ESOTERIC OR SPECIAL, THEY ARE THE SAME STUFF DONE ON 3000m PEAKS, BUT ON K2 THE ABILITY TO DO THEM WELL FOR DAYS ON END IS WHAT MATTERS. IN THIS CASE ‘WELL’ MOSTLY MEANS SIMPLY, CONFIDENTLY & SAFELY. BRUCE LEE’S FAMOUS QUOTE OF NOT FEARING THE MAN WHO HAS PRACTICED 1000 KICKS, BUT FEARING THE MAN WHO HAS PRACTICED ONE KICK 1000 TIMES IS A GOOD ANALOGY FOR THIS.
