YES, WE CAN RUN WINTER K2 TRIPS.
WE HAVE THE GO AHEAD TO ARRANGE WINTER ASCENTS FROM THE NORTH SIDE OF K2, SOMETHING THAT HAS NOT BEEN ATTEMPTED SINCE THE FIRST WINTER ATTEMPT ON K2 IN 2002/03.
CONTRARY TO WINTERS AROUND 8000m PEAKS SOUTH OF THE HIMALAYAN DIVIDE, THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 IS HISTORICALLY NOT AN UNINHABITED WILDERNESS BUT INSTEAD THE WINTER PASTURES OF THE PEOPLE OF THE KARAKORAM WHO GRAZE THEIR ANIMALS ALONG THE SHAKSGAM RIVER. BECAUSE THE RIVER IS RELATIVELY LOW AND THE VOLUME OF WATER ENOUGH TO REMAIN RUNNING YEAR ROUND, THE BANKS SUPPORT ENOUGH PLANT LIFE FOR HERDS OF CAMELS AND HORSES. IN FACT THE MAIN K2 CAMP AT SUGHET JANGAL IS THE WINTER CAMP FOR HERDERS, LONG KNOWN AS A REFUGE BETWEEN THE HIGH PASSES AND ARID VALLEYS BEYOND.
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WHY A WINTER K2 ASCENT FROM THE CHINA SIDE?
UNLIKE SOME OTHER 8000m PEAKS WHERE WINTER ASCENTS WERE DONE IN ALPINE STYLE, ON K2 IT WASN’T, AND THE INHERENT FEATURES OF THE NORTH RIDGE PRESENT AN OBVIOUS CHOICE. IF PREACCLIMATIZED, ACCESS FROM THE ROAD HEAD IS SHORT, WITH THE FAMOUS RIVER CROSSINGS AT THEIR LOWEST LEVEL AND THE USE OF CAMELS HUGELY SIMPLIFIES LOGISTICS.
K2’s NORTHERN SIDE HAS VERY SIMILAR WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THE PAKISTAN SIDE, SAVE THAT MUCH OF THE ROUTE IS SHIELDED FROM THE PREVAILING WINDS. WHAT IT LOSES IN SOLAR WARMTH IT MAKES UP FOR WITH AMBIENT STABILITY AND ACCESS TO LOWER ALTITUDES THAT ARE SIGNIFICANTLY WARMER.
THERE’S VERY GOOD REASONS WHY IT WAS CHOSEN FOR THE FIRST WINTER ATTEMPT
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COSTS
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED IT’S RELATIVELY CHEAP, CERTAINLY LESS THAN SOME SUMMER TRIPS GO AT. LIKE ALL TRIPS, ONES IN CHINA COST OUT COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OF LOGISTICAL DIFFERENCES AND GOVERNMENT REGLATIONS ON THINGS LIKE WAGES. IN WINTER SOME THINGS COST MORE, BECAUSE MORE STUFF IS NEEDED HENCE FREIGHTING AND PORTERING IT IS A LARGER OPERATION, AND WAGES ARE HIGHER BECAUSE IT IS A HARDER, MORE SPECIALIZED JOB.
WE COST TO INCLUDE THE PREACCLIMATIZATION PROCESS, WHICH INCLUDES TEAM TRAVEL TO XINJIANG AND SMOOTHES ALL THE PROCESSES AROUND DOMESTIC TRAVEL, AND ALSO COVERS COMBINED CARGO SHIPPING TO TO KEEP ALL SUPPLIES TOGETHER AND ON TIME. THIS IS A SLIGHTLY EXTENDED VERSION OF THE WINTER PREACCLIMATION SCHEDULE, WITH EXTRA TIME TO COLD-ADAPT AND REFINE RESOURCES.
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HOW WOULD IT WORK?
TO KEEP TO THE PARAMETERS USED ON ALL OTHER 8000m WINTER ASCENTS, WE SCHEDULE TO ARRIVE IN BASECAMP AT THE START OF DECEMBER FOR THE METEORLOGICAL WINTER. WE WILL HAVE ACCLIMATED ELSEWHERE, IN TIBET, GIVING US A HUGE ADVANTAGE
ALL OUR TRIPS ADHERE TO THE ADVICE GIVEN TO US BY RALF DUJMOVITS WHICH IS “ARRIVE ACCLIMATIZED AND GET CLIMBING”, AND NOWHERE IS THIS MORE RELEVENT – OR POSSIBLE – THAN K2 NORTH SIDE IN WINTER.
THE FORCES TO BE WORKED AGAINST ARE EXTREME COLD AND THE WORKLOADS, BOTH OF WHICH ARE MINIMIZED WITH LIMITED EXPOSURE. ACCLIMATIZING ELSEWHERE CUTS WEEKS OFF TIME SPENT IN THE ARENA OF K2, AND REDUCES ALL THE LOGISTICS AND LOADS NEEDED TO SUSTAIN THAT EXTRA EFFORT. THIS EQUATION FURTHER PUSHES IN OUR FAVOR WHAT THE LOADS WE MUST MOVE CAN BE CONSISTED OF, REPLACING RESOURCES FOR A LONGER AND MORE COMPLEX TRIP WITH RESOURCES FOR A SHORTER MORE DIRECT ONE.
PROVEN OVER DOZENS OF WINTER ASCENTS IN TIBET, WE HAVE DEVELOPED A STRONG PROFILE FOR WHAT PREACCLIMATIZATION CAN BE AND HOW IT CAN BE UTILIZED, THAT WHEN COMBINED WITH ADVANCES IN EQUIPMENT PRESENTS VERY DOABLE STRATEGIES.
DURING OUR PREACCLIMATION STAGE WE EXTEND OUR NORMAL TIMELINE WITH AN EASY ASCENT TO ABOVE 6000m TO OPTIMIZE ALTITUDE ADAPTION AS WELL AS ADAPT TO THE COLD. THIS IS ALSO A CHANCE TO FINALIZE CHOICES AND REFINE CLIMBING SYSTEMS, INCLUDING FOR THE TEAM TO WORK UNDER WINTER CONDITIONS TOGETHER.
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