THE FIRST THING PEOPLE DO WHEN THEY ARE INTERESTED IN THE THIRD POLE IS GO TO GOOGLE EARTH, AND AT FIRST GLANCE IT APPEARS TO BE AN EXPANSE OF EMPTINESS. THAT IS UNTIL THEY REALISE THEY ARE LOOKING AT AN AREA THE SIZE OF FRANCE.
CLOSING IN ON THE TIBETAN HIGH PLATEAU IS BECOMES CLEAR IT IS COVERED IN MASSIFS & RANGES – OFTEN UP TO AROUND 6000m HIGH. RETAINING MUCH OF THEIR ICE-AGE TOPOGRAPHY, OFTEN THESE PEAKS ARE GLACIATED, SOMETIMES INTO SMALL ICE CAPS, AND CAN BE APPROACHED FROM SEVERAL DIRECTIONS. THE MAJORITY OF THESE PEAKS HAVE SEEN NO ASCENTS, AND THOSE THAT HAVE IT’S OFTEN A SINGLE ONE WITH SUB-PEAKS REMAINING UNCLIMBED.
GETTING TO THESE PEAKS IS AN ART FORM OF ORCHESTRATING LOGISTICS, ACCESS ROUTES, PERMITS & NAVIGATION. WHAT APPEARS AS OPEN PLATEAU RIGHT TO A PEAKS BASE CAN OFTEN BE A COMPLEX PROCESS OF CONNECTING GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES ONCE IT’S REALIZED IT’S ALL OVER 4500m AND THE NEED TO PLAN AROUND WATER SOURCES.
CLIMBING ON THESE PEAKS IS TRUE EXPEDITION CLIMBING, ON TERRAIN UNLIKE WHAT’S FOUND IN THE KARAKORUM & HIMALAYA WHERE ANNUAL CLIMATE CYCLES FORM THE MOUNTAINS SLOPES. THESE ‘INNER TIBETAN’ PEAKS CAN RECEIVE RELATIVELY LITTLE SNOW; THE WHITE EXPANSES YOU SEE IN SATELLITE IMAGES ACTUALLY BEING MOSTLY GLACIAL REMNANTS.
