ALPINISM-WISE 6000m PEAKS MEANS YOU CAN STILL PULL HARD MOVES & CARRY A WIDE RACK OF GEAR SO YOU CAN LEARN HOW IT ALL WORKS FOR STUFF YOU’LL NEVER BE ABLE TO DO ABOVE 8000m IN PLACES LIKE K2
THE USUAL TRANSITION TO K2 IS VIA SEVERAL COMMERCIAL 8000m PEAKS PRECEDED BY SOME LEAD-IN PEAKS THAT USUALLY INCLUDE A TRIP OR TWO ON WELL KNOWN 6000 – 7000m PEAKS. FOR A LONG TIME THIS WASN’T ENOUGH FOR K2 HOWEVER YOU LOOKED AT IT, BUT THE ARRIVAL OF INDUSTRIAL-GRADE CLIMBING HAS BOUGHT THE SAME SYSTEMS SEEN ON PEAKS LIKE EVEREST, SO NOW THE SAME PROCESS OF PREPARATION APPLIES.
BUT THAT WON’T WORK ON THE NORTH SIDE.
THE NORTH RIDGE OF K2 IS STILL A CLIMBERS CLIMB AND DEMANDS THE SPECTRUM OF ALPINE SKILLS IT ALWAYS HAS. THE ABRUZZI MAY WELL BE ASCENDED WITH THE SAME SKILL SET AS GOT YOU UP EVEREST, BUT ON THE NORTH SIDE YOU WILL BE SEVERELY INADEQUATE. RATHER THAN COLLECTIVE MONTHS SPENT PERFECTING JUGGING, CROSSING LADDERS & SWAPPING AROUND THE ANCHORS ON FIXED LINES, THE NORTH RIDGE NEEDS YOU TO BE CLIMBING MIXED TERRAIN WITH TWO TOOLS, TRAVERSING ON ROCK, BANGING IN THE ODD PITON & DESCENDING STEEP SNOW – ACROSS A SINGLE DAY.
IF A SERIES OF TECHNICAL +/-8000m ASCENTS IS ALREADY ON YOUR RESUME, YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, BUT IF NOT THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO GET THERE IS WITH TECHNICAL TRIPS ON 6000m PEAKS.
WHY 6000m?
6000m PEAKS OFFER THE MOST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK. THE HIGH RATIO OF CLIMBING TO NON-CLIMBING DAYS IS VERY HIGH (UP TO 3:1 COMPARED TO 1:5 FOR AN 8000m TRIP), ALL OF THAT CLIMBING IS AT ALTITUDES THAT HAVE THE BODY CLIMBING WITH THE EFFECTS OF IT & WHEN CHOSEN WELL, 6000m PEAKS PROVIDE ROUTES OVER 1000m IN LENGTH WHICH MEANS REALISTIC TIME ON THEM TO USE REAL ALPINE SKILLS. ADD IT ALL UP AND A 3 WEEK 6000m PEAK CAN GENERATE YOU 15 DAYS OF HIGH-MOUNTAIN ASCENT, MORE THAN THE EQUIVALENT OF MOST 8000m TRIPS AT OVER 3 TIMES THE DURATION. ORGANIZE A 6 WEEK TRIP AND YOU CAN LOOK AT 2 X 6000m PEAKS – EASY ONCE YOU ACCLIMATE – AND YOU HAVE MORE ON-MOUNTAIN TECHNICAL DAYS AND NIGHTS THAN MANY PEOPLE SHOWING UP FOR THE ABRUZZI DO.
WE CAN’T STRESS HOW IMPORTANT NIGHTS ARE IN YOUR RESUME. DAY ROUTES JUST DON’T CUT IT. THE MOMENT YOU START STAYING OVERNIGHT (OR CLIMBING THROUGH THE NIGHT) ON 6000m PEAKS IS WHERE YOU START REALLY FILLING IN THE GAPS THAT WILL GET YOU ON THE NORTH RIDGE. NIGHTS OUT MEAN GEAR CARRIED, MEALS COOKED, SNOW MELTED, LEDGES CHOPPED, BOTTLES PISSED IN, SLEEPING SYSTEMS TESTED, BOREDOM CONFRONTED, SUNRISES SEEN & TEAM WORK APPLIED – AND THAT’S GOING TO BE 50% OF WHAT YOUR TIME ON K2 IS SPEND DOING.
ALPINISM-WISE 6000m PEAKS MEANS YOU CAN STILL PULL HARD MOVES & CARRY A WIDE RACK OF GEAR SO YOU CAN LEARN HOW IT ALL WORKS FOR STUFF YOU’LL NEVER BE ABLE TO DO ABOVE 8000m IN PLACES LIKE K2. KNOWING HOW TO AID A TRAVERSE, STACK NUTS & BUILD AN ANCHOR ARE SKILLS TO BE HONED WITH ENOUGH OXYGEN IN YOUR BRAIN, NOT WITHOUT, AND THE MORE TRANSFERABLE THE SCENARIO THE BETTER.
6000m CLIMBING REALLY OVERLAPS WITH 8000m CLIMBING WHEN IT STARTS EDGING INTO WINTER, SOMETHING TIBET WITH IT’S DRY WINTER CLIMATE IS PERFECT FOR. YOU GET TO WEAR YOUR BIG BOOTS & SUIT, CARRY YOUR BIG BAG & STRUGGLE WITH STOVES ALMOST IDENTICALLY TO HOW IT WILL BE ABOVE CAMP 3. THE LESSONS LEARNED AT 5800m WITH ‘ONLY’ 800m OF RAPPELS BELOW YOU WILL GET YOU THROUGH A LOT OF STRESSFUL TIMES WHEN THINGS START TO GET BIGGER.
ADD TO THIS ANY DECENT 6000m PEAK WILL REQUIRE GENUINE EXPEDITION LOGISTICS TO GET TO – THE BELOW-THE-WATERLINE PART OF ANY TRIP THAT ALL ELSE IS BASED ON. DISCOUNTING STUFF LIKE ISLAND PEAK WITH LODGES AT THE BASE, MANY 6000m PEAKS NEED CARRIES UP GLACIERS, A STRATEGY FOR BASECAMP, SERIOUS ACCLIMATION SCHEDULES, PORTAGE ON THE APPROACH & THE WHOLE LOGISTIC SHE-BANG AROUND GETTING A LOT OF GEAR FROM THE CITY TO THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE – WITH ALL OF IT OVERLAPPING.
ACCLIMATION TO THE HIGHEST ALTITUDES CANNOT REALLY BE TRAINED AT ONLY 6000m, BUT A LOT OF TIME CAN BE SPENT AROUND THE THRESHOLD OF ACCLIMATION WHERE PERFORMANCE IS JUST ALLOWED. WE’VE DONE LOTS OF TRIPS WHERE THE HIGHEST PITCHES WERE DONE WELL ABOVE WHAT SUSTAINABLE ACCLIMATION ALLOWED, BUT BECAUSE WE WEREN’T STAYING THAT HIGH (AND DESCENT FROM UP THERE WAS WITHIN REASONABLE CERTAINTY) WE CLIMBERS COULD CLIMB AT THE EDGE OF WHAT WAS POSSIBLE, SOMETHING YOU’D NOT BE DOING ON HIGHER PEAKS WHERE THAT MARGIN IS TOO FINE.
WE ADVOCATE THIS METHOD BECAUSE WE’VE SEEN IT WORK, WITH CLIMBERS GETTING DOZENS OF TRUE HIGH ALTITUDE TECHNICAL DAYS & NIGHTS IN THAT TRANSFERRED DIRECTLY TO THEIR 8000m ASCENTS. ESPECIALLY IN THE YEAR LEAD UP, MULTI-PEAK TRIPS HONED SKILL SETS RIGHT BEFORE THEY WERE ABOUT TO BE USED, WITHOUT EXHAUSTING THE CLIMBERS, PUTTING THEM ONTO THE MAIN OBJECTIVE WITH WEEKS OF FRESH EXPERIENCE IN THE PLACE WHERE MOST OTHERS HAD BEEN SPENDING SUMMER ON THE BEACH. HAVE A GUESS WHO HAD THE HEAD START ON THE MOUNTAIN.