IF THESE SORTS OF THINGS WERE SO DOABLE, JUST ANYBODY WOULD DO THEM – AS WE’VE SEEN THE LAST 20 YEARS PROVE…
AS INTEREST HAS GROWN IN K2 OVER THE LAST DECADE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PAKISTAN SIDE HAS BECOME MORE COMMON, BUT THE CHINESE NORTHERN SIDE HAS DRIFTED FURTHER INTO OBSCURITY. IT NEVER WAS A WELL KNOWN PLACE – SO FEW PEOPLE HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN OUT THERE TO REPORT ON IT – BUT WHAT LITTLE WAS KNOWN BECAME NEAR MYTHOLOGY, BASED ON OLD OR DUBIOUS INFORMATION, HERESAY & CONTENTION.
IT’S WORTH NOTING MUCH OF THE MISINFORMATION ABOUT THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 EITHER COMES FROM OR IS PERPETUATED BY THE COMMERCIAL 8000m INDUSTRY.
HERE ARE THE COMMON THINGS WE HEAR THAT DESERVE CLARIFICATION & PERSPECTIVE, SO CLIMBERS CAN MAKE UP THEIR OWN MINDS IN COMPARISON TO OTHER 8000m OBJECTIVES.
THE SHAKSGAM RIVER CROSSING IS DANGEROUS
NOT INHERENTLY, NO. IF YOU COME FROM A BACKGROUND NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS SORT OF RIVER CROSSING, THEN YES IT WON’T BE PART OF YOUR SKILL SET, BUT LIKE ALPINE CLIMBING – WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING IT’S DOABLE. FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS HAS A SOLID HISTORY IN RIVER TRIPS, INCLUDING HAVING CHINA’S TOP BIG RIVER PADDLERS IN IT’S STAFF, AND ON THE SCALE OF RIVER ACCESS THE SHAKSGAM RIVER IS VERY MANAGEABLE.
IT IS TRUE THAT IN THE PAST TEAMS HAVE HAD PROBLEMS THOUGH, DUE TO UNUSUALLY HIGH WATER LEVELS, TIMING CIRCUMSTANCES & ABSENCE OF INFORMATION – ALL THINGS WE HAVE MITIGATED.
IT’S ‘TOO HARD’ TO GET TO
WE HEAR THIS A LOT, BUT WE’RE NOT EVEN REALLY SURE WHAT IT MEANS.
FOR MOST CLIMBERS, KASHGAR IS 2 OR 3 FLIGHTS TO GET TO – THE SAME AS ISLAMABAD OR KATHMANDU. KASHGAR HAS REGULAR FLIGHTS FRO BEIJING, SHENZHEN, XI’AN, URUMQI & CHENGDU (WHICH WE USE WITH OUR PRE-ACCLIMATION OPTIONS).
FROM KASHGAR THE ROAD ACCESS IS 6 LANE HIGHWAY FOR MOST OF THE WAY, THEN SEALED AND UNSEALED RURAL ROADS THE REST. NONE OF IT IS JEEP ROAD ANYTHING CLOSE TO THE SORT OF THING SEEN OUT TO ASKOLE.
THE FOOT ACCESS APPROACH IS THROUGH WIDE VALLEYS, AND THOUGH THE ARGHIL PASS NEEDS TIME TO CROSS IT’S NOT LIKE THE HIGH GLACIATED AND SNOW COVERED PASSES ELSEWHERE. THE RIVERS AS MENTIONED EARLIER ARE CROSSED WITH A MIX OF WADING AND RIDING THE CAMELS.
WHAT CAN BE HARD ARE THE CARRIES FROM BASECAMP TO THE ADVANCED BASECAMP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ROUTE, BUT THIS IS ALSO THE PERIOD TO ACCLIMATE TO ABOVE 5000m SO IT’S NOT ‘HARD’ WITHOUT REASON – ONE WAY OR ANOTHER YOU NEED SCHEDULED ALTITUDE GAINS & LOSSES TO ACCLIMATIZE SO WE PLAN IT IN AS JUST THAT.
OVERALL, CONSIDERING HOW EASY IT IS NOW TO GET TO MANY 8000m BASECAMPS, THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 IS MORE INVOLVED FOR SURE, BUT WHETHER THAT MEANS ‘HARDER’ IS SOMETHING ELSE. IT’S CERTAINLY DOABLE.
THE ACCESS IS DANGEROUS
HAVING BEEN TO SEVERAL OTHER 8000m PEAKS LIKE THOSE ON THE BALTORO, EVEREST REGION & KANCHENJUNGA, AND REMOTE PEAKS ALL OVER TIBET & XINJIANG, WE RATE THE APPROACH TO THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 ABOUT 2/10. OF COURSE IT HAS IT’S RISKS, BUT IN THE CONTEXT OF ALL THE REASONS WE SEE FOR PEOPLE HAVING ACCIDENTS APPROACHING OTHER SUCH OBJECTIVES, THE CHINESE SIDE OF K2 COMES OUT VERY WELL UNDER PROPER RISK ASSESSMENT. COMPARED TO THE OVERALL RISK PROFILES OF OTHER PLACES THAT INCLUDE SANITATION, ROAD SAFETY, CIVIL SECURITY & THE IMPACT OF THESE HAZARDS, THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 LOOKS VERY GOOD.
THE NORTH SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN IS DANGEROUS
ALL 8000m PEAKS ARE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS, HAVING TAKEN MANY LIVES INCLUDING THOSE OF THE FINEST CLIMBERS SOMETIMES IN PLACES DEEMED SAFE. BUT HOW INHERENTLY DANGEROUS A ROUTE ON A PEAK IS IS ANOTHER MATTER.
IT IS TRUE THAT MUCH OF THE NORTH FACE OF K2 HAS A LEVEL OF OBJECTIVE DANGER THAT MODERN MOUNTAINEERING CAN’T SURMOUNT; HUGE WALLS OF OVERHANGING SERACS, MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF PLASTERED SNOW, SOME OF THE LONGEST & STEEPEST AVALANCHE CHUTES ANYWHERE. BUT THE NORTH RIDGE ROUTE DOESN’T GO THROUGH ANY OF THAT.
GREG CHILD SAID OF THE SUCCESSFUL 1990 EXPEDITION TO THE NORTH RIDGE THAT FOR ALL THE FACTORS INVOLVED, THE NORTH RIDGE WAS THE SAFEST ROUTE ON K2. THE REASONS FOR THIS ARE CLEAR, AND ARE RELATED TO BY MEMBERS OF THE 2011 TEAM, THE LAST SUCCESSFUL GROUP ON THE ROUTE. WHAT OBJECTIVE RISKS ARE ON THE ROUTE ARE MITIGABLE WITH THE STANDARD METHODS COMMON TO EXPEDITION ALPINE CLIMBING, AND UNLIKE THE FREQUENTED ROUTES ON THE OTHERSIDE LIKE THE ABRUZZI & CESEN, ARE AT PLACES ON THE ROUTE THAT MAKE THEM LOWER RISK OVER ALL.
IT’S CRAZY EXPENSIVE
IT DEFINITELY USED TO BE, BUT THESE DAYS A TRIP TO THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 OF COMPARATIVE LEVEL TO THE SAME SERVICES ELSEWHERE WORKS OUT ALOST THE SAME. IT’S WORTH NOTING THAT CRAZY EXPENSIVE TRIPS TO ALL 8000m PEAKS EXIST, WITH SOME COMMONLY USED OPTIONS BEING FAR MORE EXPENSIVE THAT THE STANDARD OPTION TO THE NORTH SIDE OF K2.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT IS WHAT YOU GET FOR THE COST, AND THAT THE LOWER COST BUDGET OPTIONS THAT EXIST ELSEWHERE DON’T EXIST ON THE CHINESE SIDE. K2 NORTH SIDE’S COST REFLECT THE LOGISTICS USED & AND THE ECONOMICS OF CHINA. THESE ARE WESTERN-LEAD TRIPS WITH INTERNATIONAL GRADE STAFF, RESOURCES & INFRASTRUCTURE BY DEFAULT – AND BY THOSE METRICS THE CHINESE SIDE OF K2 IS A GOOD DEAL.
THE CHINESE WON’T LET PEOPLE IN
THEY WILL, BUT THEY WON’T LET JUST ANYBODY IN. ACCESS TO THE NORTHERN SIDE OF THE KARAKORAM NEEDS TO BE DONE THROUGH OFFICIAL CHANNELS WHICH MEANS YOU MUST BE ON A TEAM. YOU CAN’T JUST HEAD OUT THERE ON YOUR OWN LIKE YOU CAN IN NEPAL, OR LOOSELY ON YOUR OWN PERMIT LIKE YOU CAN IN PAKISTAN. WHEN FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS DOES TRIPS TO XINJIANG IT’S AS THE FTRE TEAM WHICH MEANS IT’S ALREADY VERIFIED ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP IN BEIJING.
IT’S TOO REMOTE
WELL, IT IS REMOTE, BUT NOT SO REMOTE THAT IT CAN’T BE DONE.
IT IS TOO REMOTE THOUGH THAT COMPANIES RUNNING 8000m TRIPS FOR MAXIMUM PROFIT CAN’T CRUNCH THE NUMBERS OR BUREAUCRACY TO MAKE IT WORTH WHILE. WE ARE NOT ONE OF THOSE COMPANIES.
IT’S IN A CONFLICT ZONE
NOT AT ALL. WHILST THERE ARE MILITARY OUTPOSTS OUT THERE, COMPARED TO THE BALTORO WHERE THERE ARE SOLDIERS, FUEL DUMPS, OPTIC FIBRES & HELICOPTERS THE LENGTH OF IT, THE NORTH SIDE HAS A COMPLETE ABSENCE OF ANY TRAPPINGS OF A CONFLICT ZONE.
ITS NOT OPEN TO COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE
THIS IS TRUE; THE AUTHORITIES OF CHINA HAVE NO INTEREST IN PROFITEERING FROM THE NORTH SIDE OF THE KARAKORAM. PAYING TEAMS CAN GO THERE, BUT THE BASICS THAT COULD BE TURNED INTO THE SORT OF MASS TOURISM SEEN AROUND 8000m PEAKS ARE NOT PRESENT.
FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS CAN RUN OUR TRIPS INTO THERE BECAUSE WE RUN THEM AS TRUE EXPEDITIONS WITH NO CONCESSIONS TO TURN THEM INTO HIGH-PROFIT ENTERPRISES. THIS ISN’T EASY AND HAS TAKEN YEARS OF NEGOTIATION, THE RESULT BEING BASED ON US HAVING A LONG-USED MODEL FROM TIBET TO WORK WITH.
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THE POINT OF THIS ARTICLE IS FOR CLIMBERS TO WEIGH UP THEIR OWN THOUGHTS ABOUT THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 IN REFERENCE TO WHAT THEY HAVE HEARD ABOUT IT. IT’S CERTAINLY DIFFERENT TO GOING TO ANY OTHER 8000m PEAK, BUT DESPITE THE MASS TOURISM INDUSTRY HOMOGENIZATION OF 8000m CLIMBING, THOSE DIFFERENCES DON’T HAVE TO MEAN IT’S LESS POSSIBLE. THOUGH DEFINITELY NOT FOR EVERYONE, THERE WILL BE CLIMBERS AMONG THE CURRENT 8000m COMMUNITY THAT SEE THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 AS JUST WHAT THEY’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR.
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