WINTER ASCENTS

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WHILST NOTHING NEW, THE 2021 WINTER ASCENT OF K2 HAS BOUGHT WINTER HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING INTO THE SPOTLIGHT AND CREATED A BUZZ AS CLIMBERS CONSIDER NEW IDEAS FOR OTHER AREAS & OBJECTIVES. BEYOND THE INITIAL FACTORS THAT GO WITH EXTREME COLD, CLIMBING HIGH PEAKS IN WINTER BRINGS WITH SEVERAL POSITIVES THAT MAKE IT NOT ALWAYS THE SUFFER-FEST IT’S MADE OUT TO BE.

OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH WINTER ASCENTS OF HIGH ALTITUDE PEAKS GOES BACK 20 YEARS WITH UNDER-THE-RADAR ASCENTS OF EASTERN TIBETAN PEAKS IN THE ‘OFF SEASON’ AS A WAY OF AVOIDING THE AUTHORITIES. SINCE THEN WE HAVE BEEN TO TIBET LOTS OF TIMES, GRADUALLY PUSHING OUR TIMELINES BACK FURTHER INTO WINTER AS MORE CLIMBERS BEGAN TO LIKE THE IDEA. FROM ALPINE ASCENTS TO BIG WALLS, DOING THINGS WHEN THE DAYS ARE SHORT & IT’S WAY BELOW FREEZING HAS BECOME STANDARD FOR US.

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K2 NORTH SIDE WINTER ASCENT

OUR FIRST CONTACT WITH K2 IN WINTER WAS SPENDING TIME WITH DENIS URUBKO IN PAKISTAN IN 2010 AS HE PREPARED FOR THE FIRST WINTER ASCENT OF GASHERBRUM II, AN EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE AND WHERE WE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT HOW THE NORTH SIDE OF THE KARAKORUM COULD WORK FOR THE IDEA OF ‘A KARAKORUM WINTER NORTH SIDE’ – SOMETHING STILL CONSIDERED ONE OF THE GREAT OBJECTIVES TO BE ACHEIVED AFTER THE REMARKABLE 02/03 ATTEMPT. SINCE THEN THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF EVOLUTION WITH LOGISTICS ON THE NORTH SIDE, WITH A WINTER ATTEMPT BEING MORE DOABLE NOW THAN EVER BEFORE. THE NATURE OF K2’S NORTH SIDE NOT REQUIRING LARGE-SCALE HUMAN PORTAGE TO SUPPORT IS A MAJOR LOGISTICAL ADVANTAGE. FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS’ YEAR-ROUND RELATIONSHIP WITH XINJIANG & THE KARAKORUM, PLUS OUR TIBET PRE-ACCLIMATION PROCESS MEANS WHAT TOOK A HUGE INTERNATIONAL EFFORT IN THE PAST IS NOW FAR MORE STREAMLINED AND EFFICIENT.

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TIBET WINTER ASCENTS

TIBET IS AT IT’S BEST IN WINTER, WE’VE SPENT A DOZEN YEARS PROVING THAT. 6000m OBJECTIVES ARE IDEAL EITHER IN THEIR OWN RIGHT OR FOR ANYBODY ON THE PATH TO BIGGER THINGS BE THEY MORE WINTER ASCENTS OR JUST PREPARING FOR THE COLD OF AN 8000m TRIP. FOR YEARS WE’VE RUN WINTER 6000m TRIPS AS A WAY TO TEST GEAR & SYSTEMS FOR CLIMBERS GOING TO BIGGER THINGS, WITH EXCELLENT, TRANSFERABLE RESULTS THAT CAN SAVE A LOT OF ENERGY & MONEY DOWN THE LINE.

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BASICS

THERE’S LOTS OF WAYS TO DEFINE WINTER – SOME MORE ACADEMIC THAN OTHERS – AND WE DEFINE IT AS THE START OF DECEMBER TO THE END OF FEBRUARY. THIS IS THE TIME WHEN BASELINE TEMPERATURES STAY BELOW FREEZING, DAYS ARE SHORT BETWEEN EQUINOXS & THE TRUE WINTER WEATHER PATTERN SITS OVER NORTHERN ASIA. OF THIS THE FIRST HALF IS THE DRIEST, THE SECOND HALF WHEN THE SNOWS START TO ACCUMULATE. DUE TO THE HIGH UV BOMBARDMENT, ICE STARTS TO BREAKDOWN FROM MID-FEBRUARY.

GEAR FOR WINTER ASCENTS IS UNSURPRISINGLY A STEP OR TWO UP FROM NORMAL, ESPECIALLY WITH BOOTS, SLEEPING GEAR & INSULATION. OFTEN OVERLOOKED IS THAT STOVES & TENTS NEED TO FUNCTION BETTER IN EXTREME COLD TOO, NO LESS BECAUSE YOU SPEND MORE TIME IN CAMPS USING THEM THAN USUAL.

BECAUSE CALORIFIC EXPENDITURE IS MUCH HIGHER, FOOD NEEDS EXTRA ATTENTION IN WINTER. THERE’S THE NEED TO STAY WARMER LONGER, BUT WHEN IT’S COLD ENOUGH SOME FOODS RARELY SEEN TO START TO FREEZE AND REQUIRE MORE GAS ETC TO COOK.

CLIMBING IN TRUE WINTER COSTS MORE BECAUSE THINGS REQUIRE EXTRA RESOURCES, TIME & ENERGY. GO TO THE TRIPS & PRICES SECTION FOR CURRENT PRICES.