# The Throne Room of Mountain Gods.



## krash

The Throne Room of The Mountain Gods. It was Galen Rowell who first used this term for Concordia. Anyone who knows anything about mountains cannot agree more. It is also known as the trophy room of mountains and the roof of the world. Concordia is the confluence of the Baltoro Glacier and the Godwin-Austen Glacier. It is situated deep in the heart of the Karakorum in the Baltistan district in northern Pakistan. The stats which it posses prove it to be deserved of such a title. 

Concordia has, in addition to many 7000 meter peaks, four 8000 meter peaks (out of fourteen in the whole world), namely K2 (second highest in the world at 8,611m. Said to be the most diffibult mountain to climb in the world), Gasherbrum I (8,080m), Broad Peak (8,047m) and Gasherbrum II (8,035m). It has the highest concentration of +5 mile high peaks anywhere in the world. Apart from the eight thousanders it also has other famous peaks such as 
Gasherbrum III (7,952m),
Gasherbrum IV (7,925m), 
Masherbrum (or K1 at 7,821m), 
Chogolisa (7,665m), 
Muztagh Tower (7,273m), 
Snow Dome (7,160m), Biarchedi (6,781 m), 
Mitre Peak (6,010m) to name a few. 

These mountains are the most precipitous in the world. They rise too fast, too high. They are often called the 'Stone and Ice Pyramids' and in the photos below you'll see why. Concordia is the amphitheater of the highest mountains in the world.

The Baltoro glacier, which runs through Concordia, is the largest glacier found on earth outside the poles. It is even visible from outer space. Concordia is one of the last remaining truly wild places on the planet. Through out history it has been shut off from the rest of the world mainly due to its remoteness, the treacherous paths leading up to it and the highest mountains in the world surrounding it and cordoning it off. It is so remote and shut off that the peaks surrounding it were not named until the twentieth century. Even today the nine day trek to Concordia from the nearest village, Askole, is considered to be one of the most treacherous in the world. The extreme altitudes added with the terrain make sure that only the most serious and experienced mountaineers try to access it. For many in the world Concordia represents a life long dream not just because of the toughest mountaineering, ice climbing and rock climbing opportunities that it offers but more importantly because of the spectacularly beautiful scenery that it holds.

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## krash

*K2 Concordia:*

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## krash

*Gasherbrum I:*

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## krash

*Broad Peak:*

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## krash

*Gasherbrum II:*

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## krash

*Gasherbrum IV:*

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## krash

*Masherbrum:*

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## krash

*Chogolisa:*

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## krash

*Muztagh Tower:*































A very old picture of the Muztagh Tower by Vittorio Sella. This picture actually inspired the first ascent of the tower:

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## krash

*Baltoro Glacier:*











You can see the Gasherbrum IV in the background:

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## Sinnerman108

WoW

Spell bound to say any thing more.

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## haywards

awesome boss....

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## krash

*Godwin Austin Glacier:*






K2 in the background:






Chogolisa in the background:






Marble Peak (6256 m) in the background:

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## krash

*Random pics from Concordia:*

See if you can recognize the mountains and the glaciers.

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## krash



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## krash

Baltoro Kangri in the background:











Baltoro glacier taken by Vittorio Sella:

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## krash

Chogolisa in the background of Baltoro:
















K2 in the background:

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## krash

Broad peak taken from Baltoro by Vittorio Sella:






Birds eye view of Concordia and the adjacent areas:






The Gasherbrum-Broad Peak group seen from high on K2 to the north. (A) Gasherbrum I (B) Gasherbrum II (C) Gasherbrum III (D) Gasherbrum IV (E) Broad Peak Central (F) Broad Peak Central Foresummit (G) Broad Peak Main. The normal route on Broad Peak and the one attempted to ca. 250m from the summit this winter by Qudrat Ali, Shaheen Beg and Simone Moro, climbs the long snow slopes to the right, heading up to the gap between the Central and Main summits. [Photo] K2 Shared Summits Expedition:

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## krash

Broad peak taken from Baltoro by Vittorio Sella:






Birds eye view of Concordia and the adjacent areas:






The Gasherbrum-Broad Peak group seen from high on K2 to the north. (A) Gasherbrum I (B) Gasherbrum II (C) Gasherbrum III (D) Gasherbrum IV (E) Broad Peak Central (F) Broad Peak Central Foresummit (G) Broad Peak Main. The normal route on Broad Peak and the one attempted to ca. 250m from the summit this winter by Qudrat Ali, Shaheen Beg and Simone Moro, climbs the long snow slopes to the right, heading up to the gap between the Central and Main summits. [Photo] K2 Shared Summits Expedition:






Taken from high up on K2. Chogolisa can be seen on the left:






Taken from high up on Gasherbrum IV north ridge:

(Masherbrum on the left in the background)





(Masherbrum on the right in the background)





Panoramic view from Concordia. Baltoro glacier in the foreground. Background: K2 on the left covered in clouds, Broad peak center and Gasherbrum IV on the right:

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## krash

K2 above the clouds:






Taken from Gasherbrum II. K2 on the center right in the background and Broad Peak on the center left:






Taken from up the Masherbrum, Baltoro down below:






Taken from up the Gasherbrum II. Baltoro down below and Masherbrum on the left in the background:

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## Shardul.....the lion

amazing man

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## SpArK

Amazing pics..

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## pmukherjee

Wonderful, thanks.

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## krash

Shardul.....the lion said:


> amazing man





SpArK said:


> Amazing pics..



It is amazing to note that the highest mountain outside of the Greater Himalaya (which constitutes the Himalaya, the Karakorum and the Hindu Kush) is Mt. Aconcagua (which is only 6962 m high) in the Andes. In Pakistan alone there are more than 108 recorded peaks between 7000-8000 meters high (Leaving the five +8000 meter peaks alone). There are others which are yet to be named and measured. And then theres Concordia where no matter where you look you will see a +7000 meter peak in front of you. On top of that there are four eight thousanders looking right down on you as you stand on the largest glacier outside of the poles. This place is extreme in every way, a place of superlatives. It changes you in more ways than you can explain, at least it changed me.

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## krash

*Baltoro Kangri (Also known as the Golden Thrown. 7,312 m):*

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## krash

*Mitre Peak (6025 meters):*

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## darkinsky

baltoro glacier






Rakaposhi






Gondogoro La-Gondogoro la Trek-Pakistan

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## krash

*Concordia:*
















Trango Tower at dusk:






Mitre peak in the background:











Broad(left), Gasherbrum IV(center right), Baltoro Kangri(right behind the clouds):

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## krash

darkinsky bro only add pics from Concordia please. Rakaposhi is in Hunza quite a long way west of Concordia. Also the third pic is of Hushe valley from Gondogoro-la with Laila peak in the background. Hushe is south east of Concordia. But keep adding I need help!

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## krash

Gasherbrum IV in the background:

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## darkinsky

On the way from ABC 5500 to Camp I 5900m, Gasherbrum II, Karakoram, Pakistan

photo credit: sylweczka

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## krash

The infamous ice-sharks:











K2(left), Broad Peak(right):

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## krash

Masherbrum:






Broad Peak:






K2 and Broad Peak:

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## darkinsky

Goro II Camp 4450m, Baltoro Glacier, Karokoram, Pakistan






The Trango Towers

The Trango Towers are a group of dramatic granite spires. The Towers offer some of the largest cliffs and most challenging rock climbing in the world. The highest point in the group is the summit of Great Trango Tower, 6,286 m. The east face of the Great Trango Tower features the world's greatest nearly vertical drop.
A view form Urdukas Camp 4000m, Baltoro Glacier, Karokoram, Pakistan

photo credit: sylweczka

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## krash

The Muztagh Tower:
















K2 and Broad Peak at night:






Masherbrum at night:

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## darkinsky

Gasherbrum I-Gondogoro La Trek-Pakistan

Gasherbrum I peering out from behind some mountains while on the Gondogoro La Trek in Pakistan.
photo credit: mikemellinger

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## krash

Broad Peak:
















Chogolisa:











En-route Chogolisa Peak:






Chogolisa(left) and Mitre Peak(right):

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## krash

Masherbrum:







*Gahserbrum IV(left), III(right) and II(center). Taken from Gondogoro-La:*

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## Safriz

Does PTDC or any other organization operates trip to these areas?.
How do you go there? You cant do it on your own...so how can you find a group?

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## Areesh

Great pictures Krash. This is one of the best collection of pics of these mountains I have seen.

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## krash

safriz said:


> Does PTDC or any other organization operates trip to these areas?.
> How do you go there? You cant do it on your own...so how can you find a group?



Sir PTDC doesnt really cater for adventure. There work is more related to motels and lodging. Adventure Foundation Pakistan started off with promise but they are now mostly focused on small scale activities i.e. rafting, camping, etc in lower laying areas such as Naran and Kaghan. Youl find private enterprises but they charge you allot more than is due (you can find them easily on the net). If you have no experience of such trips then an easy and more cost effective way is that you gather a group of people and contact a local guide in Skardu, Gilgit, Karimabad, etc. They can offer you complete packages. In such packages all you need to do is pay the total cost and arrive at the set starting location all the rest will be taken care off by the guide. He will arrange the porters, the supplies, the tents, the jeeps etc. But an even more cost effective way would be to contact a guide and then plan the whole trip with him. This will be a little more headache but with more value for money.

What I do is first convince at least one of my friends to go with me. I have all the gear for trekking, climbing and camping for all seasons hence its a lot less of a headache. Then I call one of the guides whom I know and decide on how many porters we are going to need and how much will we have to pay them. After that I either gather up supplies from Lahore (if I have my own transportation) or tell the guide to arrange what I need in Skardu, Gilgit or Karimabad (if im travelling by NATCO). Then all I have to do is rendezvous at the set location with the guide and the portars. If jeeps are needed then they too are arranged by the guide before I reach there. This way I have a lot more control over the trip and the activities and also I save a lot of money. Hotel rooms are also booked in advance. 



Areesh said:


> Great pictures Krash. This is one of the best collection of pics of these mountains I have seen.



Sit tight sir more are to follow

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## darkinsky

Gasherbrum 2

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## darkinsky

Angelus Peak, K2 Trek 1978

Angel Sar or Angelus Peak is a 22, 490 foot high mountain in Karakoram range of Northern Areas of Pakistan, near K2, the second highest mountain in the world. It is attached to the SSW ridge of K2

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## krash

I have searched far and wide for this video until I finally found the complete series from which I had to cut out this portion. This is the most brilliant video of Concordia that I have ever seen:

http://youtu.be/Af0GVm0lB8A

*Famous peaks in the video:

Chogolisa* @ 1:11 (the highest peak in the background). 

*Masherbrum* @ 1:18

*Unnamed Trango Tower* @ 1:29

The Great Trango Tower @ 1:48 (behind the Unnamed Trango Tower)

*K2 *@ 1:24 (on the left in the background covered in clouds)


This video is taken from the second episode (Mountains) of the first season of the BBC documentary series 'Planet Earth'. In high def it just looks AWESOME!

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## DESERT FIGHTER

planning to go to GB on 25th dec on my new CJ5 ...Any advice krash?


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## krash

Pakistani Nationalist said:


> planning to go to GB on 25th dec on my new CJ5 ...Any advice krash?



Where exactly sir? What activities do you plan to do there?

Btw It just snowed in Skardu.


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## DESERT FIGHTER

Hey krash bro... il be going there with around 4-5 of my frnds ... we have 2 4x4s... we will starts frm multan... to RWP onto gilgit Baltistan.... places we are going to visit:
Fairt meadows
Deosai
Hunza-Karimabad
KKH
Skardu
K2 base camp
Rakaposhi
shangrilla lake 
and some you might help me decide...

We have a budget of around 1 lac!

Stay in army mess/guest houses,our own camps etc.

What is your advice... should we take more money... can we park our vehicles at some safe places before leaving off to base camps or other places/trecking etc..

Is KKH accessable? gear we will need... etc?


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## krash

Pakistani Nationalist said:


> Hey krash bro... il be going there with around 4-5 of my frnds ... we have 2 4x4s... we will starts frm multan... to RWP onto gilgit Baltistan.... places we are going to visit:
> Fairt meadows
> Deosai
> Hunza-Karimabad
> KKH
> Skardu
> K2 base camp
> Rakaposhi
> shangrilla lake
> and some you might help me decide...
> 
> We have a budget of around 1 lac!
> 
> Stay in army mess/guest houses,our own camps etc.
> 
> What is your advice... should we take more money... can we park our vehicles at some safe places before leaving off to base camps or other places/trecking etc..
> 
> Is KKH accessable? gear we will need... etc?



Please bear with me while I write a long reply

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## krash

Ok so first of all Deosai (snowed shut) and K2 (death trap) are not going to possible at this time of the year. Plus the K2 base camp trek would be a lot more than your budget (50-60k per person). Rakaposhi base camp too would be really difficult at this time of the year. The KKH will be op[en through out unless theres a landslide or something. Karimabad (Rakaposhi is quite clearly visible from here among other amazing and famous peaks) and Skardu would be a good idea (It has snowed in Skardu a couple of days back. Quite early for snow in Skardu). Shangrila should not be a problem, it is very near to Skardu. Im going to assume that your trip is going to be of 10 days. If your not planning on trekking for more than a day (which I would recommend) then 1lac should be awesome. You wont need a lot pf gear and you'l live in luxury. You can see a lot of places too e.g. you can drive up till Hushe valley from skardu passing through Ghanche, Barrah and Khaplu (all amazing places).

The weather is really harsh at this time (-10 to -20 in the lower valleys) of there so you'll need some good gear. Apart from other warm clothing:

-Down jacket. 
-Down lower. 
-Woolen thermals (shirt and trousers).
-flees sweater.
-Good fleesed or woolen gloves.
-warm scarf and hat.


But if you are insistent on going for a 4-5 day trek (till around 4300 meters) then what you'll first need to do is contact a local guide asap (and dont go climbing mountain sides just yet. Arrange a trek through the valleys). Its been snowing up north since Oct this year. Many treks have been snowed shut. You'll need to confirm which treks are still open and accessible. I was supposed to go to Verticle top this January to wave at K2 but sadly that trek too has been shut due to snow. For some snowed shut treks you might be able to get through by roping but that will be dangerous. The guide can tell you all about these things. Also if your planning on a 4-5 day trek then you'll only be able to go to only one specific place and not have time to explore the surrounding areas. This will be due to the budget and the time constraint. And the trek will be quite difficult. Dont go without contacting and planning with a local guide there.

The gear for this will be more serious:

-Down Jacket (water/wind proof)
-Down Lower (water/wind proof)
-2 Flees sweaters.
-Internally Fleesed/woolen gloves (preferably mitts) with a water/wind proof outer layer (leather, nylon, etc.). And a pair of woolen inner gloves if it gets too cold which it will up there.
-Gators (if theres sow).
-Good trekking boots (water/wind proof). Very very important. Sneakers will not do.
-60 to 70 ltr Backpack (with an internal frame).
-Woolen muffler/scarf and Beanie (it will keep your ears warm too).
-Poncho (for rain and snow)
-3 *polypropylene* shirts (you can use other synthetic material shirts too but polypropylene is the best. Dont use shirts made with natural fibers they absorb sweat and moisture and that can make you fall ill in a jip you up there).
-Warm socks 5-6 pairs. This is a little tricky. You need a blend of polypropylene and wool in them. They are difficult to find in our cities but you can find them easily on footpaths in Skardu.
-Sleeping bag preferably fleesed (or down filled for serious warmth)
-A Styrofoam mattress.
-Eye wear. If theres snow it will burn your corneas (snow blind). Super super painful.
-Torch
-The tents can be arranged by the guide for you. Its hard to explain what you'll exactly need.

There are very few shops you can find this stuff in our cities but good used, and at times new stuff, can be bought from Skardu and Gilgit. There are 3 shops in Lahore of which I can give you the contact details of (one of them sells imported stuff but its pricey). There are some in Islamabad too. Down jackets, lowers, gloves and boots can be found in landa too if your willing to take the risk :p 

But seriously drive up till Karimabad, come back deive to Skardu onto Khaplu and then if you have time drive through Astore to from where the trek starts for Fairy Meadows (for fairy meadows contact a guide iv been receiving mixed reports about it since the last time I went there. The main issue is the road leading to it. You might have to jeep or trek a little). You'll find safe places to find your cars dont worry the guides will tell you. Besides most of the treks start from a point where you first have to jeep to get to.

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## krash

Note: This video was made during the summers.

K2 Pakistan - Trekking to the Throne Room of the Gods - YouTube

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## DESERT FIGHTER

Jackets-check
Sleeing bags-atleast i have it-check!
Trekking shoes--would the US army boots help ? or should i buy something else?
Guide-Ex NLI soldier- my fathers old bat man!
Shades,socks,camping stuff- check!
2 JEEPS-1 CJ-5 3400CC,16X275 All Terrain tyres,winch,hunting lights+3 door Pajero.


Budget is no problem we can arrange more money.. we are 4 college guys--21-22 years old.



Can we reach fairy meadows on foot ? 
We will be able to reach rakaposhi base camp?

Places you recomend to visit in G-B?


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## aks18

krash brother keep it up  this thread should be sticky and secondly tell me you made up to k2 base camp if yes then what was the cost of trek to k2 base camp i heard it much expensive . i have a grand plan to tour the GB next summer from lhr to chitral phander valley , gilgit , hunza valley , khunjrab , naltar , skardu , deosai , astore , fairy meadows , kaghan valley  we are 10 to 14 ppl and having budget of more then 2.5 lakh  i am desperately waiting for summers , last year i made up to nanga parbat base camp via fairy meadows and k2 base camp trek is my dream

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## aks18

Pakistani Nationalist said:


> Hey krash bro... il be going there with around 4-5 of my frnds ... we have 2 4x4s... we will starts frm multan... to RWP onto gilgit Baltistan.... places we are going to visit:
> Fairt meadows
> Deosai
> Hunza-Karimabad
> KKH
> Skardu
> K2 base camp
> Rakaposhi
> shangrilla lake
> and some you might help me decide...
> 
> We have a budget of around 1 lac!
> 
> Stay in army mess/guest houses,our own camps etc.
> 
> What is your advice... should we take more money... can we park our vehicles at some safe places before leaving off to base camps or other places/trecking etc..
> 
> Is KKH accessable? gear we will need... etc?




k2 base camp will be difficult cz i have heard you need some trekking experience plus it costs alot to trek for k2 base camp ..

and your tour plan is great add astore in it too

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## krash

Pakistani Nationalist said:


> Jackets-check
> Sleeing bags-atleast i have it-check!
> Trekking shoes--would the US army boots help ? or should i buy something else?
> Guide-Ex NLI soldier- my fathers old bat man!
> Shades,socks,camping stuff- check!
> 2 JEEPS-1 CJ-5 3400CC,16X275 All Terrain tyres,winch,hunting lights+3 door Pajero.
> 
> 
> Budget is no problem we can arrange more money.. we are 4 college guys--21-22 years old.
> 
> 
> 
> Can we reach fairy meadows on foot ?
> We will be able to reach rakaposhi base camp?
> 
> Places you recomend to visit in G-B?



Haha I use the US army boots myself but only on treks. They arent diggers so you cant strap crampons onto them hence no good for climbing. Perfectly water/wind insulated (I tested them for one and a half in the Astore river during march and they didnt even get moist). Your guide should know the main routes since hes a local. Im very skeptical about Rakaposhi base camp. I havent talked to anyone from Hunza since august so have no clue about the conditions there. But I can ask my guys if you want. Fairy Meadows should indeed be accessible on foot. In fact I have a brilliant idea for you. Dont just go to Fairy Meadows. Go and circumnavigate Nangaparbat. I did it this june. Its not that difficult and the scenery will blow you away. It will be a bit more difficult now cuz its winter but you will have loads of fun and demanding trekking too, just the right combination. All my peeps whom I took with me were first time trekkers (and some in serious bad shape) but except for one all of them managed it well. You'll trek up till fairy meadows then trek onward to Rama and Rupal. The Rupal face is that infamous wall Rienhold Messner climbed. Its the highest wall in the world! 4600 meters of straight 90 degree cliff face! You'll camp at the base camps of course. Awesome awesome trek! have loads of pics which I will share but in this thread. Dont want to adulterate it :p Btw fairy meadows wont be of the lush green color you've seen in the pics at this time of the year. Also when I went there the road had been completely destroyed due to flooding and landslides. Because of that we had to trek quite a lot till Fairy Meadows. But then in August almost all of it had been rebuilt with a bridge still missing near Tatto. One had to cross the stream by foot and then take another jeep from the other side. But things should be better now. Jhail should be from where you start your trek. 

ps: The reason Im trying to convince to not go on any hard treks is that though trekking seems like a piece of cake it really is not. One needs a little experience and then increase the difficulty accordingly and progressively. Otherwise you'll just waist your time, not have fun and return without reaching your desired destination. But the Fairy Meadows-Rama-Rupal trek should give you enough of a challenge to satisfy your hunger. And getting ill up there is very unpleasant. 



aks18 said:


> krash brother keep it up  this thread should be sticky and secondly tell me you made up to k2 base camp if yes then what was the cost of trek to k2 base camp i heard it much expensive . i have a grand plan to tour the GB next summer from lhr to chitral phander valley , gilgit , hunza valley , khunjrab , naltar , skardu , deosai , astore , fairy meadows , kaghan valley  we are 10 to 14 ppl and having budget of more then 2.5 lakh  i am desperately waiting for summers , last year i made up to nanga parbat base camp via fairy meadows and k2 base camp trek is my dream



Bro sadly I haven't. The first time I tried it I could only reach just at the start of Concordia. The trek from there to K2 base camp was like 8-9 hours but two of our people seriously got sick and we had to return without even spending half a day at the camp. But I did see K2!  We were also supposed to come back over the Gondogorola but obviously couldn't because of those two, so we came back through Askole. The cost would be around 50-60k, if you have a good contact with the local guides and good negotiating skills . I planned it last August but cost overruns reached 70k per head so we abandoned it and went to Snow Lake instead. And as the Lady Bad-luck would have it again one cocky retard among us dislocated his shoulder while sliding down a slope, we couldn't fix it no matter how hard we tried. Because of him I missed out on Snow Lake! 

Your plan is awesome! But dont you think that Chitral would be a bit out of the way? Every other place will fit in very well. Go direct to Gilgit through Besham, Patan, Dassu-->then Naltar-->Hunza-->Khunjrab--> come back through Gilgit and go to Skardu---> go east and loop around Khaplu towards south onto Deosai--> back down then to Astore--> onto Fairy Meadows and then back through Raikot--> Babusar--> Kaghan. But I guess you can start with Chitral--> Shandur--> down to Gilgit on the other side. I have water in my mouth  What month did you go to Nangaparbat base camp? I was there in June. Also you should check these places out during the winters as well. Its a completely different experience! 



aks18 said:


> k2 base camp will be difficult cz i have heard you need some trekking experience plus it costs alot to trek for k2 base camp ..
> 
> and your tour plan is great add astore in it too



Yeah I was counting on that he would go from Skardu to Fairy Meadows via Astore.

Sir K2 base camp isnt just difficult. Its frikkin too crazy! It is without a doubt the most difficult, challenging and demanding trek in the world, nobody would disagree. For one thing your gaining some serious vertical distance along with the horizontal, I mean +5000 meters is no joke! Then the hidden crevasses, the weather, the terrain and on and on and on! You need to be a serious trekker to attempt it. Going there without experience is not so wise. And forget about the jeep ride to Askole! You have some serious chances of a heat attack while driving there :p One of my friends who went with me is a dhoosh (as we say in punjabi/urdu) and very physically fit but he literally started crying after the third days trek and wanted a heli to be called to take him back LAWL! 

Bro I wont be lying if I told you that just touching K2 is one of my most major dreams! 

I was planning for Iqbal top/ Vertical top (4800 meters) north east of Hushe (shortest trek from where you can see K2, Broad Peak, G1, G2) and then go climb Mangliksar (6050 meters) this January but as it turns out its seriously snowed shut. So instead ill be going north-west from Hushe to Aling glacier (4500 meters) InshAllah and then go climb Mangliksar. Although our chances of climbing Mangliksar are near to none during this time of the year. Mangliksar has only been climbed twice during the winters and one of those successful attempts was made by Hassan Sadpara (the guy who recently climbed Mt.Everest after K2, Broad Peak, G1 and G2). Wish me luck! Im scared sh*tless

Ill upload my own pics of Concordia now.

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## krash

*Note: Following are pics from my own trip to Concordia. Please refrain from sharing them anywhere else. They are just for you guys *


*Trango Towers:*

















*Masherbrum:*

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## DESERT FIGHTER

Hey krash can you make me some sort of route plan? also how far is nangab parbat base camp frm fairy meadows?


Also im thinking of learning mountainering... guess il enroll in the army moun.. club next winter.


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## krash

*Muztagh Tower:*






*Gasherbrum IV (center) and Broad Peak (left):*






*Gasherbrum IV (center) and Broad Peak (left):*











*Gasherbrum IV (background) Baltoro Glacier (foreground):*

*See if you can spot the man in the pick. That will give you an idea of the scales and sizes we were dealing with there. Hes only standing besides one of the infamous ice sharks of the Baltoro Glacier*






*Broad Peak:*






*Mitre Peak:*






*Baltoro Glaciere:*

*The gravel field which you see in front is actually the Baltoro Glacier with a layer of gravel and dirt on top of it hiding the ice underneath*

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## krash

*K2 and stupid clouds:*





















*Finally the clouds disappeared*

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## krash

Pakistani Nationalist said:


> Hey krash can you make me some sort of route plan? also how far is nangab parbat base camp frm fairy meadows?
> 
> 
> Also im thinking of learning mountainering... guess il enroll in the army moun.. club next winter.



Route plan for the Nanga Parbat base camps? 

The first base camp is like a days walk away. Its not very far. Ill go check with my sources about the situation there and give you the complete details tomorrow. 

The army program is awesome! They were planning on starting different mountain related courses at Rattu Cantt for civilians as well when the last time I went there for skiing, in march 2010. Courses such as mountaineering, skiing, survival, etc. They did start the skiing course but I dont know about the rest. This reminds me that you can go to Rattu too and ski your heart out. You'll go to Astore by road (The Astore road shoots off of the KKH just around Raikot and goes south-east direct to Astore). From there its a jeep track up till Rattu and the drive will take around 4-5 hours. Of course this track has very good chances of being blocked due to snow and if it is then you'll have to trek till Rattu. Both the times I went there we had to trek 4 & 6 hours.


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## DESERT FIGHTER

Wish to climb K2 one day!

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## DESERT FIGHTER

krash said:


> Route plan for the Nanga Parbat base camps?
> 
> The first base camp is like a days walk away. Its not very far. Ill go check with my sources about the situation there and give you the complete details tomorrow.
> 
> The army program is awesome! They were planning on starting different mountain related courses at Rattu Cantt for civilians as well when the last time I went there for skiing, in march 2010. Courses such as mountaineering, skiing, survival, etc. They did start the skiing course but I dont know about the rest. This reminds me that you can go to Rattu too and ski your heart out. You'll go to Astore by road (The Astore road shoots off of the KKH just around Raikot and goes south-east direct to Astore). From there its a jeep track up till Rattu and the drive will take around 4-5 hours. Of course this track has very good chances of being blocked due to snow and if it is then you'll have to trek till Rattu. Both the times I went there we had to trek 4 & 6 hours.



I meant the whole plan brah! I havent been to G/B in my entire life... so kindly make a plan for me?

Do fairy meadow-deosai,hunza,karimabad,astore,ice sharks,baltoro glacier,k2,rakaposhi etc fall on the same route?

Sorry for the stupid questions..

As for the army program.. even if its not open for civies im sure my father might arrange it for me... he served in skardu,saichin for 2.5 years in FCNA...


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## krash

Pakistani Nationalist said:


> I meant the whole plan brah! I havent been to G/B in my entire life... so kindly make a plan for me?
> 
> Do fairy meadow-deosai,hunza,karimabad,astore,ice sharks,baltoro glacier,k2,rakaposhi etc fall on the same route?
> 
> Sorry for the stupid questions..
> 
> As for the army program.. even if its not open for civies im sure my father might arrange it for me... he served in skardu,saichin for 2.5 years in FCNA...



Ok how many days do you have planned for the trip?

Btw G/B is huge!!!!!!!!!! and the travelling times there are quite a lot even for small distances.


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## DESERT FIGHTER

7-10 days.....

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## aks18

Pakistani Nationalist said:


> Hey krash can you make me some sort of route plan? also how far is nangab parbat base camp frm fairy meadows?
> 
> 
> Also im thinking of learning mountainering... guess il enroll in the army moun.. club next winter.




snanga parbat base camp trek from fairy meadows was almost 5 hours for me cz it was my first every trekking experience i was also not equipped , fairy meadows to beyal camp is 1.5 hour simple trekking but base camp trek is bit tough , if you have plans to visit fairy meadows in winters do tell me one of owner of hotel in fairy meadows is my friend he will open hotel for me i have talked him before on winter plans to fairy meadows , do tell me if you want to go there .

---------- Post added at 11:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:38 PM ----------




Pakistani Nationalist said:


> I meant the whole plan brah! I havent been to G/B in my entire life... so kindly make a plan for me?
> 
> Do fairy meadow-deosai,hunza,karimabad,astore,ice sharks,baltoro glacier,k2,rakaposhi etc fall on the same route?
> 
> Sorry for the stupid questions..
> 
> As for the army program.. even if its not open for civies im sure my father might arrange it for me... he served in skardu,saichin for 2.5 years in FCNA...



fairy meadows jeep track lies on karakoram highway same KKH goes through karimabad hunza valley etc , but for k2 baltoro n other places you have to trek away from the highway there are different treks which leads towards k2 baltoro etc google maps can help you a lot on making tour plan .

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## aks18

Krash bhai amazing shots yar these are life time experiences , very few people have made up to such places nice to see some trekker on this forum i m bored of jet fighters and weapons discussions  and about chitral yes it is bit away from the track but we want to cover all areas which can be reach with in out tour plan we will take chitral gilgit road via shandur pass and our tour plan is at the end of june and after the june tour i am planning for biking tour 

---------- Post added at 11:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:45 PM ----------







Snow lake its my dream to go there will fullfil it with in next 1 to 2 years hehehe 

---------- Post added at 11:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:46 PM ----------















a move towards massive Hisper la picture by one of my friend mazhar fareed

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## aks18



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## krash

Pakistani Nationalist said:


> I meant the whole plan brah! I havent been to G/B in my entire life... so kindly make a plan for me?
> 
> Do fairy meadow-deosai,hunza,karimabad,astore,ice sharks,baltoro glacier,k2,rakaposhi etc fall on the same route?
> 
> Sorry for the stupid questions..
> 
> As for the army program.. even if its not open for civies im sure my father might arrange it for me... he served in skardu,saichin for 2.5 years in FCNA...



Firstly sorry about the late response. Hectic two days.....

So my advice goes as follows:

Its going to be your first time up there. You have way too much to see. So dont limit your self by a trek. I promise you that just a drive to any one of these places will leave you overwhelmed and intoxicated. You do not need any trekking. You have 10 days in total (3-4 possible trekking days) at max, dont spend them battling up a mountain pass or through a valley when this is the first time you'll be there. Id rather have you travel and see as much as is possible than just a single mountain or valley, especially when the sights along the road are no less spectacular than anything beyond the track. Trust me, you will have all your senses overwhelmed and overclocked. I have traveled twice to Skardu and once to Gilgit just for the sake of traveling on that road. Due to time constraints I didn't stay a full day on any of those trips. Mind you, any trip up our north is as much about the drive as it is about the destination. 

I suggest that you start off with the classical/original KKH route. Dont turn right from Mansehra towards Balakot/Naran/Babusar, instead keep following the KKH straight to Badgram-->Behsam-->Patan-->Dassu-->Chillas. All these towns have good accommodation (PTDC and/or other motels). The route is extremely beautiful. From Chillas onward the mind blowing magic starts. From Chillas keep on riding the KKH. You will pass through the edges of the Babusar and Diamir valleys. Here you'll reach the Nangaparbat viewing point and pass along the Raikot bridge. Keep going straight on to Jaghlot-->Gilgit-->Karimabad. You will pass through the point where the three highest ranges of the world meet. And from here onward you will be mostly traveling in the Karakoram. In Karimabad stay for a day or two and explore the surroundings. This town alone is spectacular. There is loads and loads to see here with many one dray treks available too. Just from the town you'll be able to see Rakaposhi (7788m), Ultar (7388m), Diran (7257m), Spantik aka Golden Peak (7027m) and Bublimating Peak aka Ladyfinger (>6000 meters). The Baltit fort and the Eagle's nest are two places here which give an epicly amazing panoramic view of the Hunza valley. They are a must to visit and I strongly suggest that you do. Many day treks available here e.g. you can trek to the famous Ultar meadow. The trek takes about 7 hours round trip (4 hours there and 3 hours return). It can be easily done as a day trek. The ascent is rather steep, up a very rocky path and route is not very obvious, so do ask the locals for the correct direction but you shouldn't need a guide even though having one would be better. This trek will give you some really close views of Ultarsar and Ladyfinger with good trekking fun. 

From Karimabad instead of going further north come back to Gilgit. You can stay here and go on any of the day treks available here but I suggest you instead start towards Skardu. A little south from Gilgit you'll turn east on the Gilgit/Skardu road from Alam Chowk. The Nangaparbat's north face will greet you on you right side as you climb up. The drive from Gilgit and Skardu should take you around 7-9 hours and I seriously suggest that you make during the day. This stretch of road is phenomenal and is something you do not want to miss in the dark. Very very high and very very steep mountains clad in ice and snow with *EXTREMELY* narrow valley down bellow. This road introduces you to the Karakoram. Jet black, unimaginably steep and high rock faces *right* besides you while you are travelling hundreds of feet above the river in a very very narrow valley. This is my favorite road in the world! You will pass many different little towns along the way but no noticeable motels. In Skardu stay a day or two. Go see the Skardu desert, climb up to the Skardu Fort, check out the Sadpara, Upper Kachura and the Lower Kachura (Shangrila) lakes. Can go on many day treks here too. Loads and loads to see here (even more than Karimabad). From Skardu you *must* make your way further east towards Siachin. Skardu-->Ghanche-->Barrah-->Khaplu; I will not state how amazing and beautiful these places are because, firstly, that goes without saying and, secondly, you might think that im a blabbering buffoon. When you see them you will understand too  From Khaplu I strongly suggest that you jeep your way north to the Hushe village in Hushe valley (Desperately trying to hold my self from starting off about this place too). Famous peaks like Masherbrum and Laila Peak visible from here. The time you'll take from Skardu nonstop to Hushe is around 5-7 hours. But I promise you that you wont be going nonstop  Then drive back to Skardu. From here go south passing through Sadpara and from right besides the Deosai planes onto Astore. But before setting off do check if the road is open. This track takes some very heavy snowfall every season. 

Check out the Astore valley which should be completely white (Its already snowed 2/3 times there this winter). From Astore ride the Astore road north-west to reach the KKH again. You will reach the KKH around the point where you first saw Nangaparbat. From here make your way back south. Now if you dont have time continue back to Chillas but if you do then stop when you reach the Raikot bridge, cross it and take off on the Fairy Meadow road. Spend a night or two at the Fairy Meadows and then make your way back to the Raikot bridge. When you reach there go on south to Chillas. 

Now from Chillas, instead of following the old KKH route back (The way from which you came), take the new road going towards Babusar. You will first have to check with someone in Chillas if the road is open. This road is usually closed off dureing the winters due to excessive snow fall. This is going to be the new KKH route in the future. You can go up the Babusar Top which presents an amazing view of the Babusar valley and Nangaparbat. Then continue onward and if you have time you can go up and check Lalazar and the Dudipatsar lake out but only if the road is passable. The road from Babusar valley will take you past the Lulusar Lake onto Jalkhad. Then its Jalkhad-->Batakundi-->Naran. In Naran you can spend a day and go see Said-ul-Malook. The lake should be completely frozen with zero annoying tourists anywhere. From Naran-->Kaghan-->to the foot of Shogran. You can go up and check Shogran, Siri and Pai out but I doubt that the roads would be open at this time of the year. From Shogran you will make your way back to Mansehra thorugh Balakot and then to Abbottabad and so on. 

After that you will spend each and every passing day of your life remembering this trip and wanting to go back the first chance you get :p



aks18 said:


> Krash bhai amazing shots yar these are life time experiences , very few people have made up to such places nice to see some trekker on this forum i m bored of jet fighters and weapons discussions  and about chitral yes it is bit away from the track but we want to cover all areas which can be reach with in out tour plan we will take chitral gilgit road via shandur pass and our tour plan is at the end of june and after the june tour i am planning for biking tour




Good luck bro! You will have unimaginable fun. I wish I could have two years and enough money just to go to G/B and explore it as much as I can. Something which very little people know is that any trip to these places is like a 'reboot button'. You always come back a different person, a better person with not a care in the world and a deeper and happier view of life and the world. 

Take loads of pictures when you go. I plan to open a thread just about the trips to G/B of our members very soon. I have gazillions of pics to share

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## DESERT FIGHTER

Can you kindly tell me the total distance frm Rwp - Skardu? and frm skardu-naran-abbotabad etc?

Thanks again for tyour help bro!


----------



## aks18

krash said:


> Firstly sorry about the late response. Hectic two days.....
> 
> So my advice goes as follows:
> 
> Its going to be your first time up there. You have way too much to see. So dont limit your self by a trek. I promise you that just a drive to any one of these places will leave you overwhelmed and intoxicated. You do not need any trekking. You have 10 days in total (3-4 possible trekking days) at max, dont spend them battling up a mountain pass or through a valley when this is the first time you'll be there. Id rather have you travel and see as much as is possible than just a single mountain or valley, especially when the sights along the road are no less spectacular than anything beyond the track. Trust me, you will have all your senses overwhelmed and overclocked. I have traveled twice to Skardu and once to Gilgit just for the sake of traveling on that road. Due to time constraints I didn't stay a full day on any of those trips. Mind you, any trip up our north is as much about the drive as it is about the destination.
> 
> I suggest that you start off with the classical/original KKH route. Dont turn right from Mansehra towards Balakot/Naran/Babusar, instead keep following the KKH straight to Badgram-->Behsam-->Patan-->Dassu-->Chillas. All these towns have good accommodation (PTDC and/or other motels). The route is extremely beautiful. From Chillas onward the mind blowing magic starts. From Chillas keep on riding the KKH. You will pass through the edges of the Babusar and Diamir valleys. Here you'll reach the Nangaparbat viewing point and pass along the Raikot bridge. Keep going straight on to Jaghlot-->Gilgit-->Karimabad. You will pass through the point where the three highest ranges of the world meet. And from here onward you will be mostly traveling in the Karakoram. In Karimabad stay for a day or two and explore the surroundings. This town alone is spectacular. There is loads and loads to see here with many one dray treks available too. Just from the town you'll be able to see Rakaposhi (7788m), Ultar (7388m), Diran (7257m), Spantik aka Golden Peak (7027m) and Bublimating Peak aka Ladyfinger (>6000 meters). The Baltit fort and the Eagle's nest are two places here which give an epicly amazing panoramic view of the Hunza valley. They are a must to visit and I strongly suggest that you do. Many day treks available here e.g. you can trek to the famous Ultar meadow. The trek takes about 7 hours round trip (4 hours there and 3 hours return). It can be easily done as a day trek. The ascent is rather steep, up a very rocky path and route is not very obvious, so do ask the locals for the correct direction but you shouldn't need a guide even though having one would be better. This trek will give you some really close views of Ultarsar and Ladyfinger with good trekking fun.
> 
> From Karimabad instead of going further north come back to Gilgit. You can stay here and go on any of the day treks available here but I suggest you instead start towards Skardu. A little south from Gilgit you'll turn east on the Gilgit/Skardu road from Alam Chowk. The Nangaparbat's north face will greet you on you right side as you climb up. The drive from Gilgit and Skardu should take you around 7-9 hours and I seriously suggest that you make during the day. This stretch of road is phenomenal and is something you do not want to miss in the dark. Very very high and very very steep mountains clad in ice and snow with *EXTREMELY* narrow valley down bellow. This road introduces you to the Karakoram. Jet black, unimaginably steep and high rock faces *right* besides you while you are travelling hundreds of feet above the river in a very very narrow valley. This is my favorite road in the world! You will pass many different little towns along the way but no noticeable motels. In Skardu stay a day or two. Go see the Skardu desert, climb up to the Skardu Fort, check out the Sadpara, Upper Kachura and the Lower Kachura (Shangrila) lakes. Can go on many day treks here too. Loads and loads to see here (even more than Karimabad). From Skardu you *must* make your way further east towards Siachin. Skardu-->Ghanche-->Barrah-->Khaplu; I will not state how amazing and beautiful these places are because, firstly, that goes without saying and, secondly, you might think that im a blabbering buffoon. When you see them you will understand too  From Khaplu I strongly suggest that you jeep your way north to the Hushe village in Hushe valley (Desperately trying to hold my self from starting off about this place too). Famous peaks like Masherbrum and Laila Peak visible from here. The time you'll take from Skardu nonstop to Hushe is around 5-7 hours. But I promise you that you wont be going nonstop  Then drive back to Skardu. From here go south passing through Sadpara and from right besides the Deosai planes onto Astore. But before setting off do check if the road is open. This track takes some very heavy snowfall every season.
> 
> Check out the Astore valley which should be completely white (Its already snowed 2/3 times there this winter). From Astore ride the Astore road north-west to reach the KKH again. You will reach the KKH around the point where you first saw Nangaparbat. From here make your way back south. Now if you dont have time continue back to Chillas but if you do then stop when you reach the Raikot bridge, cross it and take off on the Fairy Meadow road. Spend a night or two at the Fairy Meadows and then make your way back to the Raikot bridge. When you reach there go on south to Chillas.
> 
> Now from Chillas, instead of following the old KKH route back (The way from which you came), take the new road going towards Babusar. You will first have to check with someone in Chillas if the road is open. This road is usually closed off dureing the winters due to excessive snow fall. This is going to be the new KKH route in the future. You can go up the Babusar Top which presents an amazing view of the Babusar valley and Nangaparbat. Then continue onward and if you have time you can go up and check Lalazar and the Dudipatsar lake out but only if the road is passable. The road from Babusar valley will take you past the Lulusar Lake onto Jalkhad. Then its Jalkhad-->Batakundi-->Naran. In Naran you can spend a day and go see Said-ul-Malook. The lake should be completely frozen with zero annoying tourists anywhere. From Naran-->Kaghan-->to the foot of Shogran. You can go up and check Shogran, Siri and Pai out but I doubt that the roads would be open at this time of the year. From Shogran you will make your way back to Mansehra thorugh Balakot and then to Abbottabad and so on.
> 
> After that you will spend each and every passing day of your life remembering this trip and wanting to go back the first chance you get :p
> 
> 
> 
> Good luck bro! You will have unimaginable fun. I wish I could have two years and enough money just to go to G/B and explore it as much as I can. Something which very little people know is that any trip to these places is like a 'reboot button'. You always come back a different person, a better person with not a care in the world and a deeper and happier view of life and the world.
> 
> Take loads of pictures when you go. I plan to open a thread just about the trips to G/B of our members very soon. I have gazillions of pics to share





babusar top road will be blocked due to heavy snow fall and kkh will be the best for winters tour babusar pass gets open for only few months like 4 to 5 from july to november , and yes i will take load of pics brother my first slr camera is coming tomorrow nikon d5100 very excited and i am buying this cam just to explore the beauty of pakistan and too show the world


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## aks18

Pakistani Nationalist said:


> Can you kindly tell me the total distance frm Rwp - Skardu? and frm skardu-naran-abbotabad etc?
> 
> Thanks again for tyour help bro!




its almost 730 km from rawalpindi to skardu via KKH and 640 km from rawalpindi to skardu via babusar pass .

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## aks18

Biafo Hispar (Snow Lake) Trek - July 2011 By My Friend Mazhar Fareed

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## krash

aks18 said:


> Biafo Hispar (Snow Lake) Trek - July 2011 By My Friend Mazhar Fareed



The video was amazing but the that stupid tasteless song kept ruining it.......and then came the part at 10:00 and all was forgiven. 

ps: Greenday is an insult to that place :p

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## Lahore123

I think he should visit Gilgit and Hunza or Skardu and the surrounding areas first instead of "de mar sadhe char" what do you think as I am just sharing my experience. 



krash said:


> Firstly sorry about the late response. Hectic two days.....
> 
> So my advice goes as follows:
> 
> Its going to be your first time up there. You have way too much to see. So dont limit your self by a trek. I promise you that just a drive to any one of these places will leave you overwhelmed and intoxicated. You do not need any trekking. You have 10 days in total (3-4 possible trekking days) at max, dont spend them battling up a mountain pass or through a valley when this is the first time you'll be there. Id rather have you travel and see as much as is possible than just a single mountain or valley, especially when the sights along the road are no less spectacular than anything beyond the track. Trust me, you will have all your senses overwhelmed and overclocked. I have traveled twice to Skardu and once to Gilgit just for the sake of traveling on that road. Due to time constraints I didn't stay a full day on any of those trips. Mind you, any trip up our north is as much about the drive as it is about the destination.
> 
> I suggest that you start off with the classical/original KKH route. Dont turn right from Mansehra towards Balakot/Naran/Babusar, instead keep following the KKH straight to Badgram-->Behsam-->Patan-->Dassu-->Chillas. All these towns have good accommodation (PTDC and/or other motels). The route is extremely beautiful. From Chillas onward the mind blowing magic starts. From Chillas keep on riding the KKH. You will pass through the edges of the Babusar and Diamir valleys. Here you'll reach the Nangaparbat viewing point and pass along the Raikot bridge. Keep going straight on to Jaghlot-->Gilgit-->Karimabad. You will pass through the point where the three highest ranges of the world meet. And from here onward you will be mostly traveling in the Karakoram. In Karimabad stay for a day or two and explore the surroundings. This town alone is spectacular. There is loads and loads to see here with many one dray treks available too. Just from the town you'll be able to see Rakaposhi (7788m), Ultar (7388m), Diran (7257m), Spantik aka Golden Peak (7027m) and Bublimating Peak aka Ladyfinger (>6000 meters). The Baltit fort and the Eagle's nest are two places here which give an epicly amazing panoramic view of the Hunza valley. They are a must to visit and I strongly suggest that you do. Many day treks available here e.g. you can trek to the famous Ultar meadow. The trek takes about 7 hours round trip (4 hours there and 3 hours return). It can be easily done as a day trek. The ascent is rather steep, up a very rocky path and route is not very obvious, so do ask the locals for the correct direction but you shouldn't need a guide even though having one would be better. This trek will give you some really close views of Ultarsar and Ladyfinger with good trekking fun.
> 
> From Karimabad instead of going further north come back to Gilgit. You can stay here and go on any of the day treks available here but I suggest you instead start towards Skardu. A little south from Gilgit you'll turn east on the Gilgit/Skardu road from Alam Chowk. The Nangaparbat's north face will greet you on you right side as you climb up. The drive from Gilgit and Skardu should take you around 7-9 hours and I seriously suggest that you make during the day. This stretch of road is phenomenal and is something you do not want to miss in the dark. Very very high and very very steep mountains clad in ice and snow with *EXTREMELY* narrow valley down bellow. This road introduces you to the Karakoram. Jet black, unimaginably steep and high rock faces *right* besides you while you are travelling hundreds of feet above the river in a very very narrow valley. This is my favorite road in the world! You will pass many different little towns along the way but no noticeable motels. In Skardu stay a day or two. Go see the Skardu desert, climb up to the Skardu Fort, check out the Sadpara, Upper Kachura and the Lower Kachura (Shangrila) lakes. Can go on many day treks here too. Loads and loads to see here (even more than Karimabad). From Skardu you *must* make your way further east towards Siachin. Skardu-->Ghanche-->Barrah-->Khaplu; I will not state how amazing and beautiful these places are because, firstly, that goes without saying and, secondly, you might think that im a blabbering buffoon. When you see them you will understand too  From Khaplu I strongly suggest that you jeep your way north to the Hushe village in Hushe valley (Desperately trying to hold my self from starting off about this place too). Famous peaks like Masherbrum and Laila Peak visible from here. The time you'll take from Skardu nonstop to Hushe is around 5-7 hours. But I promise you that you wont be going nonstop  Then drive back to Skardu. From here go south passing through Sadpara and from right besides the Deosai planes onto Astore. But before setting off do check if the road is open. This track takes some very heavy snowfall every season.
> 
> Check out the Astore valley which should be completely white (Its already snowed 2/3 times there this winter). From Astore ride the Astore road north-west to reach the KKH again. You will reach the KKH around the point where you first saw Nangaparbat. From here make your way back south. Now if you dont have time continue back to Chillas but if you do then stop when you reach the Raikot bridge, cross it and take off on the Fairy Meadow road. Spend a night or two at the Fairy Meadows and then make your way back to the Raikot bridge. When you reach there go on south to Chillas.
> 
> Now from Chillas, instead of following the old KKH route back (The way from which you came), take the new road going towards Babusar. You will first have to check with someone in Chillas if the road is open. This road is usually closed off dureing the winters due to excessive snow fall. This is going to be the new KKH route in the future. You can go up the Babusar Top which presents an amazing view of the Babusar valley and Nangaparbat. Then continue onward and if you have time you can go up and check Lalazar and the Dudipatsar lake out but only if the road is passable. The road from Babusar valley will take you past the Lulusar Lake onto Jalkhad. Then its Jalkhad-->Batakundi-->Naran. In Naran you can spend a day and go see Said-ul-Malook. The lake should be completely frozen with zero annoying tourists anywhere. From Naran-->Kaghan-->to the foot of Shogran. You can go up and check Shogran, Siri and Pai out but I doubt that the roads would be open at this time of the year. From Shogran you will make your way back to Mansehra thorugh Balakot and then to Abbottabad and so on.
> 
> After that you will spend each and every passing day of your life remembering this trip and wanting to go back the first chance you get :p
> 
> 
> 
> Good luck bro! You will have unimaginable fun. I wish I could have two years and enough money just to go to G/B and explore it as much as I can. Something which very little people know is that any trip to these places is like a 'reboot button'. You always come back a different person, a better person with not a care in the world and a deeper and happier view of life and the world.
> 
> Take loads of pictures when you go. I plan to open a thread just about the trips to G/B of our members very soon. I have gazillions of pics to share


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## aks18

krash said:


> The video was amazing but the that stupid tasteless song kept ruining it.......and then came the part at 10:00 and all was forgiven.
> 
> ps: Greenday is an insult to that place :p




yeah music was not good one in the video but the best part of video was when the guy started AZAAN on the snow lake

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## krash

truth said:


> I think he should visit Gilgit and Hunza or Skardu and the surrounding areas first instead of "de mar sadhe char" what do you think as I am just sharing my experience.



Agreed 

Enjoy guys...



*Unnamed peaks:*

















*Angel Sar (Angel Peak- 6,858 meters):*

This peak is the little sister peak of K2.











Angel Sar on the left and K2 on the right:

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## DESERT FIGHTER

More pics plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


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## krash

*Random pics from Concordia:*
































Heading up from camp 1 on the Gasherbrum I:

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## krash

*Paiju Peak (6610 meters):*


This is the view from Concordia towards the valley of the Baltoro Glacier at dawn. On the left [Paiju peaks], middle ,[Trango towers] & on the right [Grand Cathedral]:
















*Grand Cathedral:*

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## krash

*Gasherbrum IV:*

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## krash

*Panoramas:*











*Awesome pictures from atop Gondogorola. From left to right--> K2, Broad Peak, The Gasherbrums:*

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## krash

*K2:*
















*Broad Peak:*






*Taken from K2:*






*Mitre Peak:*

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## krash

*Concordia from Gondogorola:*






*Marble Peak:*






*Baltoro Kangri (Golden Throne):*






*The popular route to Concordia starting from Askole and then coming back over the Gondogorola:*






*Satellite view of the Baltoro region detailing the locations of the major peaks and the glaciers:* 






**more later**

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## krash

Guys im off to Aling glacier. Its right beneath Masherbrum. Pray me luck. Ill hopefully bring back some awesome pictures.

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## krash

There is extremely sad news today:



> Summit team comprising famous Austrian climber Gerfried Goschl, Swiss Cedric Larcher and famous Pakistani mountaineer Nisar Hussain Sadpara is missing near the summit of 8,068 metre high Mt Gasherbrum I since noon Friday 8th March 2012. The trio were part of the Austrian Expedition led by Mr Gerfried Goschl attempting the First Winter Ascent of the mountain, also known as Hidden Peak, situated in the upper reaches of the Baltoro glacier in District Skardu of Gilgit Batistan. Earlier the summit team had left Camp I on 6 March on the new route from South side which was established by the Expedition during last one month and was also attempted by Gerfried Goschl during his last winter attempt on the peak in January 2011. They started for Gasherbrum I summit from its South side carrying all its gear and climbed throughout Thursday night, but had to bivouc enroute above 7000 metres.
> 
> On Friday 8th March at 10:30 am Mr Gerfried informed back home in Austria that he was 450 metres below the summit. Another expedition member Alex Txikon from Camp 2 saw them heading towards the summit around 2:00 pm. The team used Thuraya telephone set.



Today the Alpine Club of Pakistan stated in their press release that,


> Alpine Club of Pakistan
> Press Release - 15th March 2012
> Helicopter flies on Gasherbrum I - No signs of Missing Mountaineers Expedition decides to abandon further Search efforts.



Nisar Hussain Sadpara is one of the only three Pakistani mountaineers who have successfully summited all five of the Pakistani 8000 meter peaks. He is not to be confused with Hussan Sadpara who recently summited Mt.Everest, becoming the second ever Pakistani to do so. Nisar, a brilliant mountaineer in his own right, has remained overshadowed by Hussan Sadpara mostly due to politics, as is the case with everything in Pakistan, and partially due to the little coverage that this sport receives in our country (In fact Nisar climbed K2 before Hussan). He is as great hero of Pakistan, as is Hassan Sadpara, but has been ignored by not only local administration but also the Government and today we fear, in all probability, that he might not be among us anymore. The only hope that remains is of a miracle. He was a par excellence mountaineer and the international mountaineering community acknowledged him as such. Ironically and sadly, while he was famous internationally, no one even knew his name in Pakistan before he went missing and he might soon be forgotten. I heard about Nisar a few years back from one of my regular mountain guides in Skardu and as he recalled "Nisar was void of any arrogance or pride that is befitting and the right of a man who has stepped foot on top of K2, he was genuinely very humble and nice". Sadly every time I tried to get a hold of him I couldn't due to unforgiving circumstances. 

A deserved salute for these three brave mountaineers who went missing on last Friday. They belonged to one of the two summit teams this year attempting to summit Gasherbrum I for the first time ever in the winter season.

*Nisar Hussain Sadpar: *





















*Gerfried Goschl:*






*Cedric Larcher:*

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## aks18

krash said:


> There is extremely sad news today:
> 
> 
> 
> Today the Alpine Club of Pakistan stated in their press release that,
> 
> 
> Nisar Hussain Sadpara is one of the only three Pakistani mountaineers who have successfully summited all five of the Pakistani 8000 meter peaks. He is not to be confused with Hussan Sadpara who recently summited Mt.Everest, becoming the second ever Pakistani to do so. Nisar, a brilliant mountaineer in his own right, has remained overshadowed by Hussan Sadpara mostly due to politics, as is the case with everything in Pakistan, and partially due to the little coverage that this sport receives in our country (In fact Nisar climbed K2 before Hussan). He is as great hero of Pakistan, as is Hassan Sadpara, but has been ignored by not only local administration but also the Government and today we fear, in all probability, that he might not be among us anymore. The only hope that remains is of a miracle. He was a par excellence mountaineer and the international mountaineering community acknowledged him as such. Ironically and sadly, while he was famous internationally, no one even knew his name in Pakistan before he went missing and he might soon be forgotten. I heard about Nisar a few years back from one of my regular mountain guides in Skardu and as he recalled "Nisar was void of any arrogance or pride that is befitting and the right of a man who has stepped foot on top of K2, he was genuinely very humble and nice". Sadly every time I tried to get a hold of him I couldn't due to unforgiving circumstances.
> 
> A deserved salute for these three brave mountaineers who went missing on last Friday. They belonged to one of the two summit teams this year attempting to summit Gasherbrum I for the first time ever in the winter season.
> 
> *Nisar Hussain Sadpar: *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Gerfried Goschl:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Cedric Larcher:*



yeah Sad News RIP all the climbers 






Climbing History of Nisar Hussain Satpara - Tribute to this great mountaineer !!!

Nisar Hussain Sadpara Climbed 8000 meters mountains 9 times

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## aks18

view of Mighty karakorams From The bottle neck point of K2

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## krash

^^^ Speaking of the bottle neck on K2 check out this video. While watching the video notice how the sky is completely black untill the camera pans over to the horizon. We all know that its the earth's atmosphere which makes the sky look blue 


K2 "Bottleneck" 8350 meters - YouTube


Also the huge ice-walls (called seracs) which you see hanging over above the climbers broke off the side of the mountain and killed 11 people on the day this video was made. You can read all about it here: 2008 K2 disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oh and check this out. The band HipdeBop composed a musical number in tribute to K2. Goes to show the stature K2 possesses:

Tribute to The Savage Mountain [K2] - YouTube


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## Areesh

Well done Krash. Must have to admit that I love this thread. Many of the pics in this thread seem to be out of this world. Out of this planet. Baltoro, Concordia are truly amazing places to say the least. Unbelievable stuff. Pakistan is definitely gifted with a huge beauty.

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## krash

*I do not own the following photographs. They belong to the person who's signature can be seen on them*


*Muztagh Tower (6109 m) at dusk:*



























*Chogolisa (left), Khumul Giri (right):*






*Baltoro Glacier (foreground), Broad Peak (background):*

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## krash

*It is not without reason that they call it the 'Third Pole'. See if you can make out the silhouette of the Mitre peak in the background:*











*Crossing a glacial stream:*






*Other awesome shots from the area:*





















*Baltoro Glacier (foreground), The Grand Cathedral (background):*


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## DESERT FIGHTER

Awesome pics man... im going to Gilgit baltistan on the 3rd of next month... with 2 of my best friends... any tips... im taking my camping equipment... with me...can we camp in the deosai or the fairy meadows? its a kind of adventure for us... wed like to trek as much as we can ... cook our own food... camp in the wilderness and be all wild.... ur tips and advice will be very helpfull...and appreciated....


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## krash

*For me there's no sight in all the worlds which can match this. The splendor, the grandeur, the beauty, the terror and the sheer awe. K2:*
































*As seen from Broad Peak base camp:*






*As the night falls:*

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## DESERT FIGHTER

Which places would you advise us to visit?


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## krash

Pakistani Nationalist said:


> Awesome pics man... im going to Gilgit baltistan on the 3rd of next month... with 2 of my best friends... any tips... im taking my camping equipment... with me...can we camp in the deosai or the fairy meadows? its a kind of adventure for us... wed like to trek as much as we can ... cook our own food... camp in the wilderness and be all wild.... ur tips and advice will be very helpfull...and appreciated....





Pakistani Nationalist said:


> Which places would you advise us to visit?


 
Oh both the places are awesome. You can camp there and trek to your heart's content. Not a lot of climbing involved. Deosai is without a doubt one of the most prettiest places on this planet and Fairy Meadows....well who the heck wouldn't want to wake up beneath the shadow of the Killer Mountain!?! If I were you I'd definitely go with Fairy Meadows. Don't get me wrong Deosai is breathtakingly beautiful probably more than the Fairy Meadows but the lure of being so close to one of the world's eight-thousanders, that too the infamous Nangaparbat, is beyond my will to ignore. Also the treks in Deosai aren't much of a challenge.

I'd suggest you guys go for the meadows but don't stop there. Go trek to the base camps. You can camp a night or two at the base camps as well (My favorite; the Rupal bc). Check out all the faces; Diamir, Raikhot and Rupal. If you want to make it more interesting check out the Rama trek. You'll have to pass through three mountain passes so it's a little more demanding. The face which you see from the fairy meadows is the Raikhot face. Don't forget the Rupal face is the highest and tallest wall on the planet, rising 4800 meters straight up. It's only been successfully climbed twice! It's the best view of the mountain in my opinion.

Anyway do check all these places out. Also you'll need some porters and guides if your planning on trekking. The porters will carry the food, the camping and the cooking stuff. Trust me if you make it easy you'll enjoy the activities more. And one must never go anywhere up there without someone who knows the places well, enter the guides. You must not go without them. Id also advise to take a cook. The atmosphere plays tricks for a cook and you don't want to have an upset tummy up there. So best let them cook but you can help out. Apart from that the season you've chosen is perfect, you'll enjoy the cool/cold weather, the place is awesome and beyond words. There's no reason why you won't have heck loads of fun  I guarantee you'll come back fallen in love.

ps: Get some sturdy trekking boots if want to go on more than just day treks.

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## krash

*K2:*






*Sia Kangri (7,442 m):*
















*Trango Towers:*











*The Muztagh Tower:*






*Urduka peaks from Payu:*


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## DESERT FIGHTER

I have a pair of combat boots used by USMC :





Would these work or should i buy something else?
Also hows the weather there these days?... and about the guide... how much would it cost us? are dairy products and other food stuff available there?

We can cook pretty good...


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## krash

Pakistani Nationalist said:


> I have a pair of combat boots used by USMC :
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Would these work or should i buy something else?
> Also hows the weather there these days?... and about the guide... how much would it cost us? are dairy products and other food stuff available there?
> 
> We can cook pretty good...



Hahaha! Those would be perfect for your trip. You know I have a pair of those myself. They are perfect for trekking/light climbing (as long as you don't need crampons).

The weather well be heavenly. Cool days and cold nights. You'd break a little sweat while trekking if the sun is out, it would get the 'Lahori cold' if it rains otherwise it would be perfect. The nights on the other hand could at times turn really cold. The winds coming from the mountain passes and down the glacier are the culprits. Just pack a windbreaker, 2 light sweater (just to be safe), 3 shirts, two of your winter sports trousers, loads of socks, a cap or a brimmed hat (to save you from the sunlight. You won't believe how quickly you can get a nasty sunburn up there) and a pair of normal shades. Sunblock (spf 40+), hand sanitizer and a bottle of hand wash or a tube of face wash would come really handy. Take loads of tissue rolls too. But don't over pack.

All the food stuffs should be available from the fairy meadows if the cabins are open (which they should be at this time of the year). The villages nearby can provide some basic items too. But I'd suggest you buy all the food stuff you need from Chillas since the people around the fairy meadows tend to rip you off. You'l find all the required stuff in Chillas on near to normal prices. It shouldn't be a problem since you guys are only three. It will also save the headache of carrying it all the way from home. 

Last year in May a single porter cost us 700-800 per day and I think the guide cost us 1500/day. The porters and the guides there are a bit more expensive than in other places. I'll try to get the current rates and get back to you on this later. 


ps: Be a little wary of the locals there. Apart from ripping you off they can be really rude. Their attitudes have changed a lot since the place started commercializing. The guides again will be helpful here.

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## krash

*Gasherbrum II (8,035 meters):*


























*Gasherbrum II 8035m and Gaherbrum lll 7925m:*






*From left to right, Gasherbrum IV (7923 m), Gasherbrum II (8035 m) and Gasherbrum II East (7772 m) from Gasherbrum La:*


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## krash

*Gasherbrum IV 7925m( extreme left) G III 7952m ( center) G II 8035m (Right):*






*Marble Peak (6400 meters):*
















*Various other images from the area:*

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## krash

*Gasherbrum I (8,080 m):*

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## krash

*Gasherbrum I:*











G1 on the right:






*Gasherbrums:*






*Khumul Gri (6851 meters):*











*Masherbrum:*


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## krash

*Baltoro Kangri (7,312 metres):*


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## krash

*Chogolisa (7,665 metres):*


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## krash

*Masherbrum (K1, 7,821 metres):*

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## Areesh

Once again awesome stuff Krash. K2 pictures were awesome.

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## krash

*The following pictures were taken on an ascent to Gasherbrum II's summit:*


















*camp 3:*






*Gasherbrum IV summit in the background:*






*Baltoro Glacier down below:*






*Did you spot the G2 base camp?:*

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## krash

*The huge ice fields on the way up the Gasherbrum II:*






*The panoramic view from GII camp 3 (Masherbrum in the distance):*


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## Desertfalcon

*krash*! Just amazing pictures, brother! I especially like the ones of _Gasherbrum IV_, poking through the clouds.

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## krash

*The following pictures were taken on an ascent to Broad Peak's summit:*


*Broad Peak base camp:*
















*Baltoro glacier down below:*






*Broad Peak summit:*






*Can you spot the man?:*






*Arriving at camp 3 (Masherbrum, Chogolisa and Mitre peak in the background):*

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## krash

*Panoramas from Broad Peak camp 3:*

Im sure by now you guys can make out and identify the different peaks in the background.


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## krash

*Up the Broad peak:*
















*Broad Peak's foresummit and main summit from the saddle:*


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## krash

Desertfalcon said:


> *krash*! Just amazing pictures, brother! I especially like the ones of _Gasherbrum IV_, poking through the clouds.


 
Thanks  You know after K2, to me, the Gasherbrum IV and the Masherbrum are the most beautiful mountains in the world. The are steep pyramids of rock and ice. I mean look at them:











When I was little my mom bought me the book "The Karakoram: Mountains of Pakistan", by Shiro Shirahata. The photography in it was done by Michael Chessler. The front cover, naturally, had a picture of K2 but the back cover had a picture of Gasherbrum IV. And as soon as I saw it I fell in love with the monster. It seemed so out of this world that it left me spellbound!

The back cover:






And Masherbrum....well it was the first mountain out of these hidden peaks that I saw with my own eyes. I was climbing up the Barrah Broq in the Skardu valley (On the opposite side of the Masherbrum from the Baltoro Glacier) when this giant slowly rose from behind the mountains hiding it. Below are pictures which I took of it at around 4000 meters up the Barrah Broq:

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## krash

Some more pictures of the Masherbrum that I took from the Skardu side:

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## krash

*Views of the Baltoro region:*
































*A: Marble Peak
B: K2
C: Broad Peak
D: Gasherbrum IV
E: Gasherbrum I and II
F: Mitre peak*







*This should make the layout of the Baltoro region quit clear. All of the Glaciers and most of the peaks have been mapped:*








ps: How do I get this thread made into a sticky? Iv put too much effort in it to see it get lost.

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## krash

*Different Views of the Gasherbrum IV:*

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## Areesh

krash said:


> ps: How do I get this thread made into a sticky? Iv put too much effort in it to see it get lost.



PM Asim or Taimi Khan Krash. They will help you.

I also support making this thread sticky.

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## krash

*Uli Biaho Tower (6110 meters):
*





















*These are the guys who make it all happen. They are as hard as the rock and granite mountains that they live in. At any given day they will be carrying a load 2 to 3 times the weight of what you will have on your back, that too in wooden boxes with steel frames that would break your back:*

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## krash

*This is Sardar Esa Khan a high altitude porter who lived in Hunza in the early 20th century. He was a part of some of the earliest expeditions into our North. He was dubbed "The Himalayan Tiger" on one of his expeditions to Nangaparbat.*







*The Grand Cathedral and the Urdukas:*






















*This is one amazing time laps shot of the Sia Kangri but sadly I could only find two copies of it. The first one is too small in size and the second one was ruined by some idiot who stamped his watermarks all over it.*

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## krash

You guys didn't like the pics i took of Masherbrum!?! Man I was so proud of those pics!

Anyway,

*Baltoro Glacier and Broad Peak in the background:*







*Broad Peak base camp:*








*Paiyu at dusk:*






*From left to right: G5, G4, G3, G2.*






*Masherbrum:*











*K2:*






*K2 and Broad Peak. Picture taken on a flight to Islamabad from Skardu:*

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## krash

*The Trangos:*





















*Austrian Stamp (1956) commemorating the Austrian expedition to Gasherbrum II:*






*Pakistani stamp commemorating the Golden Jubilee of the first successful ascent on K2:*

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## krash

*Evening lights on the Baltoro:*

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## krash

*The Night:*































http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff465/khizer17/concordaaaaaaaaa/gasherbrumsatnight-2.jpg

*A time lapse shot of the Celestial North from the Baltoro Glacier:*

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## krash

*I saved the best for last. The Milky Way above K2 and Broad Peak :*












The above picture of Broad Peak is actually more interesting than it seems at first. Notice that just below the summit there's a bright light shinning. That's a team of alpinists who got stuck up there for the night after summiting. They stayed up all night bivouaced trying to fight hypothermia since they didn't have any tents or sleeping bags (Let alone the fact that your not supposed to sleep at that altitude even if you have your tents and sleeping bags). God knows how they cheated death that night.

The circle is where you can see them:

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## krash

To the madmen of the North. Pakistani High Altitude Porters (PHAP) or Kharpas as they are known locally. While the climbers take the glory these are the guys who take them up there. No expedition would ever be possible without them. Torn boots, cotton socks, no gloves? No problem. These guys will climb thousands of meters with 20-25 kg loads fastened on a self made rudimentary steel pipe frame strapped onto their backs without any cushion and they will still out climb you by a factor of 4:1. They are mad. Legend says that the first porter to go up K2 was wearing wooden shoes.

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## krash

Watch in HD:






In this one make sure to listen carefully to what the climbers say:







*"Everest and K2 aren't even the same sport."*

Following is a trailer of the documentary on the first ever successful winter climb of a Pakistani +8000 meter peak, Gasherbrum II. Note: it took climbers over 60 years to achieve this feat. After Gasherbrum II (in 2011) Gasherbrum I was also successfully climbed in the winter season of 2012. Broad Peak and the two monsters; Nangaparbat and K2 still remain un-climbed in the winters despite attempts by different teams every year.






This is what it looks like while climbing the Trango Towers:

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## krash

Up K2's north face:






Below camp 3:






Wind picks up just below camp 3:






The Sun hits the slopes the next day:






*K2, as seen from the northern side at night:*







A fourteen minute exposure at night. Notice the one light just below K2's peak, those are climbers stuck there for the night:






Clouds on K2:






*Broad Peak from Concordia:*






ps: @Aeronaut, what are the chances of getting this thread made into a sticky? Got plenty of views, put a lot of effort in it....

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## Kompromat

@krash

Done bro.

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## krash

Aeronaut said:


> @krash
> 
> Done bro.



Many thanks yara. These to you:

From Ali Camp at night,






Gasherbrum IV from Vigne Glacier,






and my favorite. A look back while climbing up the Gondogoro La at dusk with K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum IV, Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II (from left to right in the background) all popping there heads up from behind clouds and other smaller peaks in the foreground,

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## krash

A bit before from Concordia, at Jhula beneath Bakhor Das (5810m):






Night at Payu:






The Cathedral from Payu:






The Cathedral and the Trangos:






The Cathedral and the Trango Castle:











The Trangos:






At the snout of the Baltoro:

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## Kompromat

@Gold1010 @Yzd Khalifa @Mosamania @Hussein @Neptune @Desertfalcon @TruthSeeker

You guys must checkout this thread.

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## Gold1010

I'd love to go mountaineering, not so much the extreme stuff where you need to go climbing with harnesses though.

There is a movie called vertical limit which is about K2, it's a quality movie and features Pakistanis " waking up the Indians "






Only downside is a Maori kiwi plays a Pakistani lol.

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## darkinsky

Gold1010 said:


> I'd love to go mountaineering, not so much the extreme stuff where you need to go climbing with harnesses though.
> 
> There is a movie called vertical limit which is about K2, it's a quality movie and features Pakistanis " waking up the Indians "
> 
> Only downside is a Maori kiwi plays a Pakistani lol.



you can also bring kangaroo pets along with you

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## Gold1010

darkinsky said:


> you can also bring kangaroo pets along with you



I'll be sure to catch one in the bush across the road.

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## Kompromat

darkinsky said:


> you can also bring kangaroo pets along with you



This is what you deserve.... watch it and if you don't die laughing come back and bash me 









Gold1010 said:


> I'll be sure to catch one in the bush across the road.



lol, he perhaps needs a kangaroo kick

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## darkinsky

Aeronaut said:


> This is what you deserve.... watch it and if you don't die laughing come back and bash me


 @Gold1010 is it what you guys do in europe xD

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## Kompromat

Gold1010 said:


> I'd love to go mountaineering, not so much the extreme stuff where you need to go climbing with harnesses though.



You won't be able to do it once in a while, those who climb K-2 and Nanga Perbit etc are expert climbers. 9/15 tallest peaks on earth are in Pakistan including the largest inland glacier in the world. 



> There is a movie called vertical limit which is about K2, it's a quality movie and features Pakistanis " waking up the Indians "



Bwahahahahahahahah we love the Indians 

Check this....Border closing ceremony in Lahore...it happens every evening.








> Only downside is a Maori kiwi plays a Pakistani lol.




lol

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## Yzd Khalifa

Aeronaut said:


> @Yzd Khalifa
> You guys must checkout this thread.



 I really really wanna go there  

Aeronaut! I will barrow an Apache from the RSAF, I will pick you up and go there! 

Concordia Pakistan-- The Throne Room of Mountain Gods - YouTube

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## Gold1010

Aeronaut said:


> You won't be able to do it once in a while, those who climb K-2 and Nanga Perbit etc are expert climbers. 9/15 tallest peaks on earth are in Pakistan including the largest inland glacier in the world.



Haha yeah i know, theres a show called I Shouldn't be alive, there was a episodeabout a kiwi who went trekking in the mountains with his dog, apart from almost dying i thought it would be really cool, it's on my to do list. 




> Check this....Border closing ceremony in Lahore...it happens every evening.



Oh my god i saw this on Vice the other day, see http://www.defence.pk/forums/general-images-multimedia/262415-vice-kashmir-border.html

I was like what is going on! it looked preety cool except on one side they were chanting there is only one god

The only thing it is missing is the Haka

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## Zarvan

No Doubt Mount Everest is the highest peak but the K2 is far more difficult to climb than Everest because of its shape

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## Kompromat

Gold1010 said:


> Haha yeah i know, theres a show called I Shouldn't be alive, there was a episodeabout a kiwi who went trekking in the mountains with his dog, apart from almost dying i thought it would be really cool, it's on my to do list.



Check this, a bunch of Aussies jumped from the greatest vertical peak on planet earth,located in Pakistan. 









> Oh my god i saw this on Vice the other day, see http://www.defence.pk/forums/general-images-multimedia/262415-vice-kashmir-border.html
> 
> I was like what is going on! it looked preety cool except on one side *they were chanting there is only one god*



I,know you'd find it odd, any foreigner will. For us its as common your aussie aussie oi oi, slogan, which i found weird when i heard it first. AllahoAkbar means God is the greatest, i'd even say it if i take a yawn,its no big deal, its just part of our culture 




> The only thing it is missing is *the Haka*



Bwhahahaha 

We don't do Haka, but we do have a sport called Kabbadi , which is as rough as Haka

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## Gold1010

Aeronaut said:


> Check this, a bunch of Aussies jumped from the greatest vertical peak on planet earth,located in Pakistan.



This looks familiar.




I,know you'd find it odd, any foreigner will. For us its as common your aussie aussie oi oi, slogan, which i found weird when i heard it first. AllahoAkbar means God is the greatest, i'd even say it if i take a yawn,its no big deal, its just part of our culture[/QUOTE]

Lol I think non-Muslims would find it a bit more then odd


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## Kompromat

Gold1010 said:


> This looks familiar.



Seen before?

BTW i don't think anyone else has attempted it after these blokes.




> I,know you'd find it odd, any foreigner will. For us its as common your aussie aussie oi oi, slogan, which i found weird when i heard it first. AllahoAkbar means God is the greatest, i'd even say it if i take a yawn,its no big deal, its just part of our culture






> Lol I think non-Muslims would find it a bit more then odd



Yea i know right, we live in a culturally diverse world.

There are a few expressions we use very often. 

Allahoakbar: You can use it anytime you want. People use it when they even yawn so not really restricted to any "theological" aspect.

Alhamdollilah = Thank God

Mashallah: When you wish to praise something or appreciate something ie i'll say it when you score good at school etc.

Shukria: Thank you

Inshallah: God willing, mostly used when addressing the future ambitions.

All of them are widely used and yes of course people from other cultures will find it odd.

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## darkinsky

Yzd Khalifa said:


> I really really wanna go there
> 
> Aeronaut! I will barrow an Apache from the RSAF, I will pick you up and go there!
> 
> Concordia Pakistan-- The Throne Room of Mountain Gods - YouTube



you will not come in Audi?

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## Yzd Khalifa

darkinsky said:


> you will not come in Audi?



-_- I don't like Audis bro! Maxima FTW!

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## Kompromat

@Yzd Khalifa

You are most welcome, we'll tag along anytime you come.

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## Umair Nawaz




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## Areesh

Even though there are several threads about different regions of Pakistan but this one is my most favorite thread on this forum. Great work done by @krash . Keep it up.

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## krash

Gold1010 said:


> I'd love to go mountaineering, not so much the extreme stuff where you need to go climbing with harnesses though.
> 
> There is a movie called vertical limit which is about K2, it's a quality movie and features Pakistanis " waking up the Indians "
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Only downside is a Maori kiwi plays a Pakistani lol.



Always loved that line; "3 O'clock, time to wake up the Indians". 

Along with a Kiwi playing a Pakistani heli pilot this movie was ripe with inaccuracies. For example, the climbing permits stated to be "2 or 3 million dollars". Well that is just nonsense. This year they've increased the permit fees by a lot but still its roughly 1 to 2 thousand dollars. When this movie was shot, the permit to climb K2 cost around a hundred dollars. 

The revised permit fees:



> As of 2013 climbing permits cost $7200 for up to 7 climbers and are $1,700 for each additional member. In addition to the peak fee, you will need to put up a $6,000 rescue bond (refundable), and a $200 environmental fee. You will be required to travel with a Pakistani Army Liaison Officer, and will also be responsible for his fee, equipment, and expenses. All Permits must be secured by November of the previous year.
> 
> ROYALTY FEES 2013
> 
> Following are royalty rates for scaling peaks of various height in Pakistan:
> 
> Height of Peaks Royalty in US$ (1-7) for each additional member exceeding 7 per team an additional fee at the Following rate will be charged.
> 
> 1 K-2 8611m 12,000 $ 3,000
> 2 8001-8500m 9,000 $ 3,000
> 3 7501-8000m 4,000 $ 1,000
> 4 7001-7500m 2,500 $ 500
> 5 6000-7000m 1,500 $ 300



There's another movie on K2, shot in 1992 I think. Conveniently it's named K2. It's not that good. But there's a German film made on the first ascent of Nangaparbat's Rupal face by Reinhold Messner and his brother Gunther Messner. The Rupal face is the biggest and tallest vertical wall in the world, running for over 4800 meters straight up in the air. It is by far the most difficult rock face to climb and has only been successfully climbed twice (1970, 2011), not just a route but the whole face. The movie's name is Nangaparbat. It's a must watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-SC0VGWmzM



Areesh said:


> Even though there are several threads about different regions of Pakistan but this one is my most favorite thread on this forum. Great work done by @krash . Keep it up.



Much appreciated! Yar, I've got many many pictures lined up but exams, projects and presentations aren't letting me breathe. InshAllah, last term hai tou will be posting a lot of new stuff afterwards. But in the meawhile,


Marble Peak:







An unnamed peak besides the Vigne Glacier:







Porters:







Crossing the Vigne Glacier:

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## Areesh

krash said:


> Much appreciated! Yar, I've got many many pictures lined up but exams, projects and presentations aren't letting me breath. InshAllah, last term hai tou will be posting a lot of new stuff afterwards. But in the meawhile,



Well that would be great news for me. Your pics are like a treat. Never seen before pics. Would be waiting when you would share all of your treasure here with us.

I think this thread might be of interest for you. Check it. @Aka123

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## Aka123

Post the other pics soon..... Do u have pics of the Abzurri Spur trail??

Do anyone has pics or videos of 'South Face or Polish Line' ?
@krash ........ are you a mountaineer?


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## krash

Aka123 said:


> Post the other pics soon..... Do u have pics of the Abzurri Spur trail??
> 
> Do anyone has pics or videos of 'South Face or Polish Line' ?
> @krash ........ are you a mountaineer?



Yeah, an amateur though.


The South-East Ridge (or the Abruzzi Ridge/Spur route):






^^^^
Komin House'a => The House Chimney
Oboz => Camp
Czarna Piramida => The Black Pyramid
Ramie=> K2's Shoulder
Szyjka Butelki => The Bottle Neck
Serak => Seracs
Broad Peak is blocking out the bottom part of the route so you can't see Camp 1 or the Abruzzi Spur itself.







Here you can see all the older, more established southern routes:

*Red/(1):* West Ridge 

*Orange/(2):* South Ridge

*Black/(3):* South Face (This has a little variation in its starting point, see the second picture) 

*Green/(4):* South-South-East spur or the Cesen route

*Yellow/(5):* South-East Ridge or the Abruzzi Spur

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## Aka123

krash said:


> Yeah, an amateur though.
> 
> 
> The South-East Ridge (or the Abruzzi Ridge/Spur route):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ^^^^
> Komin House'a => The House Chimney
> Oboz => Camp
> Czarna Piramida => The Black Pyramid
> Ramie=> K2's Shoulder
> Szyjka Butelki => The Bottle Neck
> Serak => Seracs
> Broad Peak is blocking out the bottom part of the route so you can't see Camp 1 or the Abruzzi Spur itself.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here you can see all the older, more established southern routes:
> 
> *Red/(1):* West Ridge
> 
> *Orange/(2):* South Ridge
> 
> *Black/(3):* South Face (This has a little variation in its starting point, see the second picture)
> 
> *Green/(4):* South-South-East spur or the Cesen route
> 
> *Yellow/(5):* South-East Ridge or the Abruzzi Spur



Have heard that South face is the toughest and least climbed?
What about North face, is it in China side or Pakistan? You have to cross Shaksgam river for North right?


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## krash

Aka123 said:


> Have heard that South face is the toughest and least climbed?
> What about North face, is it in China side or Pakistan? You have to cross Shaksgam river for North right?



Ah the first is a difficult question, so I'll tackle the second first.

Yup, Northern side is in China with 2 established routes; North Ridge and the North-West Face (Not to be confused with the North-West Ridge). The Chinese side of the mountain is the less frequently visited side, and there are usually no climbers on this side of the mountain. Even though it's less technical to get to the northern base camp, its more difficult in the sense that its not very organized; you have to manage everything by yourself. The Pakistani side is more popular because 1) Most of the mountain is in Pakistan, 2) Except 2, all the routes are completely on the Pakistani side, 3) The easiest route is on the Pakistani side, 4) the most climbed route is on the Pakistani side, 5) the trek to get to the Pakistani side is a lot more organized; porters, midway camps, etc., etc. And yes, I've heard that you have to cross Shaksgam to get to the Chinese side. But the lesser frequency also has it's own allure 

The North Ridge and the North-West Ridge:

(The North Ridge is the route that Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner climbed up, making her the first woman to climb all the eight-thousanders without oxygen)












Ok, now for the most difficult. Well, it kinda depends on whom you ask about it. The most easy is the Cesen and the most frequently taken is the Abruzzi (But I'm sure you know that these are still one of the most difficult routes in the world. Goes to show the character of K2). The South Face, the South-South-West Pillar (or the so called Magic Line) and the North-West Ridge are all said to be the hardest. The "Magic Line" is the one that Reinhold Messner went to attempt, looked at, called it the suicide route, abandoned it and went up the Abruzzi. This is also the route most widely considered to be the most difficult followed by the South Face.

Abruzzi Spur-> 178 summits and 52 deaths. Fatality rate: 29.2%

Cesen -> 55 summits and 10 deaths. Fatality rate: 18.2

North Ridge (Chinese) -> 28 summits and 6 deaths. Fatality rate: 21.4%

Magic Line -> 4 summits and 6 deaths. Fatality rate: 150%

South Face -> 2 summits and 1 death. Fatality rate: 50%

North-West Face -> 2 summits and 0 deaths. Fatality rate: 0%

North-West Ridge -> 2 summits and 0 deaths. Fatality rate: 0%

Interestingly two routes are still un-climbed:

East Face-> 0 summits and 1 death. Fatality rate: 100%

North Face (North-East)-> 0 summits and 0 deaths.

(Note: These stats, sadly, don't show the failed attempts and they are only till the 2008 climbing season. But the stats for the most difficult faces have remained unchanged to my knowledge)

All the routes:






I have a book with some route details, has a good poster in it. I'll try to find it's pdf and upload that poster.

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## Aka123

krash said:


> Ah the first is a difficult question, so I'll tackle the second first.
> 
> Yup, Northern side is in China with 2 established routes; North Ridge and the North-West Face (Not to be confused with the North-West Ridge). The Chinese side of the mountain is the less frequently visited side, and there are usually no climbers on this side of the mountain. Even though it's less technical to get to the northern base camp, its more difficult in the sense that its not very organized; you have to manage everything by yourself. The Pakistani side is more popular because 1) Most of the mountain is in Pakistan, 2) Except 2, all the routes are completely on the Pakistani side, 3) The easiest route is on the Pakistani side, 4) the most climbed route is on the Pakistani side, 5) the trek to get to the Pakistani side is a lot more organized; porters, midway camps, etc., etc. And yes, I've heard that you have to cross Shaksgam to get to the Chinese side. But the lesser frequency also has it's own allure
> 
> The North Ridge and the North-West Ridge:
> 
> (The North Ridge is the route that Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner climbed up, making her the first woman to climb all the eight-thousanders without oxygen)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ok, now for the most difficult. Well, it kinda depends on whom you ask about it. The most easy is the Cesen and the most frequently taken is the Abruzzi (But I'm sure you know that these are still one of the most difficult routes in the world. Goes to show the character of K2). The South Face, the South-South-West Pillar (or the so called Magic Line) and the North-West Ridge are all said to be the hardest. The "Magic Line" is the one that Reinhold Messner went to attempt, looked at, called it the suicide route, abandoned it and went up the Abruzzi. This is also the route most widely considered to be the most difficult followed by the South Face.
> 
> Abruzzi Spur-> 178 summits and 52 deaths. Fatality rate: 29.2%
> 
> Cesen -> 55 summits and 10 deaths. Fatality rate: 18.2
> 
> North Ridge (Chinese) -> 28 summits and 6 deaths. Fatality rate: 21.4%
> 
> Magic Line -> 4 summits and 6 deaths. Fatality rate: 150%
> 
> South Face -> 2 summits and 1 death. Fatality rate: 50%
> 
> North-West Face -> 2 summits and 0 deaths. Fatality rate: 0%
> 
> North-West Ridge -> 2 summits and 0 deaths. Fatality rate: 0%
> 
> Interestingly two routes are still un-climbed:
> 
> East Face-> 0 summits and 1 death. Fatality rate: 100%
> 
> North Face (North-East)-> 0 summits and 0 deaths.
> 
> (Note: These stats, sadly, don't show the failed attempts and they are only till the 2008 climbing season. But the stats for the most difficult faces have remained unchanged to my knowledge)
> 
> All the routes:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have a book with some route details, has a good poster in it. I'll try to find it's pdf and upload that poster.


 
Thanx for the details man! Heard that this South Face - Polish line is also called the suicidal route. The abzurri spur is easiest and most climbed..... but have heard that near the summit, there's a region of 'Bottleneck' which is deadly.

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## krash

Aka123 said:


> Thanx for the details man! Heard that this South Face - Polish line is also called the suicidal route. The abzurri spur is easiest and most climbed..... but have heard that near the summit, there's a region of 'Bottleneck' which is deadly.



You're always welcome. I love talking about mountains and my friends have started to hate it :p 

BTW would your info about the South Face, by any chance, be from wiki? Because I've read it and it isn't very accurate. The route map is inaccurate as well. The "Suicide Route" was termed by Reinhold Messner for the South-South-West Pillar and he talks about it in his book "K2: The Mountain of Mountains". And the Cesen is thought to be the easiest because it bypasses the 'House Chimney' and the 'Black Pyramid' on the Abruzzi route, which are both very challenging. 

The Bottleneck is indeed very deadly. Its the only way to get to the summit from the shoulder. Its a very narrow shaft, almost perfectly vertical with huge seracs looming on top of it. In short its a nightmare. Quite a lot of people have lost their lives at this spot. In 2008 one of those seracs broke and killed many climbers above and below it. On that fateful day 11 people lost their lives within a few hours of each other. Imagine being radioed about another death every few minutes.

These are the seracs above the Bottleneck (the huge walls of ice jutting out of the mountain face):
















Now this is a very interesting clip. It was shot by one of the teams that lost almost all of their climbers on that deadly day in 2008. It was shot while climbing up the 'Bottleneck' at around 8350 meters. The seracs you see right in the beginning broke off a few minutes after this clip was shot. At 00:16 the camera pans around and gives a view of the lower part of the Bottleneck and the Shoulder down below. The scale of the climb can be judged from the fact that you can't even spot Camp 4 on the shoulder. Another awesome thing which you might notice is that at the beginning, when the camera is facing upwards, the sky is completely black even though sunlight is reflecting off the ice, and it only becomes blue when the camera pans downwards towards the horizon. 

K2 Bottleneck 8350 meters Mountain Leader - YouTube

*At 00:26 you can see Broad Peak's summit*

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## Aka123

krash said:


> You're always welcome. I love talking about mountains and my friends have started to hate it :p
> 
> BTW would your info about the South Face, by any chance, be from wiki? Because I've read it and it isn't very accurate. The route map is inaccurate as well. The "Suicide Route" was termed by Reinhold Messner for the South-South-West Pillar and he talks about it in his book "K2: The Mountain of Mountains". And the Cesen is thought to be the easiest because it bypasses the 'House Chimney' and the 'Black Pyramid' on the Abruzzi route, which are both very challenging.
> 
> The Bottleneck is indeed very deadly. Its the only way to get to the summit from the shoulder. Its a very narrow shaft, almost perfectly vertical with huge seracs looming on top of it. In short its a nightmare. Quite a lot of people have lost their lives at this spot. In 2008 one of those seracs broke and killed many climbers above and below it. On that fateful day 11 people lost their lives within a few hours of each other. Imagine being radioed about another death every few minutes.
> 
> These are the seracs above the Bottleneck (the huge walls of ice jutting out of the mountain face):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now this is a very interesting clip. It was shot by one of the teams that lost almost all of their climbers on that deadly day in 2008. It was shot while climbing up the 'Bottleneck' at around 8350 meters. The seracs you see right in the beginning broke off a few minutes after this clip was shot. At 00:16 the camera pans around and gives a view of the lower part of the Bottleneck and the Shoulder down below. The scale of the climb can be judged from the fact that you can't even spot Camp 4 on the shoulder. Another awesome thing which you might notice is that at the beginning, when the camera is facing upwards, the sky is completely black even though sunlight is reflecting off the ice, and it only becomes blue when the camera pans downwards towards the horizon.
> 
> K2 Bottleneck 8350 meters Mountain Leader - YouTube
> 
> *At 00:26 you can see Broad Peak's summit*



Yes!! I had read the wiki, it's mentioned there. Other than that some points which I am saying, I got to know from discussion with friends and rest are net based as well. 

bdw I had seen this video earlier........ but this is Abzurri spur climb.... I have searched a proper video of North and South face climb, but didn't find any.

Southern routes shown -


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## Aka123

Zarvan said:


> No Doubt Mount Everest is the highest peak but the K2 is far more difficult to climb than Everest because of its shape



Because Karakoram has a much rugged terrain than Himalayas. Also due to the steepness of Karakoram peaks, the weather is very adverse at high altitudes, I guess.

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## Areesh

@krash

One question. What about the other three 8 thousand meter peaks other than K2 like Broad Peak, Gasherbrum 1 and Gasherbrum 2? Are they completely on Pakistani side or shared by both Pakistan or China? What is there status? Are they as difficult as K2 to climb?


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## Audio

Great pics. I can see why people return to climb even though it's one of the more dangerous things to do with your spare time. Quite a few of Swiss and Slovenian climbers rest in those hills.
Read a book from climb on Everest when i was young (mom & dad are both avid mountaneers, not extreme climbers but trekkers, so they have a bit of literature on the subject), the writer talked about extreme temperaure differences, saying they were sweating in the sun, but a few meters away, in the shade there was -10 C. Found it very fascinating to read.


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## krash

Areesh said:


> @krash
> 
> One question. What about the other three 8 thousand meter peaks other than K2 like Broad Peak, Gasherbrum 1 and Gasherbrum 2? Are they completely on Pakistani side or shared by both Pakistan or China? What is there status? Are they as difficult as K2 to climb?



I'll put it this way; the Chinese were gifted routes up to the peaks of K2, Broad Peak, GI and GII. Remember the ceding/gifting of the Shaksgam valley? If you look at the map you'll see the artificial manipulation of the border.

Well nothing is as difficult to climb as K2, everything just beautifully and ingenuously comes together to wreak havoc on the savage one. That said, these peaks are extremely difficult to climb in their own right (They just get overshadowed, because lets face it, they stand besides K2). This you can clearly see from the fact that, even though all the other 8000ers were being successfully climbed during winters for quite a few years, these three peaks only gave in very recently (GII in 2011, GI in 2012 and Broad Peak in 2013). All these three summits were hailed as new milestones in the mountaineering world (I'll post about these summits later, you'll see what hell the teams had to go through to achieve this). Now only the two big ones remain that haven't been climbed in the winter season.

What is interesting though is that the smaller peaks offer more difficult climbing, e.g. Gasherbrum IV (7,925 m), which just narrowly misses out on the 8000m mark, is considered to be the most technical to climb, its even steeper than K2. I mean just look at it:


























To me, its the most beautiful mountain in the world.


Then you have Baintha Brakk or the Ogre (7,285 meters). This one is regularly featured on the top 5 most difficult climbs. It took climbers around than two and a half decades to successfully climb it for the second time (1st summit: 1977, 2nd summit: 2001).

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## Areesh

^^

True G4 is extremely beautiful peak. I also have read about this Ogre peak. Amazing peaks all these we have in our country.

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## krash

Then you have Spantik (7,027 m). At first look you see a saddle going up to the summit, wide and gradual, pretty easy. On closer inspection you see the side facing you and realize that it holds nightmares for the climbers. The North-West face (or the Golden Pillar) of Spantik is termed as one of the most difficult and dangerous climbs in the world; its also a proud member of the infamous Pakistani vertical walls.




































I can go on and on and on. I deliberately gave examples of mountains from three different areas with varying heights. 

So to summarize no one comes to Pakistan expecting an easy climb, we specialize in the most difficult ones. Even our smaller mountains, whom no one gives a second glance at, turn out to be formidable challenges. Malika Parbat (only 5,290 metres) is a very good example of that. Note that by 'smaller' I mean the mountains relatively smaller to our own. Because the peaks we consider small and unremarkable would be considered huge massifs anywhere else in the world e.g. Malika Parbat stands taller than all the Alps.

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## Areesh

Lol the alps are overrated. The highest peak is just 4800 meters. They look so tiny in front of our peaks. Let alone Himalaya and Karakorum even the highest peak of Hindukush range is in Pakistan and even that has elevation of around 7700 meters.

My personal favorite is Uli Biaho tower. Always found this pic to be simply amazing.

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## krash

Areesh said:


> Lol the alps are overrated. The highest peak is just 4800 meters. They look so tiny in front of our peaks. Let alone Himalaya and Karakorum even the highest peak of Hindukush range is in Pakistan and even that has elevation of around 7700 meters.
> 
> My personal favorite is Uli Biaho tower. Always found this pic to be simply amazing.




Yeah the Tirich Mir. It's not just the Alps, the Rockies aren't very tall either. The highest mountain outside the greater Himalayas (Karakorum, Himalayas and the Hindukush) is Mount Aconcagua in Patagonia (The Andes) and its only 6,800 meters high. 


Anyway, I must apologize for this bandwidth limit. Once the month is over and the pictures are back I'll start spreading them over two, three accounts.

ps: always loved that pic too.

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## Areesh

All these Alps and Rockies look kids playground in front of our peaks.

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## krash

Areesh said:


> All these Alps and Rockies look kids playground in front of our peaks.



Early in the sixties, one of our ministers went to the states. For some reason that I cannot remember he was taken to see the Rockies. When the minister reached there he exclaimed, "Mountains? These are hills. Come over to Pakistan and I'll show you what mountains are."

Although the Andes are a lot less higher and a lot less extreme (and, at least to me, a lot less beautiful), I still wouldn't mind checking out Patagonia. It is very beautiful. Maybe sit in the shadow of Cerro Torre and have a smoke one day.

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## AhmadBilal

I think you can't remember Himalaya mountains. That's why you are to be amazed.


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## krash

*K2's influence*

*K2 cigerettes:*







*K2 on the Rs50 note:*






*The Pakistani postage stamp issued at the event of the first ever successful summit of K2:*






*A painting of K2:*






*The iconic moment when Osama Bin Ladin visited Concordia under the sponsorship of 7/11:*







@Areesh

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## krash

*Too high for the sky*


K2 and its sister peaks, taken from the Chinese side. Notice how the Chinese side of the Karakoram look like mere hills, especially when compared to the giants in the background. *Background (right to left): Masherbrum, K2, Broad Peak, the Gasherbrum Massif (the Gasherbrum Peaks clustered), Chogholisa. 
*





I'm guessing, from one of PIA's flights.






K2, Broad Peak and the Gasherbrum Peaks clustered in the center.











Taken from Broad Peak's summit:






Taken from a Pakistani military helicopter:






On K2's side:






On K2's Shoulder:

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## krash

K2 from the northern side:











Kaltenbrunner's ascent on K2's North Face:






Taken from K2's shoulder. You can see the whole shoulder leading up to the huge serac (ice wall) jutting out from the mountain side above the Bottleneck. Also notice the three specks which are climbers.






The serac up close:











Just after the Bottleneck:






An old picture of K2's North-East face:

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## krash

Typical cloud halos ove K2:





















The glacial streams on the Baltoro that are formed during the summers:











Looking up at K2 from base camp:

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## krash

Brilliant panoramic shot from Concordia. Gasherbrum IV on the right, Broad Peak center and K2 on teh left, almost hidden behind clouds. This would've looked much better if high res pics could be enlarged here.






K2 poking out from behind the Cathedral:






Spring at K2. Notice the marked increase in snow everywhere:






Late spring/early summer, K2:






This is what makes an expedition happen. An army of porters who are paid next to nothing. Mitre Peak on the right and Chogholisa center, way in the background:
















Chinese porters on the northern side:






K2 from the base:

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## Areesh

krash said:


> *K2's influence*
> 
> *K2 cigerettes:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *K2 on the Rs50 note:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *The Pakistani postage stamp issued at the event of the first ever successful summit of K2:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *A painting of K2:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *The iconic moment when Osama Bin Ladin visited Concordia under the sponsorship of 7/11:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> @Areesh




Lol. Yeah I remember that news. OBL hiding in Karakorums.

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## Menace2Society



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## krash

AHA! Found some great stuff.

Climb K2 in 3D! - YouTube

The following is a great make. There are some gross discrepancies. 1) The climbs before Fritz Wiessner were quite serious and Wiessner's was by no means the first serious one. This is grossly unfair and disrespectful to the brave souls who died up there trying to climb the monster with 1/3rd of the equipment Wiessner took. 2) There's a consensus that there was no way Wiessner could have made it to the summit when his Sherpa told him to turn back at 900 meters below the summit. In fact its believed that he would have died had he not. 3) 900 meters below the summit is a lot on any mountain, let alone K2! Its 27.272727272% percent of the total climb from the foot of the mountain to its summit. On top of that, these last 900 meters are the most difficult to climb and most of the attempts fail in this region. This estimate puts him roughly on or below the Black Pyramid. The comment that he believed, that after climbing the rock face in front of him, all he would have to do is go up the easier snowy slope further puts weight in the claim that he was standing below the Black Pyramid (which would be the rock face) and was referring to K2's shoulder above as the easier snowy slope to the summit (which is the only easier snowy slope on the mountain). Even if we assume that he had successfully climbed the Black Pyramid and had reached camp 3 then he was still, at the very least, roughly 1261 meters below the summit. Which is a very very VERY long way away from the summit and a task which he could never have accomplished. 4) The expedition Wiessner sent before to find a suitable route came no where near even close to the summit of K2. It roamed near the base and gauged a route from there. If they had then Wiessner would have known that there was no easy snowy slope what so ever going to the summit. Its getting long and so I'll stop now, plus that's just the way stories are told and documentaries made (and the mountaineers of that time are known to over exaggerate their claims). Regardless, I liked the documentary. Do watch it,

Mountain Men : The ghosts of K2 - YouTube

This one is about that fateful day in 2008 when 11 climbers died on the same day on K2. The woman at 1:35 lost her husband on that day. I remember watching her interview after the incident, it was depressing. The poor soul herself died a year later trying to climb Nangaparbat. If you find the full length documentary please let me know as well,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPqSWYNJVaQ

ps: Sorry for the youtube links. Couldn't find them anywhere else.

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## krash

From left to right, New Cristal Peak (6252m), Praqpa Ri (7150m) at the back and Marble Peak:






New Cristal Peak and Marble Peak:






K2:











On the Vigne Glacier:

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## krash

**Click on "Vimeo" or the name of the video and then watch in full screen HD**

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## Umair Nawaz

@krash Zindabad.

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## Indischer

@krash Amazing set of pics dude! Are you a mountaineer too? If so, will be nice to hear your from you about your experiences.

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## krash

Indischer said:


> @krash Amazing set of pics dude! Are you a mountaineer too? If so, will be nice to hear your from you about your experiences.



Just a lowly amateur. The experiences still have been spectacular

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## American Eagle

Thanks for sharing yours and others photos. Two years of Geology as my elective natural science in undergraduate college causes me to note in particularly some pictures showing glacial scarf. I would assume some of that debris has been carbon or other dated and would perhaps be upwards of 400 million years old. The glacial melt streams, I wonder how much over the years of your and my lifetime, how much of the glaciers in your photos have melted or receded and what measurable impact on hydro power and irrigated farming these streams amount to?


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## SQ8

American Eagle said:


> Thanks for sharing yours and others photos. Two years of Geology as my elective natural science in undergraduate college causes me to note in particularly some pictures showing glacial scarf. I would assume some of that debris has been carbon or other dated and would perhaps be upwards of 400 million years old. The glacial melt streams, I wonder how much over the years of your and my lifetime, how much of the glaciers in your photos have melted or receded and what measurable impact on hydro power and irrigated farming these streams amount to?



Not related to your post, but essentially on the topic; I suppose you may have a chance to visit some of these places during your tenure in Pakistan? Although I suppose the publicity these places received then was much less as compared to now?


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## American Eagle

Oscar said:


> Not related to your post, but essentially on the topic; I suppose you may have a chance to visit some of these places during your tenure in Pakistan? Although I suppose the publicity these places received then was much less as compared to now?


 
During my tenure in Pakistan I visited that I can recall since returning to the US June of 1965:

1. Peshawar and Badabur, my higher HQ from my posting at the US Embassy then in Karachi.
2. Karachi, where I lived and was posted in support of our USAF base in Peshawar/Badabur.
3. The Khyber Pass and the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.
4. Rawalpindi
5. Lahore
6. Quetta
7. Ruins of ancient city of Mohenjo-daro (Sindh) up country at a large land fault in the desert where we jumped from a tall water fall into the (I think) Indus River below as part of our swimming there during site seeing, etc.
8. The beach at Somniani, Balochistan
9. The Rann of Kutch, East of the Indus River Delta and Karachi, in January, 1965, to the ill demarcated border with India, as this is where my hunting party (I was a guest of Masood Khan and his first cousin Aftab (?) Khan, who was then a young Pakistan Foreign Office diplomatic corp official (during his long Pakistan Foreign Officer Career Aftab (?) Khan became the career Pak Foreign Office Ambassador to then Communist Poland.
***I was wounded in the Rann of Kutch when an Indian tank shell hit a Pakistani flat bed truck carrying scrap metal which "blew" the oncoming Pakistani scrap metal truck into our PIA Land Rover truck with the Pakistani flag painted on hood (bonnet). I and the the two Khan cousins were seat on a loose long wooden bench), the driver
of our truck and our hunt bearer/beaters were the across the front seat together with the driver. All in our PIA Land Rover truck were seriously injured, I think a least one poor man in the front seat was killed. A good Samaritan Pakistani passed us by shortly after the wreck (headed AWAY from the source of the Indian tank fire) driving
a one camel pulled flat bed with old rubber tires stuffed with dung. He collected me and the two Khan cousins a from the desert floor where we landed when the wreck
threw us into the air from the PIA Land Rover truck (scrap truck blown into our
Land Rover, which impact threw the three of us seated in the back on long wooden
bench into the air. The Good Samaritan driver of the one camel power flag wagon
took us "slowly" to the closest hospital, the Seven Day Adventist Hospital, in the edge of Karachi, where we got initial treatment. I was seen by our USMAAG doctor the next day at our MAAG quarters in P.E.C.H.S.. *Due to me first flying through the air and hitting left side of my head on back of front seat/and/or on metal wall there for Canvas top support then landing on the desert floor on the right hand side of my head, I of course suffered concussions on both sides/spheres of my brain. The scary part
was having lost my sight but not my hearing when I landed on the right hand side of my
head. "Some time" elapsed before my vision returned. It was a relief to see again!

10. At the beach we explored inland part of the Indus River and the Hub River.

11. I am unsure from memory if I did Taxila in NW Pakistan. "Rusty" memory. If I did go there it was with other officers from our USAF base at Badabur as our starting point.

I have to meet business friends for lunch now. If I can scratch myh 74 year old memory and come up with more places I will amend this reply at a later date.

Thanks for asking. To be clear, I was a Member of the Karatouram (sp?) Mountain Climbing Club but did no climbing. Was also a Member of the Karachi Yacht Club and learned to sail an became a competitive dingy then fixed keel "Tom Tit" class sailing boats.

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## American Eagle

American Eagle said:


> During my tenure in Pakistan I visited that I can recall since returning to the US June of 1965:
> 
> 1. Peshawar and Badabur, my higher HQ from my posting at the US Embassy then in Karachi.
> 2. Karachi, where I lived and was posted in support of our USAF base in Peshawar/Badabur.
> 3. The Khyber Pass and the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.
> 4. Rawalpindi
> 5. Lahore
> 6. Quetta
> 7. Ruins of ancient city of Mohenjo-daro (Sindh) up country at a large land fault in the desert. tc.
> 8. The beach at Somniani, Balochistan
> 9. The Rann of Kutch, East of the Indus River Delta and Karachi, in January, 1965, to the ill demarcated border with India, as this is where my hunting party (I was a guest of Masood Khan and his first cousin Aftab (?) Khan, who was then a young Pakistan Foreign Office diplomatic corp official (during his long Pakistan Foreign Officer Career Aftab (?) Khan became the career Pak Foreign Office Ambassador to then Communist Poland.
> ***I was wounded in the Rann of Kutch when an Indian tank shell hit a Pakistani flat bed truck carrying scrap metal which "blew" the oncoming Pakistani scrap metal truck into our PIA Land Rover truck with the Pakistani flag painted on hood (bonnet). I and the the two Khan cousins were seat on a loose long wooden bench), the driver
> of our truck and our hunt bearer/beaters were the across the front seat together with the driver. All in our PIA Land Rover truck were seriously injured, I think a least one poor man in the front seat was killed. A good Samaritan Pakistani passed us by shortly after the wreck (headed AWAY from the source of the Indian tank fire) driving
> a one camel pulled flat bed with old rubber tires stuffed with dung. He collected me and the two Khan cousins a from the desert floor where we landed when the wreck
> threw us into the air from the PIA Land Rover truck (scrap truck blown into our
> Land Rover, which impact threw the three of us seated in the back on long wooden
> bench into the air. The Good Samaritan driver of the one camel power flag wagon
> took us "slowly" to the closest hospital, the Seven Day Adventist Hospital, in the edge of Karachi, where we got initial treatment. I was seen by our USMAAG doctor the next day at our MAAG quarters in P.E.C.H.S.. *Due to me first flying through the air and hitting left side of my head on back of front seat/and/or on metal wall there for Canvas top support then landing on the desert floor on the right hand side of my head, I of course suffered concussions on both sides/spheres of my brain. The scary part
> was having lost my sight but not my hearing when I landed on the right hand side of my
> head. "Some time" elapsed before my vision returned. It was a relief to see again!
> 
> 10. At the beach we explored inland part of the Indus River and the Hub River.
> 
> 11. I am unsure from memory if I did Taxila in NW Pakistan. "Rusty" memory. If I did go there it was with other officers from our USAF base at Badabur as our starting point.
> 
> I have to meet business friends for lunch now. If I can scratch myh 74 year old memory and come up with more places I will amend this reply at a later date.
> 
> Thanks for asking. To be clear, I was a Member of the Karatouram (sp?) Mountain Climbing Club but did no climbing. Was also a Member of the Karachi Yacht Club and learned to sail an became a competitive dingy then fixed keel "Tom Tit" class sailing boats.


 
11. I omitted the ancient city/site of Thatta as a place I visited during my 1963-65 USAF tour of duty in Pakistan. My discription of Thatta is where we jumped from a tall water fall into the (I think) Indus River below as part of our swimming there during site seeing.

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## krash

American Eagle said:


> Thanks for sharing yours and others photos. Two years of Geology as my elective natural science in undergraduate college causes me to note in particularly some pictures showing glacial scarf. I would assume some of that debris has been carbon or other dated and would perhaps be upwards of 400 million years old.



Excellent thought, I'll research some on it.



American Eagle said:


> The glacial melt streams, I wonder how much over the years of your and my lifetime, how much of the glaciers in your photos have melted or receded and what measurable impact on hydro power and irrigated farming these streams amount to?



I have two reports and a presentation on the glacial retreat in Pakistan buried somewhere. The reports contrasted the earliest photos of the glaciers with the most recent ones and then compared the retreat to that of the central Himalayan and Alpine glaciers. These reports concluded that even though the great glaciers of northern Pakistan have retreated (you can clearly see the loss in heights of the glaciers from the shaved lower slopes of the surrounding mountains) the melt has been considerably less pronounced, at least in some of them, than in the rest of the world. The biggest contributor to this was assumed to be the heavy layer of rock debris that we see on these glaciers which sort of shields it from the elements and retards the melt. In summer time, at places, you can't even see the Baltoro right beneath your feet, all you see are rocks everywhere until you move a few of them and find the massive and very deep glacier underneath. The thick layers of ice and snow in the winters form over this debris and then melts away during the summers spreading the debris more evenly over the glacier.

On the other hand the glaciers without this protective layer in northern Pakistan and the rest of the world haven't been so lucky, e.g. the glacier running down Everest.

I'll try to find the reports again.


Btw are you sure you never visited farther north, say Skardu, Gilgit or Karimabad? Cause the memory you have of the tall mountain seen from Peshawar might have been one of the many other monsters up north that you might have seen from another city and mislead to believe that it was K2. This happens very often, favourite joke of the locals. Two of my friends still believe they saw K2 from Skardu.


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## American Eagle

krash said:


> Excellent thought, I'll research some on it.
> 
> 
> 
> I have two reports and a presentation on the glacial retreat in Pakistan buried somewhere. The reports contrasted the earliest photos of the glaciers with the most recent ones and then compared the retreat to that of the central Himalayan and Alpine glaciers. These reports concluded that even though the great glaciers of northern Pakistan have retreated (you can clearly see the loss in heights of the glaciers from the shaved lower slopes of the surrounding mountains) the melt has been considerably less pronounced, at least in some of them, than in the rest of the world. The biggest contributor to this was assumed to be the heavy layer of rock debris that we see on these glaciers which sort of shields it from the elements and retards the melt. In summer time, at places, you can't even see the Baltoro right beneath your feet, all you see are rocks everywhere until you move a few of them and find the massive and very deep glacier underneath. The thick layers of ice and snow in the winters form over this debris and then melts away during the summers spreading the debris more evenly over the glacier.
> 
> On the other hand the glaciers without this protective layer in northern Pakistan and the rest of the world haven't been so lucky, e.g. the glacier running down Everest.
> 
> I'll try to find the reports again.
> 
> 
> Btw are you sure you never visited farther north, say Skardu, Gilgit or Karimabad? Cause the memory you have of the tall mountain seen from Peshawar might have been one of the many other monsters up north that you might have seen from another city and mislead to believe that it was K2. This happens very often, favourite joke of the locals. Two of my friends still believe they saw K2 from Skardu.


 
The singular tall snow capped mountain I and we all saw frame thru the picture window in our USAF Base at Badabur is what I and we remember.

Thanks for your comments, otherwise. Of course every winter all the rugged mountains everywhere in Pakistan get fresh layers of snow, so the tops or peaks should year to year be pretty much status quo.

However, the lower sides of any mountain(s) will melt and feed the streams into rivers in the warmer season(s).

I have been in the Canadian Rockies and my wife in he Swiss Alps. Even the Canadian Rockies don't hold a candle to the sheer height(s) and ruggedness of our various Pakistan mountains.

Cheers.

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## sur

Logo of Paramount Pictures also seems to be K-2.. but from *a different angle* than most of K2 pictures are from...!!

Original Logo:







-
-

newer logo:





-
-



krash said:


>


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## krash

sur said:


> Logo of Paramount Pictures also seems to be K-2.. but from *a different angle* than most of K2 pictures are from...!!
> 
> Original Logo:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -
> -
> 
> newer logo:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -
> -



Nah man, I know that some things seem similar to K2 but it's a very different mountain.

Edit:

I googled some info on the logo and that mountain doesn't actually exist. Who knows, maybe the artist was inspired by K2.

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## ghazi52

Mitre Peak 6010 m - Concordia Baltoro Trek, Baltistan

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## krash

ghazi52 said:


> Mitre Peak 6010 m - Concordia Baltoro Trek, Baltistan



Gorgeous shot of the summit


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## Wanderlust

awesome @krash . idher tak tourist waisay he nai aa saktay... 

next time mujhay bhe poch leina, mein nay bh jana hai..



krash said:


> I have searched far and wide for this video until I finally found the complete series from which I had to cut out this portion. This is the most brilliant video of Concordia that I have ever seen:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Famous peaks in the video:
> 
> Chogolisa* @ 1:11 (the highest peak in the background).
> 
> *Masherbrum* @ 1:18
> 
> *Unnamed Trango Tower* @ 1:29
> 
> The Great Trango Tower @ 1:48 (behind the Unnamed Trango Tower
> 
> *K2 *@ 1:24 (on the left in the background covered in clouds)
> 
> 
> This video is taken from the second episode (Mountains) of the first season of the BBC documentary series 'Planet Earth'. In high def it just looks AWESOME!



ofcourse its the best video you or I or anyone could have ever seen.. its david attenborough's 



krash said:


> Note: This video was made during the summers.
> 
> K2 Pakistan - Trekking to the Throne Room of the Gods - YouTube



One of friends in England, almost begged wild frontiers to hire him, they politely declined..

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## jawad bashir

hay assalam o alikum brothers 
this post is very informative thanks alot
i m new in lahore can any one plz guide where i buy water proof shoe as i am going for makra peak in 2 days

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## krash

Wanderlust said:


> awesome @krash . idher tak tourist waisay he nai aa saktay...
> 
> next time mujhay bhe poch leina, mein nay bh jana hai..



Haha zaroor, zaroor.




> ofcourse its the best video you or I or anyone could have ever seen.. its david attenborough's



Yea he's the best. My shoddy upload attempt ruined the quality on that clip. Try downloading the actual episode, its amazing!



> One of friends in England, almost begged wild frontiers to hire him, they politely declined..



Poor guy 




jawad bashir said:


> hay assalam o alikum brothers
> this post is very informative thanks alot
> i m new in lahore can any one plz guide where i buy water proof shoe as i am going for makra peak in 2 days



Wsalam.

If you want proper climbing/trekking boots you only have two options in Lahore. 1) Adventure Shop (ph# 0321 4240925). This place is near Chauburji and the guy's name is Javed. 2) Adventure Summit in Garden Town. I've lost their number. Of these two I'd suggest Adventure Shop since they don't rip you off. Adventure Summit on the other hand is a rip off machine with exorbitant prices.

But Makra Peak is not a serious climb and you don't necessarily require the more expensive proper trekking/climbing boots for it. So instead I'd suggest going to an army outlet and buying something like these,





I have used US airforce issued boots almost exactly like these myself on treks many times, they work exceptionally well on easy treks. But I don't know which Pakistani brand is the better one, @DESERT FIGHTER might be able to help you with that.


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## DESERT FIGHTER

krash said:


> Haha zaroor, zaroor.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yea he's the best. My shoddy upload attempt ruined the quality on that clip. Try downloading the actual episode, its amazing!
> 
> 
> 
> Poor guy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wsalam.
> 
> If you want proper climbing/trekking boots you only have two options in Lahore. 1) Adventure Shop (ph# 0321 4240925). This place is near Chauburji and the guy's name is Javed. 2) Adventure Summit in Garden Town. I've lost their number. Of these two I'd suggest Adventure Shop since they don't rip you off. Adventure Summit on the other hand is a rip off machine with exorbitant prices.
> 
> But Makra Peak is not a serious climb and you don't necessarily require the more expensive proper trekking/climbing boots for it. So instead I'd suggest going to an army outlet and buying the DMS shoes available there. I have used US airforce issued DMSes myself on treks many times, they work exceptionally well on these easy treks. But I don't know which Pakistani brand is the better one, @DESERT FIGHTER might be able to help you with that.



Askari Shoes are manufacturing new combat boots.. Not sure if they are available for general public though...

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## Wanderlust

krash said:


> Haha zaroor, zaroor.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yea he's the best. My shoddy upload attempt ruined the quality on that clip. Try downloading the actual episode, its amazing!
> 
> 
> 
> Poor guy



I am serious.. if you are comfortable with it, we can look forward and plan maybe..

Yes I have seen the original, I probably have seen alot of david's documentaries.. in these holidays I am going to catch up with Bear Grylls's program.



DESERT FIGHTER said:


> Askari Shoes are manufacturing new combat boots.. Not sure if they are available for general public though...



if they have an outlet in cantt, then anyone can buy it ofcourse its better not to without knowing someone...

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## krash

Wanderlust said:


> I am serious.. if you are comfortable with it, we can look forward and plan maybe..



Understood. If anything comes along, I'll make sure to let you know.



Wanderlust said:


> Yes I have seen the original, I probably have seen alot of david's documentaries.. in these holidays I am going to catch up with Bear Grylls's program.



Grylls is good but there was another show like it except that the host used to go alone and used to do everything himself without any safety/support/camera staff present. Can't remember its name and it got cancelled since it wasn't flashy enough to rope in a lot of viewers, like Grylls' show.

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## Wanderlust

krash said:


> Understood. If anything comes along, I'll make sure to let you know.
> 
> 
> 
> Grylls is good but there was another show like it except that the host used to go alone and used to do everything himself without any safety/support/camera staff present. Can't remember its name and it got cancelled since it wasn't flashy enough to rope in a lot of viewers, like Grylls' show.



thanks alot.. its so nice of you.. I am hoping its not a polite way of refusing..lol... I am, if I havenot told you yet, hail from lahore as well.. and if you want I can provide your details of who I am and where I work etc and facebook ofcourse so that if you may decide to take me along the journey to the north, there are no trust or communication issues between us..

and yes, since I havent done scaling before, except trekking and once falling off a glacier to no less 200 meter free slide down, so I wont be adding any value to your expedition at first time. you will be rather mentoring me 

anyway, Yes that Grylls is fancy work, but pretty good to watch all his adventures..

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## krash

Wanderlust said:


> thanks alot.. its so nice of you.. I am hoping its not a polite way of refusing..lol... I am, if I havenot told you yet, hail from lahore as well.. and if you want I can provide your details of who I am and where I work etc and facebook ofcourse so that if you may decide to take me along the journey to the north, there are no trust or communication issues between us..
> 
> anyway, Yes that Grylls is fancy work, but pretty good to watch all his adventures..



PM me, and we'll have a detailed discussion on this. For obvious reasons I won't risk taking you on climbs right away. But I also trek a lot with easy climbs included and I'm sure you know yourself that it's no short an experience. I've always had mixed feelings about taking new people (including people I've known for ages) with me since, in my experience, most people aren't cut out for it and then the fatigue and nerves completely change them for the worse. On the other hand I also love it because for some travel brings out the best in them and you form brotherhoods that last a life time. Besides you don't find people actually interested in this very often. It's basically gambling  So if I'm going somewhere where I think I can risk taking you then it would be my pleasure and we will hash something out. But even if I'm not going myself or can't take you I can still plan it out for you and then hook you up with people who would make your experience phenomenal and the task very easy.

Funny story; I once took three of my very old and very good friends with me to Fairy Meadows. They couldn't even handle the car ride to Raikot, which I drove on a fever while they slept at the back. I arranged literally *everything* for them and did *everything* by myself, babysitting them as if they were paying me. Yet their tempers started flaring and accusation of bad management against me were plenty, even before we began our trek. For people like these, only the idea of adventure is alluring, they can't handle a trip as tame and easy as the Fairy Meadows. Stupid green-horns 



Wanderlust said:


> and yes, since I havent done scaling before, *except trekking and once falling off a glacier to no less 200 meter free slide down*, so I wont be adding any value to your expedition at first time. you will be rather mentoring me



Woah! Where? When?

And don't worry about the experience bit. The first time I took my now regular climbing partner, I had to almost carry him down from 4,500 to 3,000 at night, alone in -25 C, because he couldn't see or think any more. I was reciting Ayatul Kursi all the way  But I'm no mentor, I'm just an amateur who still learns something new on every climb.

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## Wanderlust

krash said:


> PM me, and we'll have a detailed discussion on this. For obvious reasons I won't risk taking you on climbs right away. But I also trek a lot with easy climbs included and I'm sure you know yourself that it's no short an experience. I've always had mixed feelings about taking new people (including people I've known for ages) with me since, in my experience, most people aren't cut out for it and then the fatigue and nerves completely change them for the worse. On the other hand I also love it because for some travel brings out the best in them and *you form brotherhoods* that last a life time. Besides you don't find people actually interested in this very often. It's basically gambling  *So if I'm going somewhere where I think I can risk taking you then it would be my pleasure and we will hash something out.* But even if I'm not going myself or can't take you I can still plan it out for you and then hook you up with people who would make your experience phenomenal and the task very easy.
> 
> Funny story; I once took three of my very old and very good friends with me to Fairy Meadows. They couldn't even handle the car ride to Raikot, which I drove on a fever while they slept at the back. I arranged literally *everything* for them and did *everything* by myself, babysitting them as if they were paying me. Yet their tempers started flaring and accusation of bad management against me were plenty, even before we began our trek. For people like these, only the idea of adventure is alluring, they can't handle a trip as tame and easy as the Fairy Meadows. Stupid green-horns
> 
> 
> 
> Woah! Where? When?
> 
> And don't worry about the experience bit. *The first time I took my now regular climbing partner, I had to almost carry him down from 4,500 to 3,000 at night, alone in -25 C, because he couldn't see or think any more. I was reciting Ayatul Kursi all the way* But I'm no mentor, I'm just an amateur who still learns something new on every climb.



thanks, I dont know how to PM you, did go to inbox but its not something where I can start a private conversation with you or anyone..

oh yes, thats the best and also the worst part of traveling, you somehow get to know people and it also gives you the best feelings and also breaks your heart, when a closed one is not who you thought he/she was.. and its just terrible to know if its a bad experience.. its really not everyone's sport to be friends when fatigue hits. I have experienced it myself.. 

okay boss  just let me know how to PM you, so that we can alteast build some trust.

believe me you cannot push people to it, adventure travel is a carving from inside.. its part of one's lifestyle, else if you drag people, its nothing but burden, and above that they have issues, issues with everything, they are so used to of living in their comfort zones that its just devastating for them..like I said you got to have an inbuilt desire and love for nature and its beauty otherwise its not for you.

raikot tak tou there is no issue, abhi recently road ban giya hai wahan bhi.. I was there this summer, when they were carpeting the missing match..so I am sure its super road by now..

Yara it was basically on way to saif ul malook when we first went up there, it was snowy, we didnt take a guide or even followed the people, as one friend who once been there, said he knows a short cut  and instead of following the track, we went up on a mountain, when we looked down it was impossible to get back, so we looked ahead on our right and there was this glacier, and there was track for jeeps across that, which we could reach and then rejoin the normal route down, so we decided to cross the glacier, we had nothing, and the snow was soft, we slowly started to cross and in the middle I slipped, I started sliding down, I couldnt think of anything, as I was getting faster and faster, till a soft spot came and I got stuck there, I was too scared to even move for some times, the width of that glacier was I think hardly 200-300 feet, and I just had to cross a 100 feet to get on the mountain and it took me almost an hour, as I was really scared and feeling hungry very badly.. anyhow, I did manage to get to the other side, my hand, I remember had that itching for many days, probably due to contact with snow..

haha.. I can very well imagine your situation.. ayatul kursi parna banta thi.. 

Tell me how to PM you.. and we will see if things can work out or not.. hoping for the best and good for us all..

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## krash

Wanderlust said:


> thanks, I dont know how to PM you, did go to inbox but its not something where I can start a private conversation with you or anyone..



Lala, first of all, I'm extremely sorry for not responding any sooner. I've been all over the place recently. Had your post open in the 1000 other tabs since you wrote it and then lost it, now found it.

Lemme check if I can figure the pm thingy out, tbh I've never sent one myself 



Wanderlust said:


> oh yes, thats the best and also the worst part of traveling, you somehow get to know people and it also gives you the best feelings and also breaks your heart, when a closed one is not who you thought he/she was.. and its just terrible to know if its a bad experience.. its really not everyone's sport to be friends when fatigue hits. I have experienced it myself..
> 
> believe me you cannot push people to it, adventure travel is a carving from inside.. its part of one's lifestyle, else if you drag people, its nothing but burden, and above that they have issues, issues with everything, they are so used to of living in their comfort zones that its just devastating for them..like I said you got to have an inbuilt desire and love for nature and its beauty otherwise its not for you.



Ah you get it. I couldn't agree with you more, you're cent percent correct.



Wanderlust said:


> raikot tak tou there is no issue, abhi recently road ban giya hai wahan bhi.. I was there this summer, when they were carpeting the missing match..so I am sure its super road by now..



Ikr? Tell that to the pansies I took  But that time we took the Babusar route, so there wasn't a real road from Lulusar till Babusar pass. And you should see the road beyond Raikot, it is spectacular.



Wanderlust said:


> Yara it was basically on way to saif ul malook when we first went up there, it was snowy, we didnt take a guide or even followed the people, as one friend who once been there, said he knows a short cut  and instead of following the track, we went up on a mountain, when we looked down it was impossible to get back, so we looked ahead on our right and there was this glacier, and there was track for jeeps across that, which we could reach and then rejoin the normal route down, so we decided to cross the glacier, we had nothing, and the snow was soft, we slowly started to cross and in the middle I slipped, I started sliding down, I couldnt think of anything, as I was getting faster and faster, till a soft spot came and I got stuck there, I was too scared to even move for some times, the width of that glacier was I think hardly 200-300 feet, and I just had to cross a 100 feet to get on the mountain and it took me almost an hour, as I was really scared and feeling hungry very badly.. anyhow, I did manage to get to the other side, my hand, I remember had that itching for many days, probably due to contact with snow..
> 
> haha.. I can very well imagine your situation.. ayatul kursi parna banta thi..
> 
> Tell me how to PM you.. and we will see if things can work out or not.. hoping for the best and good for us all..



 You are lucky! Lucky that there were no rocks in your way or logs or a drop!

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## Wanderlust

krash said:


> Lala, first of all, I'm extremely sorry for not responding any sooner. I've been all over the place recently. Had your post open in the 1000 other tabs since you wrote it and then lost it, now found it.
> 
> Lemme check if I can figure the pm thingy out, tbh I've never sent one myself
> 
> 
> 
> Ah you get it. I couldn't agree with you more, you're cent percent correct.
> 
> 
> 
> Ikr? Tell that to the pansies I took  But that time we took the Babusar route, so there wasn't a real road from Lulusar till Babusar pass. And you should see the road beyond Raikot, it is spectacular.
> 
> 
> 
> You are lucky! Lucky that there were no rocks in your way or logs or a drop!



No issues brother  

Now babusar road is also complete (almost) and they are also making another road, heard that would cut short the travel by 4 hours.. and we may not need to stay in Chilas anymore, when rolling ahead 

Yes, I know I was damn lucky.. bas zindagi thi, Allah nay karam kia

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## Audio

K2.....some dude from Slovenia plans to ski down from it this year.....lmao....
if any of you knows who Tomo Cesen is, this one is even crazier.....skied off Everest 15 years ago...watch the below video which isn't from Pakistan but gives a good idea on mountain skiing.











In related news, 4 days before this photo was taken a Pakistani army helicopter saved one of the teams members who was suffering from altitude sickness.

Some nice videos/photos from Pakistan at SKI K2 - Naslovnica

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## krash

Wanderlust said:


> No issues brother
> 
> Now babusar road is also complete (almost) and they are also making another road, heard that would cut short the travel by 4 hours.. and we may not need to stay in Chilas anymore, when rolling ahead
> 
> Yes, I know I was damn lucky.. bas zindagi thi, Allah nay karam kia



Lala that other route is the Babusar route. It's the one that will cut the times, since it pretty much goes directly north and joins the KKH an hour or so ahead of Chillas rather than circling around the Kaghan valley going through Bhesham, Dassu and the whole of Kohistan which the classical KKH route does. I predicted this route being developed back in 2009/2010 (I believe on this forum too). The only problem with the Babusar route is that the Babusar top remains snowed shut throughout the winters. Last time I heard some minister had proposed making a tunnel under the pass, let's see what happens. The only other two routes apart from these two are the Chitral and the AJK routes, which both are far longer than the KKH. This summer Nawaz was there a couple days before I reached to inaugurate the tunnel which would help connect AJK with Astore via Rattu and Shounter. Reportedly, the tenders for the expansion of the main AJK road have also been finalized. This road is a mess beyond Keran. Don't even ask about the state of the Chitral route, there is barely a jeapable track which takes you Shandur. Besides these 4 routes there isn't any other possible route to be established.

The last time went via Babusar was in July of 2014. Back then there was only a dirt track from Lulusar till you reached Babusar. How much more has it been built since then?

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## Wanderlust

krash said:


> Lala that other route is the Babusar route. It's the one that will cut the times, since it pretty much goes directly north and joins the KKH an hour or so ahead of Chillas rather than circling around the Kaghan valley going through Bhesham, Dassu and the whole of Kohistan which the classical KKH route does. I predicted this route being developed back in 2009/2010 (I believe on this forum too). The only problem with the Babusar route is that the Babusar top remains snowed shut throughout the winters. *Last time I heard some minister had proposed making a tunnel under the pass, let's see what happens.* The only other two routes apart from these two are the Chitral and the AJK routes, which both are far longer than the KKH. This summer Nawaz was there a couple days before I reached to inaugurate the tunnel which would help connect AJK with Astore via Rattu and Shounter. Reportedly, the tenders for the expansion of the main AJK road have also been finalized. This road is a mess beyond Keran. Don't even ask about the state of the Chitral route, there is barely a jeapable track which takes you Shandur. Besides these 4 routes there isn't any other possible route to be established.
> 
> The last time went via Babusar was in July of 2014. Back then there was only a dirt track from Lulusar till you reached Babusar. How much more has it been built since then?



Let me find the news and share.. 

babusar top is still not carpeted, you can say about 3 km track is left, else all is carpeted, any car can reach.

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## ghazi52

Thanks for update.................


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## krash

Wanderlust said:


> Let me find the news and share..
> 
> babusar top is still not carpeted, you can say about 3 km track is left, else all is carpeted, any car can reach.



Hmmm.....I clearly remember the pass being carpeted and the descent into the Chillas district on the other side as well, the climb to the pass from the Kaghan side wasn't though.


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## Ultima Thule



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## Ultima Thule



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## Ultima Thule



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## Ultima Thule



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## Ultima Thule



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## krash

@pakistanipower , mate I don't want to discourage you at all but only 6 of the pictures that you've posted are actually from Concordia. Please try to post pics only from Concordia in this particular thread. If you're ever confused about any picture's origin, lemme know.

That said, thank you for your contributions, keep on posting 

ps: No intentions of discouraging you from posting here at all, so please don't stop posting.


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## Ultima Thule



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## Ultima Thule



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## Ultima Thule

Biafo Glacier and Hispar Glacier

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## Ultima Thule



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## LadyFinger

Breathtakingly beautiful!


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## Ultima Thule



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## ghazi52

Biafo: Porters on the glacier

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## ghazi52

Mashabrum

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## Khanate

*HD (1080p)
*

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## Ultima Thule



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## Ultima Thule

PEAKS IN AROUND BALTORE GLACIER




Siachen glacier




UNKNOWN PEAK AROUND K-2

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## RangeMaster

Sunset over Gesherbrum 4




Mesherbrum




Mitre peak

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## [Bregs]

nice share


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## Reichsmarschall




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