The Throne Room of Mountain Gods.

[krash]

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.

 

[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?

 

[krash]

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

 

[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.

 

[krash]

Note: This video was made during the summers.

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

 

[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?

 

[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

 

[aks18]

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

 

[krash]

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.

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!

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.

 

[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:

 

[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.

 

[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*

 

[krash]

K2 and stupid clouds:

*Finally the clouds disappeared*

 

[krash]

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.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Wish to climb K2 one day!