Day 1: Departure to Pakistan
Scheduled flight to Islamabad.
Day 2: Islamabad
In the early morning, we arrive in Islamabad - the gateway to
the majestic mountains of northern Pakistan. After we checked into
our hotel, we wander around Rawalpindi or Islamabad and pay a visit
to the Ministry of Tourism to deal with the necessary
bureaucracies. Hotel accommodation.
Day 3: Islamabad – Skardu
The plan is to fly to Skardu today, however, things don’t always
go to plan in Pakistan. The one-hour flight which offers a
magnificent view of Nanga Parbat, the westernmost 8,000m peak, only
operates in good weather. In case our flight gets cancelled, we
will go by jeep via the spectacular and infamous Karakoram Highway.
The road trip to Skardu is certainly adventurous and takes 1 ½
days. Hotel accommodation in Skardu.
Day 4: Skardu
It takes about a day to gather our porter team and divide our
luggage into 25kg-loads. However, we will also spend some time to
explore the beautiful surroundings and visit the nearby K2 museum.
Remember, this is also the last night you will sleep in a proper
bed for a while - so enjoy it!
Day 5: Skardu–Askole
We load our entire luggage onto jeeps. As far as road conditions
allow, the adventurous and diverse drive to Askole (3,048m) takes
between six and seven hours. Here we spend the first night in a
tent.
Days 6 to 11: Askole–Jula–Paiju–Urdukas–Konkordia–K2 Base
Camp
Today, our trek takes us through an arid and almost desert-like
region. After having crossed a few rivers, we reach the
well-established campsite of Korophan at 3,253m. The following day,
we reach Paiju at 3,785m which is the last oasis of the wild and
romantic glacial world of the Karakoram. Our porters need a rest
day here to prepare the food for the following few days. The next
day, we finally step onto the Baltoro Glacier and trek to our next
camp at Urdukas from where we can enjoy a magnificent view of the
famous Trango Towers. We then continue to Gore – a beautiful walk
that takes us past the Muztag Tower. From now on, our campground
only consists of the ice of the Baltoro. Once we reach Concordia,
the confluence of the Baltoro and Godwin-Austin glaciers, we are
surrounded by imposing giants such as K2, Gasherbrum IV, Chogolisa
and Broad Peak. The last day of our trek takes us to base camp via
the Godwin-Austin Glacier in about five hours. Tent
accommodation.
Days 12 to 43: Ascent of K2
We have 32 days to climb K2. This may seem a long time, however,
due to the volatile weather which is typical for the Karakoram we
have to have enough days at our disposal to be successful on the
mountain. Additionally, 32 days give us plenty of opportunity to
get acclimatised, which together with a smooth organisation of the
expedition is the key to our success.
Before we can start climbing the mountain, our high-altitude
porters and Sherpas will fix the whole route and set up and stock
our four high camps. Ascending K2 via the Abruzzi Ridge is one of
the most technically difficult “normal routes” on any 8,000m
peak.
From base camp, we follow the moraine on the heavily crevassed
Godwin-Austen Glacier to reach the eastern end of the Abruzzi Spur,
where we set up a deposit camp. From here, the state of the route
heavily depends on the snow conditions. Via a wide snow ridge with
a gradient of 40 degrees, we reach the left side of a small rock
ledge which we follow all the way to Camp 1 at 6,000m. We only use
this camp on our acclimatisation rotation as it can be exposed to
the objective dangers, especially in warm weather. We continue
through wide gullies and across snow and rock ridges to reach the
famous “House Chimney”. The climb takes us up the narrow chimney
for about 30 metres, which is the crux between Camp 1 and Camp 2.
We continue for another 200m before we reach Camp 2 at 6,600m. In
order to get from Camp 2 to Camp 3 at 7,350m, we have to negotiate
the Black Pyramid. We start off on gentle snow slopes and continue
across steep rocks, gullies, chimneys, short overhangs before we
reach the ridge leading up to the Black Pyramid. Shortly
afterwards, we reach the actual east ridge which takes us to Camp
3. From here, it is a long snow slog of about 30 degrees before we
have to negotiate a steep section of 200m to get to Camp 4 at
7,950m. Now we are faced with the actual crux of the mountain. The
route above Camp 4 leads to the ‘bottleneck’ and traverses
underneath a big serac. Shortly afterwards, we reach the
‘significant rock’ which we climb up for about 100m before the
terrain gets a bit easier. Our Sherpas will fix the crux with a
rope to facilitate the ascent. The conditions on the mountain
decide whether we will be successful or not, however, your huge
effort will certainly be rewarded. The spectacular view from the
second highest point in the world is simply overwhelming!
Days 44 to 46: Gondogoro La – Base Camp – Skardu
After having spent more than a month at base camp, we will leave
our temporary home which will have become close to our hearts. We
trek back via the Gondogoro La and will return to civilisation
after three days of trekking. We will spend our last tent night in
Saicho in the Hushe Valley. The following day, it is a short walk
to Hushe from where we will take a jeep back to Skardu.
Days 47 to 48: Flight Skardu–Islamabad
What applies to the flight to Skardu also applies to the return
flight. If the weather gods are with us, we will be able fly to
Islamabad, otherwise we will go back by jeep. Hotel
accommodation.
Day 49: Islamabad
Today we have a bit of time to visit the bazaars and do our
last-minute shopping. We will have the obligatory expedition
debriefing with the Ministry of Tourism before we go to the airport
and board our planes bound for home.
Day 50: Arrival in Home Country
