FTA Broad Peak 2012 - In Askole!

Askole at Last!
Our entire team of some 15 are assembled in one of the last inhabited place en route to K2 and Broad Peak. They pulled into Askole after a 6 hour bone-jarring, roller-coaster hours in 4x4 jeeps passing through the last of the small towns and villages they will see for 7 weeks or more.

Askole © stu remensnyder

Surrounded by tons of climbing gear, personal gear, food, fuel, solar panels, portable power sources, oxygen bottles gear and more they are having their final sleep before heading towards their 8000m objectives.

Porters in Askole awaiting loads © stu remensnyder

Accompanied by an entourage of 100+ porters, our  8 western climbers, 4 Pakistani HAPs, cook staff and BC manager will spend the next week working their way along the roaring silty waters of the Braldu River, onto the Baltoro glacier, to Concordia and finally onto the Godwin-Austen Glacier.

A wonderful and honest sign before you cross the river © stu remensnyder

the crossing of the Biafo Bridge © stu remensnyder

the Biafo Bridge...don't look down! © stu remensnyder

During this part of the journey they will pass by a treasure trove of mountaineering history including Paiju Peak, Masherbrum, the Nameless Tower, The Muztag Tower, Chogalisa, Mitre Peak, Gasherbrum IV, Angel Peak. Turning left at Concordia they will see K2 and Broad Peak soar above them and gain for the first time a true sense of the scale of the endeavor.

Chogalisa from Concordia © stu remensnyder

Tomorrow they will begin the 6-8 hour hike to Jhula and will get a very early start to avoid the heat of the day. The first few days can easily see temperatures in excess of 35°C so its nice to get as much done as possible in the cool morning light.

Hopefully Brad will be able to send us notes each day and here is his latest from tonight!

Brad's update 15th June, Askole

Today was our much-feared jeep drive to Askole. We started the journey half seriously asking the cost of a Russian helicopter. Bracing the worst, we were collectively surprised at the relatively short 6-hour journey.

Yes, the precipices were deadly and there were the expected harrowing views down to the raging river below but, due to our terrified expectations, the journey seemed relatively mild in comparison. In retrospect, the journey was comparatively mild due to the collective skills of our two drivers. Negotiating extreme conditions with consummate skill, they pulled off some extraordinary driving with effortless panache. Our jeep is labeled "Act of Cod" and ode to an ocean going fish? We are not sure.

Jeeps crossing the Braldu on the way to Askole © stu remensnyder

Due to ongoing issues with Arni's Icelandic passport, we departed at 11 AM and reached a small village at approximately 2:30 PM. There we stopped for a delightful one hour lunch with rice and chicken curry before carrying on with the extremely bumpy second half of the journey to Askole. This is a beautiful village surrounded by snow-capped mountains and an amazing rock face which one could spend weeks climbing different routes.

Hamza, Matt, Al, Robbo, Louis, Sultan and Ben in Askole
© Brad Jackson

We are now in the VE-25 tents and the expedition has started in earnest. We have met our kitchen and support staff and we are waking up tomorrow at 4:30 AM. Hopefully Arni will arrive here at 10 PM this evening.

[update from the office - Arni is on the road with permit in hand and expected in Askole by 11pm!]


Thoughts on The Visa & Permit Challenge

That our group is enjoying their first night under the stars has occurred not by chance.  Climbing expeditions in Pakistan are not possible to arrange beginning just a few weeks before leaving as is possible in many places like Nepal, Ecuador, Argentina and so forth. Pakistan, more like India and Tibet, requires a great local ground team, lot of documents, an early start and finally patience.

We began the process of supporting our members efforts to acquire visas more the
an 6 months ago and have been emailing, faxing and calling embassies from Australia and Singapore to Canada, the UK and Oman. Over the years we have come to know the idiosyncrasies of the different consulates and embassies and have gained considerable skill in being able to provide each one just what it needs.

Nonetheless the members themselves have been very determined and some have had to make multiple visits to nudge along the process. Oddly enough for some members it required little more than the application with a nice note from our local staff. In other cases members had to provide letters from employers and banking documents and we have had to provide full permit documentation, a police security clearance - which is often not available until just a few weeks from the trip start. Kudos to Hamza and Matt for having the most faith that it would all work out as they only received their final visas at the end of May...phew!

In an bizarre twist, given that Icelanders do not need an entry visa,  Arni had some challenges after arriving to be allowed to enter the trekking area as it is a restricted military zone. Thanks to some "energetic" conversations (over several days) our local staff had both in Skardu and in Islamabad, Arni's situation was resolved with only a minor delay of a few hours.

We are sorry that the visa and permit process is so challenging as it makes it less possible for companies unable to commit the necessary support for visas to bring more climbers and trekkers to support the local economy. We have many friends in Baltistan whose lives are impacted dramatically by the good work our teams provide. At least a few teams were unable to run the bureaucratic gauntlet this season and have cancelled planned trips which is a loss for everyone involved.  Some day the process will not be so complicated but in the meantime we look forward to taking on the consulates and embassies for many years to come!

We'll be back at it for our team to Spantik this August (spaces still!) and again next summer when we hope to return to Broad Peak, G2, K2, K2 Base Camp, Spantik, Snow Lake and Nanga Parbat. Join us!

FTA Broad Peak 2012 - All well in Skardu

Skardu Days

Our team has been enjoying a few great days in Skardu getting the gear ready, eating a ton of great local food, making final purchased for the hill and taking some well needed walks and hikes.

They are already feeling the change in altitude and officially beginning the acclimatization process. At just about 2500m/8000ft Skardu is a great place to being adding red blood cells and raising the hematacrit level! Unlike some other places where one achieves a rapid ascent by flying in to Lukla or Quito, the altitude profile is much nicer in Pakistan and it is very rare for anyone to suffer from AMS on the trek to base camp.

With good luck tomorrow morning they will be off to Askole and begin the trip in earnest. We are awaiting one last permission from the authorities to allow us to proceed into the militarily restricted zone where Broad Peak, Gasherbrum 2 and K2 are located. There are a very few countries that do not need to go through the visa process to come to Pakistan and this includes Iceland. The consequence is that Icelanders also don't get an official visa stamp of any kind in the passport so the authorities here have had to do a bit more homework to sort out Arni's exact status!

Brad has all the news fit and unfit to print from the last few days - enjoy!

FTA Broad Peak 2012 - KKH here we come!

FTA Broad Peak 2012 team in Islambad © brad jackson

By Land or Air is worth the trip
Despite homing to take the smooth short way to Skardu our team has had to take the rough, bumpy and long one instead! With flights being delayed and the wait list extensive our team had no option but to get going by minibus to Skardu and will be enjoying the Karakoram Highway up close and personal.

Our team is already half way to Skardu having reached Chilas a short time ago. Ben called in to let us know all is well and they were glad to be in after a long 16hr day. He said the road was in quite good shape and overall the day was a "piece of cake" which is Ben's understated way of saying their backs ache and they are hungry!

FTA Broad Peak - Heading to Skardu

As promised this is the second and final test of the audio dispatches and only good stuff to come the rest of the way!

We do have the word that our team will be either hopping on the plane to Skardu or beginning the drive shortly and if they have to drive it will mean a 2-day cruise on the awesome Karakoram Highway! One of those drives that everyone should do once if they can. Much like the drive to Lhasa from Kathmandu or perhaps even the ride from La Paz to Lago Titicaca. Loads of crazy turns, great views, steep drops to the rivers below and all in all a great introduction to Pakistan. It will also give our team two days to talk and scheme and get to know each other and begin to build a good team spirit of resolve in the face of challenge.



Upcoming trips - Spantik, Stok Kangri, Kang Yatse, Satopanth, Khumbu Peaks and Passes, Ama Dablam, Aconcagua, Ecuador Volcanoes, Kilimanjaro and more!


• We have a confirmed Spantik (7027m) for August here in Pakistan and have room for a few more.
• On top of that we have expeditions to India in Sept to Stok Kangri & Kang Yatse and Satopanth which need just a few more to confirm them.
• Farther ahead we have a confirmed Oct 1 Khumbu Peaks and Passes (including Island Peak, Lobuche E and Pokalde) with limited spaces and a confirmed Nov 4 Ama Dablam expedition. This will mark our 8th straight year fielding teams for Ama Dablam and we'll hope for an 8th straight year with summits as well!
• Aconcagua trips in December, January and February - We are already taking applications for our trips to the highest peak in the Americas for climbs on the Polish Glacier and by the False Polish Traverse. We offer custom trips by the Normal route as well so let us know how we can help!

We have a full offering of trips for the year ahead and are already preparing for a return to Pakistan with Gasherbrums, Broad Peak, K2, Spantik, K2 BC treks and more for 2013. Follow along this year and join us next season!





Mobile Device users: Please note Ipadio is flash-based so you may not be able to hear them here on your mobile devices like Iphones and Ipads. We are looking for a fix and hope to have one shortly!

 In the mean time you can hear them on your mobile device by visiting our channel on the IPadio site itself: FTA Audio Dispatches on IPadio

FTA Broad Peak 2012 - In islamabad!

Our team has now assembled in Islamabad and they are making final preparations before leaving for Skardu. Part of this prep includes a good test of the audio dispatches to come during the expedition.

You can hear below our first of two tests (from different phones!) from Ben on a super hot day on the roof of our hote in Islamabad. No doubt that with temperatures hovering at about 40°C / 104°F the team is enjoying the cool of the markets and restaurants as much as they can. Brad has written up a dispatch which we'll post shortly so stay tuned!

 
"This is Ben calling you from the roof top of Envoy Continental in Islamabad. Testing the Ipadio dispatch for Broad Peak 2012. Brad's with me here and it's a lovely hot day here. Probably 46 degrees celsius and I'm feeling it out here testing the solar gear, testing the sat phone. It's 40 degrees on the dot!
Alright, cheers guys, over and out"

Mobile Device users:
Please note Ipadio is flash-based so you may not be able to hear them here on your mobile devices like Iphones and Ipads. We are looking for a fix and hope to have one shortly!

 In the mean time you can hear them on your mobile device by visiting our channel on the IPadio site itself: FTA Audio Dispatches on IPadio