I always wanted to visit the Himalayas in Pakistan. The mountains are legendary: Gasherbrum I,Gasherbrum II, Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak and, of course, K2. The view from the confluence of three glaciers at Concordia is live postcard few get to see in person. In the summer of 2006, along with a team managed by Field Touring Alpine (FTA), I attempted Broad Peak (26,401') and planned to make a good effort on K2 (28,250').

I reached 21,000' on Broad or Camp 2 before abandoning the climb due to weakness that resulted from a severe bug I contracted on the trek in. The Karakorum ranges was magnificent and I was very lucky to have unbelievable weather for the month I spent there.

I sent frequent dispatches using a system that includes a digital camera, PDA and sat phone.

Climbing Broad Peak

With a group this size, logistics is the key. Last night we discussed who would go to Camp 1 first and for how long.

This is critical since there are only spots for 5 or 6 tents at Camp 1. While these mountains may seem huge (and they are) often finding 1 square meter for a tent is difficult much less space for 5 or more tents. Over dinner, we discussed who was ready to go to Camp 1 to spend the night or stay for a few nights in their acclimatization process. There are about 10 spots for our team in 5 tents. So everyone discussed how they felt and how many nights they wanted to spend at C1. Believe it or not, it actually worked out perfectly - a testament to the teamwork and attitudes of the climbers.

We mapped out a 3 day plan of who would go up first followed by who on the next day and who would return early or later. We also made sure that there were enough stoves, fuel and food for each climber. Finally we organized a buddy system whereby each climber would know the whereabouts of 2 other climbers at all times e.g. at BC or at C1, etc. This last item is to minimize the risk that everyone thinks that someone else knows where a climber is and in reality no one does. The following pictures are of Broad Peak from BC and then a zoom of the route from Camp 1 to Camp 2.

Climb on! Alan