Summit Push

Yesterday, Sirbaz and Joshi left the basecamp for the summit push on Mt Annapurna. Today, they reached Camp 3 (6,420m) late in the afternoon. By pushing their physical limits on icy slopes under overhanging sercas for an entire day, now they are resting up in a tent. While they are up there, I wonder why … Read more

Annapurna Puja Ceremony

t the Annapurna basecamp, smoke rose from the altar to the heaven. Lama chanted prayers from the pages of Tibetan Holy Scripture asking the gods for forgiveness and the permission to climb. This is Buddhist Puja Ceremony under the shadow of Mt Annapurna (8,091 m), the tenth highest mountain in the world. Climbers gathered in … Read more

Rotations on Mt. Annapurna

Climbers cannot just push an 8000er mountain in one ago. They would have to gradually go up to between 5000-7000 meteres for conditioning before attacking the summit. This process to get used to the low oxygen is called acclimitization. From the base camp, they would asend to establish Camp 1, spend a night there and … Read more

Adventure Starts

Today the Team Annapurna started their first round of acclimatization. They reached the Advanced Base Camp (ABC) at 4,500-m altitude. I also tagged along on this three hour trek, but it was not possible to keep up with them as I huffed and puffed behind them on steep slopes. The view from the ABC was … Read more

What Is So Special About Shimshal?

“You must go to Shimshal,” Saad said to me. “What is so special about it?” “Everything.” I was intrigued. So, in November, I rode 55 km from Passu to Shimshal on a bicycle. In Shimshal, I came to know the stories of high-altitude-porters, their families, aspiring mountaineers, and community members. I published about a dozen … Read more

Fazal Ali — The K2 King

“It is unfortunate that mountaineering has no value in our country. Everywhere I go, I have to tell who I am and narrate my achievements. In other countries, mountaineers are considered as heroes and don’t have to introduce themselves.” Fazal Ali is a veteran high altitude porter (HAP) from Shimshal, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. He has … Read more

Shaheen Baig—The Rescuer

“In 2004, there were so many climbers on K2 that I felt I was in Raja Bazar, Rawalpindi. Two years later, we were only two people on 8,000m tall Broad Peak in winter. At that time, I learnt that the most difficult part of mountaineering is descending without a rope. That experience still helps me … Read more

Karim The Dream

They call it the Savage Mountain. It is the second-highest peak on Earth. For every four people who summited K2 (8,611m), one died on the mountain. On 1st August 2008, twenty-five climbers left Camp IV to attempt the K2 summit, but eleven never returned. It was a perfect day for climbing, one in a million, … Read more

The Father, The Son, And The K2

They call it the Savage Mountain. It is the second-highest peak on Earth. For every four people who summited K2 (8,611m), one died on the mountain. On 1st August 2008, twenty-five climbers left the Camp IV to attempt the K2 summit, but eleven never returned. It was a perfect day for climbing, one in a … Read more

Samana—Future High Altitude Lead Climber

“I was only five when dad passed away. Mom worked hard to raise us. My elder sister and I helped her with everything, at home, in farming the land and raising animals. Once mom had to go to the Yazghil Pasture at over 3,500 meters. There was no one to accompany her, so I went … Read more

Abdul Joshi—Tougher The Mountain, The Better The Story!

“When I took the first step on Melvin Jones Peak, all I was thinking was we have to bring him back. But we cannot challenge a mountain. For the next two days, we followed footprints in the snow. Then we saw a black spot from a distance. There it was, what we had come for, … Read more

Imtiyaz And The Secret Of Shimshal

“Imtiyaz was one class ahead of me in school. We liked each other a lot. We were distant relatives, so we convinced our families and got married in 1998. We were so happy together. He was such a soft-spoken man. Everyone in Shimshal loved him. He always helped others.” Imtiyaz’s wife, Zeenat, couldn’t speak further. … Read more

The Story Of Shakila

It is the story of two 8,000s and Shakila. In 2019, seven mountaineers from Italian-Pak expedition were pushing for the summit of 5,800m Melvin Jones Peak in Pakistan when an avalanche swept them down for 600m. Three members of the team were from Shimshal. One of them lost his life on the spot. His name … Read more

Qudrat Ali

From Passu, a jeep track covered with dust and shadows clings to steep mountains and zigzags on its way to Shimshal—The Valley of Mountaineers. Over 20 Shimshalis from 250 households here have climbed 8000ers. Qudrat Ali is one of them. He is among the top climbers of Pakistan. His first adventure was a 3-day trek … Read more