Expeditions in Pakistan
“The mountains of the Central Himalaya and Nepal are beautiful, but the mountains of the Karakoram are powerful and majestic. They inspire awe, not rapture. These peaks pierce through years of formal education and association with high mountains to evoke an echo of primitive fears buried beneath centuries of civilisation.”
- Nicholas Clinch, A Walk in The Sky, 1958 (on the way to the first climb of Gasherbrum I or Hidden Peak 8080m)
Here are some of the expeditions I’ve completed across Pakistan that I’ll be sharing on this blog. It may take some time to document each journey in detail, but once they’re published, you’ll find them under the Pakistan tab in Expeditions. Below is the list in chronological order.
Mazeno La Circuit, Nanga Parbat
Dates: 25 July - 1 August 2024
Length: 4 + 4 Days
Start: Tarshing 2911m
Finish: Upper Lobia 4673m (exit by helicopter)
Total Distance: 38 km
Highest Point: Mazeno La 5358m
Type: Group of 2, Camping trek
The Nanga Parbat Circuit via Mazeno La (5358m) became one of the most intense and emotional adventures I’ve ever experienced. From the very first day, the views beneath Nanga Parbat were breathtaking — huge glaciers, dramatic valleys, and wild remote landscapes in the Karakoram. The route was physically demanding and committing, involving difficult glacier travel, steep boulder fields, and a serious crossing of Mazeno La with crampons and ice axes before an exposed descent into the isolated Lobia Valley. During the descent, Dave suffered a major fall over rocky terrain, turning the expedition into a rescue situation. After carefully making our way to Upper Lobia, we spent three nights stranded at nearly 4800m waiting for a helicopter evacuation while dealing with injuries, uncertainty, and the challenges of remote mountain travel. Despite how serious and difficult the experience became, it also showed me resilience, teamwork, and the raw reality of adventure in one of the wildest mountain landscapes I’ve ever been in.
K2, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum I & II Base Camps
Dates: 9-27 August 2024
Length: 19 Days
Start: Askole 3045m
Finish: Hushe 3155m
Total Distance: 181km
Highest Point: Gondogoro La 5595m
Type: Group of 2, sem-guided/no porter, camping trek
Our 19-day journey through the Karakoram to the base camps of K2, Broad Peak, and the Gasherbrum peaks was one of the toughest and most rewarding expeditions we’ve ever undertaken. We carried all our own gear and food across endless glacial terrain, camped on ice hundreds of metres deep, endured brutal heat at lower elevations, and waited out storms trapped in the tent for days. The route included four 8000m base camps/viewpoints, rest days and a food drop at Concordia, and a midnight ascent over the semi-technical Gondogoro La (5595m). After already crossing Mazeno La earlier, we both felt the Karakoram was far harsher than the Himalayas — steeper, more glaciated, more remote, and far less forgiving. The mountains took a toll on both our bodies and gear, leaving us with injuries that would take time to recover from, but also unforgettable memories and an even deeper respect for these wild places. Most special of all was sharing this entire adventure with Dave. With this journey, I completed 13 of the 14 base camp/viewpoint/circuit journeys to the world’s 8000m peaks — only Kangchenjunga remained.
