The second highest mountain on earth, reached by the full Baltoro glacier walk, with four weeks on the mountain and a return over Gondogoro La.
52 days from Islamabad, 12 of them on foot, reaching 8,611 m. Late June to early August, in groups of 4 to 10. Graded extreme.
K2 is the mountain every climber has heard of, and the walk to its foot along the Baltoro glacier is one of the great approaches in the world. Starting from Askole, you pass Paiju, Urdukas, Goro II and Concordia over eleven days, with Trango Tower, Masherbrum and the Gasherbrums for company. Base camp sits at about 5,150 metres on the Godwin-Austen glacier, and the schedule allows four weeks for the climb with spare days for the weather. The summer departure leaves in late June and a winter departure runs from late December. The way out is over Gondogoro La, with all four Baltoro giants in view from the top of the pass.
1
Your guide meets you at the airport, holding a sign with your name, and takes you to your hotel in Islamabad. Most international flights land around midnight or in the afternoon, so the rest of the day is yours to sleep and settle in.
Night at Hotel, 540 m.
2
The Ministry of Tourism holds the formal briefing for the K2 expedition before you leave for the mountains. After the paperwork the day is free to explore Islamabad and enjoy a first proper Pakistani meal.
Night at Hotel, 540 m.
3
The morning flight to Skardu is one of the great mountain flights, and on a clear day Nanga Parbat shows itself beside the wing. You land in the Baltistan valley and have the afternoon to wander the bazaar, stock up on anything forgotten and enjoy the quiet before the walk.
Night at Hotel, 2,498 m.
4
A gentle morning walk up to Kharpocho fort gives a wide view over the Indus and the town. You can add a drive to Sadpara lake, and the afternoon is for shopping in the bazaar while our staff finish the last permits and loads.
Night at Hotel, 2,498 m.
5
The K2 expedition begins in earnest with the jeep drive from Skardu through the Shigar valley and along the Braldu river, past orchards and sandy riverbanks. Askole is the last village on the road, a cluster of stone and mud houses with fields of barley and wheat, and the place where the porters gather and the walking starts.
Night at Askole, 3,015 m.
6
The path leaves the village and crosses the snout of the Biafo glacier, the long ice river that runs fifty kilometres back to Hispar La. After a moraine crossing and lunch beside the Korofon river the trail follows the Braldu to Jhola, where the Braldu and Dumordo rivers meet.
7 hours on foot. Night at Jhola, 3,103 m.
7
A day along the Braldu gorge, with the granite walls of Trango Tower and Cathedral Peak coming into view ahead. The valley is dry and sunny, glacier streams cross the path, and the day ends in the grove of Paiju, the last green camp on the way in.
7 hours on foot. Night at Paiju, 3,418 m.
8
A day to let your body settle at altitude. The porters bake bread for the weeks on the ice, and an easy walk towards the base of Paiju Peak is a good way to stretch your legs.
Night at Paiju, 3,418 m.
9
You step onto the snout of the Baltoro glacier and the scenery grows bigger with every hour. The moraine rolls up and down, and views of Trango Tower and Uli Biaho open up on the way to the camp at Khoburtse.
7 hours on foot. Night at Khoburtse, 3,788 m.
10
A shorter day crossing two small side glaciers, with the Trango towers rising above the path. Urdukas sits on a grassy terrace about a hundred metres above the ice, a favourite camp with a long view back down the glacier.
6 hours on foot. Night at Urdukas, 3,905 m.
11
The route follows the medial moraine up the middle of the glacier, with Masherbrum (7,821 m) to the south and great ice towers beside the trail. Goro II is the first camp on the Baltoro itself, near the meeting of the Baltoro and Younghusband glaciers.
8 hours on foot. Night at Goro II, 4,285 m.
12
More rocky moraine, and with each hour more of the great peaks appear, until K2 itself stands at the head of the glacier. Concordia, the junction of the Baltoro and Godwin-Austen glaciers, has Broad Peak, Mitre Peak, the Gasherbrums and Sia Kangri all in view.
7 hours on foot. Night at Concordia, 4,512 m.
13
An early start up the Godwin-Austen glacier, on a faint rocky trail that leads straight towards K2, which seems to grow with every hour. After about three hours you pass Broad Peak base camp on your right, and continue to K2 base camp at about 5,150 metres. The camp is set up and ready for you, and you now have the whole mountain above your tents.
6 hours on foot. Night at K2 base camp, 5,150 m.
14to 43
Thirty days are given to the mountain, with our crew running base camp and keeping the team fed and in contact throughout. The team works up the mountain in rotations, placing the high camps and sleeping higher each time before returning to base camp to recover, which builds the acclimatisation needed for the summit. Spare days are built into the schedule so the group can wait for the best weather windows. At 8,611 metres K2 is the second highest summit on earth, and the view from the top covers the whole Baltoro.
Night at K2 base camp and high camps, 5,150 m.
44
With the K2 climb behind you, the team retraces its steps down to Concordia for a night of rest and a last look at the amphitheatre of peaks.
7 hours on foot. Night at Concordia, 4,512 m.
45
A different and less travelled line leaves the Baltoro towards the foot of Gondogoro La, over firm glacier ice with short detours around the cracks. Ali Camp is named for the local porter who was the first to cross the pass.
6 hours on foot. Night at Ali Camp, 4,500 m.
46
An early start at 2 am brings you to the top of Gondogoro La (5,585 m) in about three hours, with the crew fixing ropes where needed. From the pass you see all four Baltoro giants together, K2, Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II, with the sharp point of Laila Peak (6,096 m) ahead. The descent leads to Khuispang, where the Gondogoro and Trinity glaciers meet.
7 hours on foot. Night at Khuispang, 4,600 m.
47
The way eases down from rock to grass, and the ropes and crampons go back in the bags. After lunch the trail leaves the edge of the Gondogoro glacier and enters a green valley of rhubarb and meadow grass, a very welcome change after weeks of ice.
7 hours on foot. Night at Saicho, 3,350 m.
48
A short walk beside the meltwater of the Charakusa, Aling, Masherbrum and Gondogoro glaciers brings you to the first fields and houses. Hushe has two storey stone homes with the animals below and the family above. A jeep carries you on to Skardu, about six hours by road.
4 hours on foot. Night at Hotel, 2,498 m.
49
The Ministry of Tourism debriefing closes the expedition. The rest of the day is for a hot shower, a good meal and a quiet walk around the valley.
Night at Hotel, 2,288 m.
50
You fly back over the Karakoram to Islamabad and have the afternoon to relax at the hotel.
Night at Hotel, 538 m.
51
A day set aside in case weather moves the Skardu flight. If you made it to Islamabad the day before, it is a free day for sightseeing and for the final paperwork.
Night at Hotel, 538 m.
52
Our staff take you to the airport for your flight home.
540 m.
Trek, Baltoro, Baltistan
21 days from Skardu
Pioneer routeTrek, Biafo to Hispar, Nagar
18 days from Skardu
Trek, Nagar
5 days from Karimabad
