Trekking Trip to Latok and K2 Base Camp July 2010

Join The 2010 Latok Expedition for a Trekking up the Biafo Glacier to Latok Base Camp and continue to K2 Base Camp and then up the Gondogoro La pass at 5700 meters and down in Hushe valley. Getting up the Godogoro La is trekking on steep ground using fixed ropes to ensure safety. 

The trip start in Islamabad where we meet up and get a briefing at the Ministry of Tourism and receive our trekking and climbing permits. We will try to fly out to Skardu as soon as possible. Flying conditions can be hard to predict but we will try to avoid going up the Karakorum High Way. 

In Skardu we will pack up all equipment and food in 25 kg loads for porters. We will spend two days in Skardu. Then we will travel  by Jeep to Askolie 3300 meter. Askolie is the end of the road and from here we start walking. Its about 3 to 4 days to the Base Camp of Latok. The trekking group will spend 3 days in BC and one of them can be spent walking up to the start of the North Ridge of Latok to look at the wall/ridge. 

Then the trekking will continue up to K2 Base Camp. At K2 our group will stay with an ATP expedition and one of the K2 climbers will give the group a short talk and progress report on the climbing. The time of arrival should be close to the summit days at K2 so this can be event full days. Then the trip continues back across Concordia and up to Ali Camp. 

Ali Camp 5,050 m

Camp, trek on Vigne Glacier. This is done in about 6 hours from Concordia. The first few hours are difficult going as we get on the Vigne Glacier from the Baltoro. Once on the Vigne it is a straight forward uphill walk on a white hard glacier. Ali Camp is surprisingly a warmer camp when compared to Goro and Concordia. It is located on a bird’s nest like small rocky area above the Vigne. The view looking down towards Concordia and K2 is powerful.

Hispang 4,833 m

This is the big day of the trip and departure is early,  2:00 a.m., in order to cross Gondogoro La (5,700 m.) in good snow conditions and descend the Gondogoro Glacier arriving at the Hispang campsite at 2:00 p.m., long tough day. The first part of the walk is in darkness over rocks. As we enter the upper Vigne basin, we get on ice and snow. The route has been set for us and we walk while being cautious of crevasses. The ascent begins around 5:00 a.m. Ropes have been fixed for us. We should be on top of the pass before 9:00 a.m. All along we are helped and assisted by the staff. The descent is harder and steeper than the ascent. Ropes again have been fixed and we basically descend about three pitches with the help of ropes. Walking into the lush green Hispang Campsite with a running shallow sandy stream is like entering a new world. 

The rest is straight forward hiking out the Hushe valley with its spectacular mountains. The round trip back to Skardu is about 21 days. This is a full service trip. You need to be fit and be use to walking in difficult terrain for 5 to 7 hours a day. The start of the trekking is hot and the end will be cold so good equipment is essential to enjoy this trip. You will be staying in North Face WE 25 tents and the food is great with fresh chicken, meet and vegetables all the way. We will have a constant supply of fresh supplies. The trekking group will have its own satellite phone for communications and daily weather forecasts. We will also provide the trekking group with an extensive first aid kit as well as direct access to medical experts 24/7. We will also have a helicopter rescue bond so that in the event of an accident evacuation will be fast and swift. 

Cost: 

2 People    US $ 4099/- per person

3 People    US $ 3874/- per person

4 People    US $ 3595/- per person

5-7 People  US $ 3420/- per person

This include all costs including transportation from Islamabad and back to Islamabad except soft drinks. All guests will get a free Mountain Hardwear insulation jacket with expedition embroidery. We can also help guest to buy gear at huge discount from our suppliers and sponsors.

You can book this trip through http://alpinemadness.se/Mountainguide/Expeditioner.html