K2 North Ridge

snowflake - Mar 22, 2009 1:23 pm - Hasn't voted

I've never seen K2 from the Pakistan side, but the North Ridge is really spectacular. You aren't surrounded by the other large peaks though as you are on the Baltoro. K2 kinda sneaks up on you on the Chinese side.

This was in 1986 - I didn't know squat about climbing but signed on to be on the support team of this expedition; went into China while it was first opening up to the West, bagged a 6000m first ascent (the peak in the camel photo) and fell in love with mountaineering.

Family life, child's disability, and plain old climbing incompetence have prevented me from persuing mountains more fully, so this trip to a relatively untraveled region of the world, made in a time before commercial expeditions, will always be special.