In fear of ruining the streak, I'll say it anyway: So far, so good.
 
My Polish companions have also adopted this slogan as we negotiate Pakistani expedition logistics in rather uncharacteristically smooth fashion. I won't jinx our good fortune with a justification caveat that all manner of potential chaos could be just around the corner...wait, I think I just did.
 
Examples:
 
My flight to Chicago was delayed due to weather. No bother. Both my bags and myself somehow made the 10 minute walk to my London departure gate, only to arrive as the doors swung shut. My flight was delayed getting into London. No bother. We landed a few hours late, but I easily made my Islamabad flight, again with luggage in tow. My flight was 2 hours delayed landing in Islamabad due to dense fog over the airport. No bother. The folks from ATP were waiting at immigration (don't ask how) with my luggage already loaded on a cart. The following day, we returned to the airport in hopes to catch the elusive flight to Skardu. No bother. In 4 years of trying, the flight actually departed the airport, sparing us the desperate swerve-and-curve up the Karakoram Highway. Upon arrival in Skardu, my cargo from the States and from Kathmandu had not yet arrived. No bother. The mother lode showed up the following morning, with nary a piece missing. In short, I am counting my blessings, for they are many...
 
The familiar sights, sounds, and smells of Skardu are slightly different in the cold winter air. The mountains surrounding the town seem much larger laden with fresh blankets of snow. Our hotel kitchen serves THE best food I have eaten in Pakistan, and at every meal we stuff ourselves, trying to keep on as much extra weight as possible before the spin-cycle of winter on the Baltoro burglarizes our reserves.
 
We've spent the last few days acclimatizing up the Sadpara valley, climbing the slopes above the serene, emerald-green Sadpara Lake. As we await the weather window for the helicopter flight into Broad Peak base camp, we sort the last of our gear and discuss our plans. The team feels cohesive, lighthearted, and prepared, ready to take on the frigid Broad beast together. Artur, Robert, and myself will be joined by 5 Pakistanis: Didar (cook-extraordinaire and base camp manager from my 2007 K2 expedition), and climbers Quadrat, Amin, Ali, and Taqi. Together we form the unlikely brotherhood of the 2008 Broad Peak Winter Expedition.

 
Waiting to fly to Skardu

 
Ministry of Tourism Meeting with Nanga Parbat Expedition

 
Sunrise over Afghanistan

 
Don in Skardu

 
Junk Show on Tour

 
Artur, Quadrat, Amin, and Ali

 
Climbing above Sadpara Lake

 

 

Many people have recently contacted me with inquiries about the food and gear I use on expeditions, with questions like; “What is your sleeping bag rated at?”, and “What do you eat up there?”, and “How do you guys take a …?” (You get it.)

In truth, expeditions to big mountains like K2 are gear intensive, but so are many weekend adventures here in North America. Combine that with the mountaineer’s propensity to curate gear like the Vatican does artifact, and closets like mine turn into a veritable junk show.

 

 

When considering gear, equipment, and the staples of any climbing endeavor, caution must be observed to not let our “things” replace our “abilities”, elevating confidence by what we have, rather than who we are. Smart marketing campaigns often prey upon this tendency, promulgating that if we simply purchase the latest gadget or gnaw the latest lockjaw energy bar, we can conquer anything. Even the crisp, wilderness air cannot escape the flatulence of consumerism.

However, having pardoned ourselves from the aforementioned al fresco faux pas, mountaineering and climbing are genuinely safer and easier due to advances in food and gear technology. When correctly matched with our limitations, these advances unquestionably extend the limits of what is possible. I couldn’t imagine wearing wool knickers and pith helmets like Mallory and Irvine did on Everest, or to sleep in a 10 pound felt sleeping bag like Buhl on Nanga Parbat. (Although, The Duke of Abruzzi’s four-poster wooden bed does sounds comfy cool.)

Over the next few months I will periodically post gear reviews for things like mountain food, down products, tents, and technical equipment, pillaged from my own personal gear stash. Ergo, I introduce the Gear/Nutrition page on my website, in full knowledge that anyone who knows me knows that the word “nutrition” and myself rarely collide in the same sentence. Nonetheless, I now share with you the stuff I like to use, why I use it, and where to get it. Alas, welcome to my own personal junk show: Gear Reviews

Brought to you in part by:

 

 

 

On July 4th, Bruce and Don finally reached the summit of P.6150, the key to accessing the basin and continuing the approach to the North Ridge of Distaghil Sar. On the summit, the pair set up camp and recorded elevation via GPS as 6247 meters (20,495ft). This is the second time the summit of this peak was reached since Bruce first ascended it in 1999. Don & Bruce reported that climbing conditions on the once (relatively) easy ridge have since become considerably more complex due to cornices, seracs, and crevasses. Snow conditions during the ascent were deep and unstable after the previous week's snowfall, further complicating the climbing. According to Bruce, "...from the summit the outlook was grim. Clearly, serious transformations had taken place to the entire northern aspect of Distaghil Sar and the basin below Yazghil Domes." Despite these observations, on July 5th Bruce and Don descended into the heavily crevassed basin toward the ridge, while Ben and Pete climbed to P.6150 and set up camp on the summit. More to follow soon...

Purchase Annapurna 2008 Expedittion shirts here.