PAKISTAN

Seven days at the Grand Islamabad Hotel is a bloody long time. After a few days, I was pretty damn bored and there is only so much time you can spend on the computer. I knew we were heading back off the grid soon but it’s tough to wake up with nothing other than the …

Despite giving it our all, we didn’t get anywhere near the summit of Laila Peak. Our high point was just beyond Camp 2. To be honest, this mountain was far beyond our level. I was up there as the most experienced in our group, which says a lot. In the end, it was a lack …

The Snow Lake Trek is known as one of the most beautiful high-altitude trails in Pakistan. The Lake is actually a high-altitude glacial basian found at the convergence of the Biafo and Hispar glaciers. With a width of more than 16km, this area has the largest concentration of glacial ice outside of Antarctica. Snow Lake …

After reuniting with Chris and Josh in Skardu, we rolled out of town in a Jeep on our way to the mountain town of Hushe. Here we slept the night at the mountain refuge, our last night in civilization for a couple of weeks. The next morning we set off for our two-week expedition of …

This week involved one of my biggest mishaps of all time as a traveler. It nearly cost me an entire expedition in Pakistan and a couple of thousand dollars. I had two flights to reach Pakistan. The first was from Manila to Doha and the second was from Doha to Islamabad. As I disembarked the …

The life I lead is usually pretty exciting. Even when there are down days, there’s usually at least one epic adventure or exciting opportunity over the period of a week. However, this week was about as bland as they come for me. After arriving back to Skardu early from our successful summit of Spantik, I …

7000m is a place I never imagined I would find myself. However, atop Spantik Peak at 7,027m is exactly where the week ended. It was an enduring battle to get there in bad snow conditions and wild weather but it was a journey I’ll never forget. I’ve documented the entire expedition in this guide: CLIMBING …

This week was spent off-grid trekking to Spantik Base Camp and getting set up for our climb. I’ve written in detail about the journey in my latest trekking guide: CLIMBING SPANTIK PEAK I’ll add the excerpts from that article to this Weekly about our journey from Skardu to Spantik Base Camp. TREKKING TO SPANTIK BASECAMP …

Spantik Peak, also known as Golden Peak, is a challenging, climbing expedition to reach a summit at 7,027m with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains in the Karakoram Range. The expedition can range from 15-35 days depending on weather windows and is known as a non-technical peak, although it wasn’t quite just a trekking peak …

Hidden amidst the towering peaks of the Upper Hunza region is an incredible plateau, wedged between two enormous glaciers. The Patundas ridge is in effect a shepherd’s meadow but it is so much more. Surrounded by the Passu Glacier on one side and the mighty Batura Glacier on the other flank, Patundas offers some of …

After so many years of adventures and trekking, it takes a little bit to get my adrenaline racing. It takes even a little bit more to generate some fear within me. Fear is healthy, it means you are pushing yourself outside of the dreaded comfort zone. Right this second, my adrenaline is on the move …

After the K2 Basecamp Trek, there was a definite need for some rest. However, a few days back in Islamabad had us ready to rock and roll again. We weren’t heading out for quite as big of an expedition as the two-week trek to K2 Basecamp but a few micro-adventures in Hunza were waiting for …