Trekking K2 Base camp 2023

Greetings to all from Ascole from the "Don't even think" team!

Since we left the K2 base camp, our trek has been going through torrential rains every day. But everyone has their advantages: firstly, there is no sweltering heat, and secondly - the mountains surrounding us, wrapped in clouds, look quite gloomy, but no less beautiful.

Yesterday was a long and physically energy—consuming day - we walked 22 km from the Urdukas camp to Paiju. Before reaching a couple of kilometers to the campsite, we made a big halt on the river bank, spread out the mats, lay, chatted, drank tea and looked at the turbulent flow of the dark waters of the river. It was great!

Yesterday we spent the last night in tents, and early this morning we went out towards Ascole. We walked 14 km at a brisk pace in the rain, and then switched to jeeps, which brought us to our destination.

Our caring local partners have sent us the ripest and juiciest mango from Skardu for dinner!!! So today we have a real holiday! Tomorrow we leave for Skardu!

Svetlana Kotlyar and Alexander Spirin were in touch.

Greetings from Pakistan from the team "Don't even think!", which got its name closer to the end of the program!  We have reached the goal of our incredible trip to Pakistan: we visited the K2 base camp, met with a team of climbers, our favorite leaders — Alex Abramov and Lyudmila Korobeshko, shook hands with Sergey Bogomolov, for whom we are very sick and worried!

Together with our trekking group, Valdis Pelsh reached the Base Camp and yesterday the RD Studio crew began shooting eyeliners for the film "High Altitude Gene-2"!

The day before yesterday we moved from Concordia Camp to K2 Base Camp, admiring the stunning views of K2 and Broad Peak on the way, from one look at these mighty giants breathtaking!

We were very warmly welcomed at the camp, the evening was soulful: together with a team of climbers, we played guitar and sang songs.  In the morning, the expedition's doctor, Andrey Selivanov, walked with us to the memorial dedicated to those who died on K2 and Broad Peak.

We spent two nights in the camp, had a good night's sleep and rested before returning.

And now we are back at Camp Concordia and tomorrow we will move to Urdukas.

The guides of the 7 Summits Club are Svetlana Kotlyar and Alexander Spirin.

 Dasha Sivova, guide of the 7 Summits Club:

Already in the capital of Pakistan, we summed up the results of this incredible journey in numbers:

 ⁃ More than 130km has been covered;

 ⁃ Maximum height reached: Gondogoro Pass 5480m;

⁃ Longest crossing of Khuspang-Khushe: 26km.

But the most important thing is the team that has come all this way together!

We discovered the most beautiful places in Pakistan, which took your breath away. We have passed paths that only a few people have walked. Wild and pristine.

Now our team has finally agreed that you need to go trekking to the K2 Base Camp at least once in your life! And this is the most beautiful trekking in the world!

 The group "Me and my young team" led by the highly experienced guide Viktor Volodin entered the walking part of the route on July 6, 2023. First day - transfer to Jula camp (3300 m). The route ran along the Braldu River.

July 7. Transfer to Paiju Camp (3383m). A rocky, sometimes dusty trail rises from the riverbed to the Paiju Glacier. Along the way, there is a view of Paiju Peak (6,600 m) and the Cathedral Towers (6,017 m).

July 8. Exit to the glacier and trek to the Urdukas camp 4050m. The longest march. Rain and lack of visibility prevented seeing the famous Trango and Muztag Towers.

July 9. Trek to the other side of the glacier to the Goro II camp. The weather has improved, some views have opened (Broad Rick, Gasherbrum -IV) M. Goro II is located at an altitude of 4382 m.

July 10. Not a very long walk to the Concordia camp (4600 meters).

July 11. March to the Base camp K2 (5100 m). Meeting with the participants and guides of the expedition on K2.

July 12. Day of rest at Base Camp K2.

July 13. Трек to Ali Camp. At night, exit to the Gondogoro pass (5480 m).

July 14. Descent from the Gondogoro pass. Descent to Huspang.

July 15th. Descent to Saicho, transfer to Skardu. Completion of the trek.

The second trekking group of the 7 Summits Club came very close to its goal – the K2 base camp. They're spending the night at Camp Concordia tonight. Tomorrow is not a very long climb and a meeting with the main team of the expedition of the 7 Summits Club and the 8000 Club on K2. There will be a celebration!

The guide of the 7 Summits Club Dasha Sivova reports from Pakistan:

Salaam from Islamabad from the group "Me and my young team"!  Well, we did it! Trekking to the Base Camp K2 and return through the Gondogoro pass has been completed!

Today in the capital of Pakistan, we summed up the results of this incredible journey: in numbers:

 ⁃ More than 130km has been covered

 ⁃ The maximum height has been reached: Gondogoro Pass 5480m

⁃ The longest Khuspang-Khushe crossing: 26km.

 But the most important thing is the team that has come all this way together!

We discovered the most beautiful places in Pakistan, which took your breath away. We have passed paths that only a few people have walked. Wild and pristine.

Now our team has finally agreed that you need to go trekking to the K2 Base Camp at least once in your life! And this is the most beautiful trekking in the world!

We are happy to share the long-awaited photos and videos! And we heartily congratulate all participants! We did it!

P.S. We spent today in Islamabad, resting from a long journey. A meeting with representatives of the Russian Embassy in Islamabad was also a pleasant surprise. We continue to build friendly relations with diplomatic missions in the countries where we send large expeditions, and we sincerely thank you for a pleasant acquaintance!

The 7 Summits Club guides Svetlana Kotlyar and Alexander Spirin: Salaam from Pakistan!  Today we are another 20 km closer to the goal of our trip – the K2 Base Camp! The day turned out to be difficult, but the most intense for emotions and impressions! We walked to the Urdokas camp on the Baltoro glacier, crossed mountain streams and rivers. Today it was a little cloudy and not so hot. The views surrounding us never cease to amaze with their beauty. In the evening, we celebrated the birthday of our participant Yulia Kotova with a festive dinner. Our local assistants baked the chicken and made a cake, and we cooked buckwheat. In the evening we looked at the stars from a height of 4000 meters……

Svetlana Kotlyar, the guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from Pakistan:

 Greetings to all from Ascole! Today our team left the hospitable Skardu. Early in the morning we left for Ascole, a village at an altitude of 3000 m. Here we are housed in large comfortable tents, we also have a personal kitchen and dining room. The conditions are excellent! Here, as at a campsite, there are many climbers from different countries.

The members of our group feel great, we will soon have dinner and relax after a long move. Tomorrow is the first day of trekking. We have to walk 20 km to the Jola Camp. The guides of the group are Svetlana Kotlyar and Alexander Spirin.

Svetlana Kotlyar, the guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from Pakistan:

  Greetings to all from Skardu! Today our team had a very busy day! We decided not to waste time waiting for permits, and after breakfast we went by jeep to Deosai National Park!  We spent two hours on the road, which turned out to be very picturesque: alpine lakes, gorges – stunningly beautiful nature!

Deosai is the second highest high-altitude plateau in the world after the Tibetan one. It is located at an altitude of more than 4000 m at the junction of the Karakoram and the Western Himalayas. From the 4000 m mark, as acclimatization, we walked a little higher, up to 4200.

The plateau is known all over the world for its rich flora and fauna. And we were lucky enough to meet a huge groundhog here today!

After the walk, we refreshed ourselves and drove back to Skardu, where another member of the group, Valdis Pelsh, was waiting for us. He will be walking with us to the K2 base camp for the filming of the film "The High Altitude  Gene-2". We listened to his fascinating stories all evening!

In the evening, joyful news came — we received permits! Now the whole team is assembled and tomorrow early in the morning we will start in Ascole!

The guide of the 7 Summits Club Dasha Sivova reports from Pakistan: July 10th.  News of the 7 Summits Club group "Me and my young team".  We're at base camp! The GenKa2 group welcomed us very warmly, they gave us a real holiday!

Daria Sivova and Super-guide Viktor Volodin.

Hello everyone from Pakistan! Guides Svetlana Kotlyar and Alexander Spirin are in touch!  Today was not an easy day for us. We met the participants of our program at Islamabad airport early in the morning.  Since the morning, heavy rain has been falling in the city, we were warned that if the rain does not stop, we may not fly to Skardu. An alternative option, to spend two more days on the road by car after a tedious flight, was not even considered.

We decided together that it couldn't rain forever and went to the waiting room. After a couple of hours, the sky brightened, our flight was delayed, but we still managed to fly to Skardu! We are sure that this flight will be remembered by the participants for a long time: our fellow travelers from Pakistan cheerfully sang local songs throughout the flight, accompanying the singing with cheerful dances, and at this time stunning views of Karakorum opened behind the porthole!

Skardu is the former capital of Baltistan, it is one of the tourist centers in Northern Pakistan. Now there are quite a lot of travelers, tourists and climbers from all over the world. When we arrived at the hotel, a hot lunch was already waiting for us. After settling in and having a little rest, we went to Cold Desert — a high-altitude desert near Skardu.

Very beautiful location! Here at sunset you can ride with the breeze on jeeps or horses!

Having received our dose of adrenaline, we returned to the hotel, where our Pakistani friends treated us to a delicious barbecue! Tomorrow we plan to visit the Deosai Plateau, walk around the local market and get permits.

 The guide of the 7 Summits Club Dasha Sivova reports from Pakistan:

The team of the 7 Summits Club "Me and my young team", walking along the trekking route to the base camp K2, successfully reached the camp Goro 2. This is one of the most beautiful tent camps!  There was no rain today. The sun greeted us. Camp Goro 2 is located right on the glacier. All participants are healthy. Everyone is very, very happy. Today we have already seen Gasherbrooms and Broad Peak. We all decided that this trek is the most beautiful and definitely worth it to pass it!

The team of the 7 Summits Club, led by the guide Viktor Volodin, "My young team and I” started today the walking part of the route to the K2 base camp. The group, overcoming the heat, climbed to the Jola Camp at an altitude of 3159 m. Tomorrow we have to go to Paiju. Today we celebrated the birthday of one of the participants Anton Smolsky.

Salaam from the group "Me and my young team" from Ascole!  Today we went to the alpine settlement of Askole at an altitude of 3300m. The journey was not fast — more than 6 hours on off-road vehicles on a serpentine through rivers. There are few places where you can get such an experience!

 The road ran along the Valley of the Shigar River. Dust and stones were replaced by a riot of green color. You drive along the serpentine, all around are sheer cliffs, rocks and the dirty Shigar River ... and roses from nowhere ... and then green oases of firs, apple trees and apricot trees.

Ascole is a place where civilization has not reached. In addition to well-equipped camps for climbers, the simple life of the Pakistani people flows here.

By the way, the people here are incredibly colorful. Men and children are happy to allow themselves to be photographed, but not women. Women hide and ask to pass by. We have set up our first tent camp and are preparing for tomorrow's march to Jola Camp. The transfer from Ascole to Jola Camp will take 6-7 hours, 17-18 km.  It's too early to say, but so far trekking to K2 can compete in beauty with trekking to the Everest Base Camp.

P.S. The GenKa2 climbing team is looking forward to us at the Base Camp, which is very nice!

Most likely, today we are the last day with a stable Internet. Wish us good luck and stay tuned!

Viktor Volodin and Daria Sivova are in touch.

The group "Me and my young team" from Skardu are in touch! We got the permits! Hurray! Tomorrow morning we will start to Askole by jeeps. And the day after tomorrow — we have a transfer to Jola Camp.

Unfortunately, most likely tomorrow is the last day when we will have a stable connection. According to the plan, we should arrive at the K2 Base Camp on July 11.

And what happened today? To be honest, it's even good that we stayed in Skardu for another day, because today we visited the Deosai National Park.  Deosai, or the Shadow of a Giant, is the second highest high—altitude plateau in the world, 4300m. Acclimatization was successful! The climb is 2000 meters. In a word, we are well done!

We will not paint for a long time about the beauty of this place. Photos  will say everything for themselves!

Daria Sivova and Viktor Volodin are in touch!

Salaam from Skardu!

There is a team name! We are “Me and my young team”! We say hello from hot Skardu!

It's time to tell us what's going on. So, the second day we spend at the starting point of all mountain expeditions - Skardu at an altitude of about 2500m. Today we have not received the promised permits, and we are looking forward to them tomorrow. As the locals say, Inshallah!

   Today is an amazing day! We are celebrating the birthday of the soul of our company — Artem Kolomiets! Artem, we sincerely congratulate you and wish you more travels, your sense of humor and positivity will warm us all the trip!

   Another day and there will be no places left in Skardu that we have not visited. In the morning we went to the Kuchara lakes. And in the evening, Cold Desert was waiting for us, the Cold Desert in jeeps, incredible dunes and the most beautiful sunset. We felt like the heroes of the movie Mad Max. After, we made a short trek to secret waterfalls and apricot trees.

And the evening ended with a festive barbecue and a party in honor of our birthday. Separately about security. Pakistanis are very friendly and welcoming people. Always ready to help, welcome foreigners with great joy and an open heart. Today Pakistan opened up to us from a new side. We look forward to continuing!

Salaam from Skardu! The first trekking group is assembled in Pakistan! It was one of the most beautiful flights. We flew past the majestic eight-thousand-meter of Himalayas and Karakorum. Skardu was greeted with pleasant warm weather. Today we rest and get to know each other better.