The Karakoram, meaning 'Black rock' in Turkic, is one of the great ranges of Asia. The Nepalese Himalaya may have the highest number of 8000m peaks but the Karakoram has the world’s highest concentration of high peaks and some of the largest glaciers outside the Arctic poles. The range contains four 8000m peaks with another 30 rising above 7500m that receive few climbing expeditions compared to the Himalaya. The Karakoram is frequently known for the general K2 area but, as I hope this page illustrates, the range is vast with many areas which are equally breathtaking. It’s impossible for me to write about the Karakoram with the detail it deserves as there are just too many mountains and still so many parts that I have not properly explored. This page is intended as more of an overview and to inspire people to visit and explore the area for themselves.
The Karakoram is an arid and inhospitable place but that is its very beauty. The topography often consists entirely of glacier, bare rock and mountain peaks. There are no tea houses, no pine or rhododendron forests, no remote hilltop villages, often only mountains and glaciers as far as the eye can see once away from the central valleys. These are mountains in their rawest form and some of the most impressive anywhere in the world. The Karakoram considerably less populated than the Himalaya further east. This is mainly due to its rugged, infertile topography and extensive glacial formations that make much of the range unsuitable for farming or grazing livestock. Despite the lack of habitat the range is considerably easier to visit than the Nepalese Himalaya with 7000m base camps accessible in less than a day from the Karakoram Highway, which bisects the Western half of the range. This means a trip to the Karakoram allows for more time in the high mountains and less time trekking in the foothills as in Nepal.
One of the big advantages of climbing in the Pakistani Karakoram is that there is minimal red tape compared to the Himalaya. The Pakistani side is very cheap to climb in provided you stay away from the 'restricted zones' close to border areas. Climbing below 6500m requires no paperwork and so long as you are in an open zone you are free to explore and climb whatever you choose. For me the Karakoram allows for a lot more spontaniety than other ranges where pre-planning is everything.
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