Author: Zulfiqar Ali
Founder & Licensed Mountain Guide
Zulfiqar Ali is the founder of Karakoram Venture and a licensed mountain guide with more than ten years of experience across Pakistan's Karakoram, Himalaya and Hindu Kush ranges. A product designer by profession, Zulfiqar leads the Skardu-based Balti team that plans and runs the company's treks, expeditions and tours.
Askole: The Last Village Before K2 — Road, Altitude & Treks (2027)
Askole sits at roughly 3,040 m in the Braldu Valley — the last permanent village before the high Karakoram, and the trailhead for K2 Base Camp, Concordia, Gondogoro La, Trango and Snow Lake. The jeep road from Skardu, the season, the permits, and an honest account of the risks.
Broad Peak Central (8,011 m): The Eight-Thousander That Does Not Count (2027)
Broad Peak Central stands at about 8,011 m on the Baltoro Muztagh, barely 35 m below Broad Peak Main, yet it is not one of the fourteen eight-thousanders. Here is where it sits, the grim 1975 first ascent, the route from Askole, and what we can honestly organise.
Shipton Spire (about 5,885 m): The Hidden Big Wall Above the Trango Glacier
Shipton Spire is a granite tower of just under 6,000 m hidden in a side valley off the Trango Glacier above the Baltoro. Here is where it is, the three-day approach from Askole, every established route and its history, the June to September season, and an honest read on how hard it is - from a Balti team in Skardu.
Mustagh Pass (5,422 m): The Old Caravan Route Over the Baltoro Muztagh
The Old Mustagh Pass (about 5,422 m) crosses the Baltoro Muztagh north-east of the Trango Towers. Once the shortest caravan road from Yarkand to Skardu, closed by moving ice, crossed by Younghusband in 1887 and barely since. What the history is, and what you can honestly do on the Baltoro side today.