Sump To Summit

My trip to attempt a climb on Malubiting West began in the dark hours of 31 July 2025.
El dropped me at Manchester Airport after an early start. It was so sad to say goodbye for a month – I was full of nerves after so many months of planning, training and preparation.

I checked in my 60 kg of luggage and boarded my Etihad flight to Islamabad, business class no less, feeling both spoiled and slightly out of place.
Somewhere high above Europe, well looked after by the crew, the enormity of the distance I was travelling finally hit. I was a bag of nerves about my safety on the trip, though excited because this expedition to Pakistan’s Karakoram Range had lived in my head for months.

We touched down in Abu Dhabi for a short stop in the amazing business class lounge.
A delayed connection meant a late departure, but by midnight I was on the flight to Islamabad.
I slept almost the entire way, trying to bank as much rest as possible before the adventure really began.

A weird morning, my body still on UK time, began at Islamabad Airport.
I collected my bags and met Raddic, Pawel, and our tour guide, Iqui. We also met Chris and Marta, two Polish climbers heading for Spantik Peak who would be joining us at base camp.

After a colourful drive across the city we checked into our hotel, grabbed a much-needed breakfast, and collapsed for a few hours of sleep.
By late afternoon we felt human enough to explore: coffee in the city’s biggest mall (a safe first stop), a visit to the immense Shah Faisal Mosque, the sixth-largest in the world, and finally a drive to a viewpoint restaurant high above Islamabad.
We lingered over drinks and dessert before heading back to the hotel for more sleep.
Tomorrow we fly north to Skardu, where the real adventure begins.

An awful night’s sleep didn’t stop the 6 a.m. alarm.
We left the hotel at 7 and crossed Islamabad to catch our flight to Skardu.
Our team luggage was overweight, of course, so we paid a modest $25 extra each (a bargain compared to UK fees).

The flight itself was unforgettable, though late departing, but we had been told to “expect Pakistani times”.
We took off and climbed through the monsoon clouds that towered above the city. The pilot was very chatty over the intercom and pointed out Nanga Parbat, the 8,126 m peak poking through a gap. As we descended back through the clouds, the pilot decided he’d tilt the plane to the right so we could see down a valley to a viewpoint. You don’t get this on Ryanair!
As we descended further, the mountains closed in until it felt as though the wings might brush the cliffs.
A round of applause broke out as we touched down.

Outside the tiny airport we were greeted by a local team who had come to take us to the hotel. Part of the team was Iqui’s brother, Afzal. We were given local hats and garlands of flowers, then drove through Skardu town to our hotel.

After an hour settling in we met two of our HAPs (High Altitude Porters).
Sadiq, our lead porter, stood proudly and was quite tall for a Pakistani. He had a moustache which twitched as he smiled at us – a quiet confidence that instantly calmed our nerves.
We also met Pharman, who was much shorter than Sadiq but had super broad shoulders – he looked like he could carry anything! Quick to smile and full of energy, he also filled us with confidence.
Smiles and handshakes all round. I felt lucky straight away to have these two as part of our team.

We couldn’t chat to the HAPs for long as we had to go and meet a government official to finalise the climbing permit. The official clearly loved his job, and after asking each of us about our experience levels, he gave us the stamp of approval.

Back at the hotel we had a meeting with Iqui, Afzal, Sadiq and Pharman, joined by two other porters heading for Spantik. We started with more formal introductions – Raddic detailed each of our experience.
Then it was the HAPs’ turn to share their incredible climbing histories. Pharman told us about the mountains he had climbed, a huge list, and about rescues and rescue attempts he’d been involved in over the years.

Sadiq then told us about his climbing background, which started in 1994. We listened intently, loving the amount of experience he was bringing to the team. He had made 12 attempts on K2 before successfully managing the climb. I was really pleased to hear this – he clearly wasn’t scared of turning around when the mountain says no. Sadiq has climbed all five 8,000 m peaks in Pakistan.

With introductions done, we sat down to plan the climb in detail, as well as gear requirements.

The rough strategy:
Camp 1 would be used to begin with, as we ferry gear up the mountain. Once C2 was established we’d leave only one tent at C1 in case of emergencies between C2 and BC.
Camp 2 as an advanced camp stocked with food, medical supplies and oxygen.
Camp 3 likely on the Polan La (Polish Pass), an emergency shelter, as we anticipate we’d be able to abseil back to C2 unless the weather was really bad.
Camp 4 would be around 6,000 m on the ridge, depending on conditions.
Camp 5 towards 7,000 m on the high glacier cwm. We’d of course take oxygen this high in case of emergencies.

The gear list was finalised – 700 m of fixed rope, twin 60 m climbing ropes, 24 ice screws, 20 snow bars, and a mountain of carabiners and slings.
We also decided on 48 gas canisters, probably overkill, but no one wants to end an expedition because the stoves run out. Camp 2 would be the place to store almost everything, and we hoped not to return to base camp until the end.

Shopping for last-minute supplies was its own little adventure.
The second-hand gear shops were full of helpful locals keen to pitch in.
I eventually slipped outside to give the HAPs space to haggle. With Raddic and Pawel in the shop also looking at equipment I felt like there was far too many chefs involved!

That evening we joined another team for a farewell dinner: huge plates of rice with chicken, mutton, goat, potatoes, vegetables and salad – a great last meal in civilisation.
On the way back we grabbed supermarket supplies and one final coffee or hot chocolate before packing our bags for the early departure by Land Cruiser down the valley to Arando.
Tomorrow we leave the city behind and head into the mountains for real.