Alpine Skiing: Two brothers from Gojal set new record in mountaineering

We knew it was risky, but thank God we managed to do it, say the mountaineers.

GILGIT:

Descending a peak is considered as dangerous as ascending one – which is why mountain climbers take the same amount of time to descend as they would take to climb.

The dangers involved in descending peaks can be gauged by the fact that a team of six foreign climbers went missing last month while descending Gasherbrum-I and Broad Peak in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).

However, in July two brothers from Gojal Valley in G-B achieved a new feat when they descended four 6,000-metre high mountains in a few minutes – all within a week.

Niamat Karim, 27, and his 15-year-old brother Mansoor Karim scaled the 6,000 metre-high Quz Sar and Qol peaks located in Gojal on July 10. The climb to the summit took them three hours, but they made it to the base camp in less than 20 minutes.

Two days later, the duo ascended the summit of the 6,050-metre high Mingling Sar in a six-hour long trek and returned back to base camp in 17 minutes.

“It’s called Alpine skiing and is a relatively new sport in Pakistan,” said Niamat, a resident of Shimshal Valley, Gojal who has been associated with mountaineering for the past 13 years.

Incidentally, Shimshal valley is also home to Samina Baig, the first Pakistani woman to scale the 8,848-metre high Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak.



“Alpine skiing involves sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings,” Niamat explained. “It is not easy to ski from a height of 6,000 meters. It requires one to be in good health, be courageous and have proper training and sophisticated equipment,” Niamat told The Express Tribune, adding pleasant weather was also a factor.

Claiming to be the first skiers to introduce Alpine skiing in Pakistan, Niamat said, “We knew it was very risky, but thank God we managed to do it.”

Narrating his experience, Niamat said after reaching the summit of Quz Sar the brothers had to wait there for an hour because of the weather. “It was snowing and we had to wait for it to stop. After that it took us 15 minutes to reach the base camp by skiing downhill,” he recalled, adding they attempted the ascent and descent of Qol Peak the very same day (July 10).

“On July 12, we climbed Mingling Sar in six hours and remained on the summit for half an hour before returning to the base in 17 minutes,” Niamat said, adding the duo conquered another unclimbed peak on July 15. The brothers wish to promote Alpine skiing in the country and want the government to play a positive role. “Pakistan can become a hotspot for Alpine skiing,” Niamat maintained.

Aside for the world’s second highest peak, K2, Pakistan is also home to a total of 108 mountains above 7,000 metres and nearly as many peaks towering above 6,000 metres. The Himalayan, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountain ranges running through the country also house countless peaks above 4,000 and 5,000 metres.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17^th, 2013.