Shipton Treks & Expeditions
Trekking and climbing in Northern Pakistan
All photos on this homepage: Barbara Hirschbichler
K2 (8611m)
Shipton Treks & Expeditions is a self-help project under the auspices of the charitable, non-government, non-profit-making organization “Himalaya-Karakorum-Hilfe e.V.“. It was founded in order to let the inhabitants of Baltistan – also known as “Little Tibet“, situated in the heart of the Karakoram – participate in the profits from tourism. The agency helps locals to find employment and earn a livelihood. This is the only chance they have to improve their situation by their own efforts and to secure their subsistence in the long term.
Himalaya-Karakorum-Hilfe e.V. supports this agency in a non-material way. If any profit is made, it will be used for the foundation´s aid projects in Baltistan. The president of the foundation, Barbara Hirschbichler, only arranges contact to the locals, but is in no other way involved in the agency and has no commercial interests. Neither she nor the foundation take any responsibility.
What Shipton Treks & Expeditions is concerned about and dedicated to:
• Giving jobs to as many Baltis as possible and paying them fair wages.
• Showing visitors not only the unique scenery, but also making them familiar with local culture and thus contributing to mutual understanding.
• Taking trekkers and climbers not only up much-used trekking routes, but also to rarely visited areas which are no less beautiful and impressive.
Traces of snow leopard and bear
• Promoting a kind of tourism which is environmentally friendly.
• Showing special consideration for the interests and needs of the local people.
Baltistan
Baltistan is an extremely remote and under-developed region in the north-east of Pakistan with fantastic and spectacular scenery not to be found anywhere else on earth. The mountains and valleys around K 2 are among the great goals of climbers and trekkers. The peace-loving and cheerful mountain dwellers contribute to making a trip to the Karakoram an unforgettable experience.
Apart from tourism, the inhabitants of the approximately 300 mountain villages have hardly any chance to earn money, and so far they have been able to profit from tourism to a very limited extent.
But indeed it is the Baltis who know the place best and who are predestined to show visitors the beauties of the area. Nobody is as familiar with the valleys and mountains as well as the flora and fauna of the Karakoram as the people who live there and whose lives depend on this knowledge. It is the aim of this initiative to give the Baltis the chance to make profitable use of their precious knowledge – it is their only asset!
Manager of the agency
The manager of the agency, Ghulam Rasool, is himself a Balti from a mountain village in the Braldo Valley. He is one of the most experienced high altitude porters and knows the mountains areas of Baltistan better than anyone. For many years he helped climbers to reach the summits of 8000-metre-peaks, and he himself has climbed Gasherbrum II (8034 m) and the fore summit of Broad Peak (8027 m). Moreover, he has accompanied uncountable expeditions and trekking groups as a porter sardar (i.e. leader of the porters).
He is married to a German with whom he has trekked all over the Karakorams. He regularly spends the winter with his wife at Schönau am Königssee in the Bavarian Alps, where - as the first and so far only Balti - he has learnt skiing so that he is also able to act as a guide on ski tours and ski traverses. His membership in the Pakistan Alpine Club entitles him to accompany expeditions as a liaisons officer.
As Rasool is an outstanding and generally respected personality in Baltistan and as he has excellent contacts, it is possible for him to solve any problem that might arise – be it problems with transport when roads are blocked after landslides, or problems with local authorities – fast and efficiently. There will never be any trouble with porters, as the Baltis regard themselves as part of Shipton Treks & Expeditions and identify with the agency.
All Baltis who work for the agency have a long experience in the field of trekking and expeditions.
Ghulam Rasool / Barbara Hirschbichler
Ghulam Rasool´s wife, the German extreme climber Barbara Hirschbichler, is the founder and president of the “Himalaya-Karakorum-Hilfe e.V.“. She lived in Baltistan for three years and has explored the mountains and valleys extensively. As she probably knows the area better than any non-local, she can give valuable advice about all the treks and expeditions.
The top climbers Alexander and Thomas Huber, who know Baltistan from several expeditions (e.g. first ascent of Latok II West Face, second ascent of Ogre) and who support the “Himalaya-Karakorum-Hilfe, are also prepared to advise climbers.