First Ski Tracks on Laila Peak
Fredrik Ericsson and Jörgen Aamot have made the first tracks on Laila Peak, Pakistan. You can see some great pictures at www.fredrikericsson.com. Here’s their latest report:
We’ve had a great week here in Pakistan. Jörgen and I have engraved the first ski tracks on Laila Peak. It is one of the most amazing mountains I’ve ever seen, like a needle it points straight up in the sky. It’s north-west flank has a steepness of 45-50 deegres in more than 1500 vertical meters.
The first day we started off by going up to our camp at 5000 meters. 02.30 the next morning we put on the crampons and continued climbing up the slopes of Laila. At sunrise we were met by the magnificent view over the Karakorams giants: K2, Broad Peak and the Gasherbrums. An unforgettable moment!
After eight hours of challenging climbing on hard and solid snow the conditions changed. The terrain got steeper and steeper and we were now swinging our ice axes into solid ice with only a thin layer of dry snow to cover it. We had to use all our gear, ice screws and rope, to continue upwards. A couple of hours later and only 150 meters from the summit we felt that there was no way we could ski in these icy conditions and decided to turn around.
With excitement we put on our skis and made the first ski turns ever on Laila Peak. It was more than 1500 vertical meters down to the bottom. With the almost 50 degrees steep slope we had to concentrate on every turn not to make any mistake. The icy conditions turned into solid snow and we could relax and enjoy the skiing. Not every day you can check out the majestic K2 when you’re cruising the ski slopes!
We made a second attempt on the mountain four days after our first, hoping that the conditions would have changed, but it was still too icy on the top of the mountain to make it possible to ski.
We will now rest in our camp for a few days, waiting for porters, before heading over the Gondogoro pass and on to Gasherbrum Base Camp and new adventures.
