UKH

Hi guys

Unusual question here: Due to some circumstances I will have few weeks off in northern Pakistan this summer and would really like to do some mountaineering. Trouble is, I won't have a Partner (or time to organize a proper expedition). So what I'm looking for would be some cool routes (PD or AD- difficulty) that can be done solo comfortably (so without any Glaciers involved). Kind of like the Lagginhorn or Weissmies normal routes. Does anybody know any route like this in Pakistan?

(Obviously it would be nice if it's not in a restricted area like baltoro etc)

Google 'Minglik Sar' and 'Shimshal'. It's probably now the most popular easy 6000m peak in the Karakoram. There's also a lot of similar easy peaks around it, though some might have unsuitable glaciers. You can hire a guide/porters in Shimshal village, or beforehand.

Much of the rest of the Karakoram is a bit steep with difficult approaches, though there are easy peaks here and there. Getting to the base of them in a state to climb them will be the issue.

Thanks! Actually minglik sar is something I looked at. I'm not sure about it though as the climb seems to be mostly on glacier? (Which I'm not a big fan of when going solo). Have you been up minglik sar yourself?

No. I just followed the traditional UKC edict of ignoring a major part of your question and suggesting something you said you didn't want!

But I figured in reality it might turn out better than some random lower rocky hill (you didn't say what altitude you were thinking of). There's just so much lower, unglaciated terrain there you could go pretty much anywhere and go up something, and it'd be over 5000m probably, but it might not be a very satisfying mountaineering trip cos it'll be dwarfed by everything around it, and the rock might be quite unpleasant and loose. And given the approaches in many valleys, you might have needed porters anyway to get to it. So...

Apologies if you've already looked, but recent AAJs have some Shimshal pics of other peaks to give an idea of surrounds. eg. http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201215994