Broad Peak FAQ's

Broad Peak FAQ's

What is included on the trek to BC?

Three squares and hot drinks am and PM. Midday is decided sometimes a sitdown partway and sometimes a bag lunch. Almost all members will want some supplements like candy bars, power bars, hard candy, drink mix for H2O that they will want to add each day to their routine.

We provide 1 tent per 2 on the trek and sleeping pads that are pretty good for most people. As you have access to your gear every night you can certainly beef it up if you want it extra comfy. I usually add my blowup to any trekking setup and sleep like a king. The only time that backfired oddly enough was on Broad Peak in 2003! We were at Piaju and they were doping some blasting to make some new buildings there and one small rock went well outside of the blasting area (as did quite  a bit of shards which sent a lot of us running for cover!) and its arc took it over some trees and through the wall ot my tent and through my brand new air mattress! Thankfully we had repairs that worked and i still use the same mattress today at BC on my trips! Go thermarest!

What is included at BC?

Essentially the same as on the trek but also some extra tea times and hot water pretty much available any time you need it. Our guides will be setting up a massive and comfy double dining room BC setup with lights, padded floor, extended store/office etc. Folks really enjoyed it last year. We had it connected to the cook tent so it was warmer most of the time than a detached one would be!

You can usually ask for a chapati for the road on a carry day or on your way to C1. If you are running low on food for the hill there will almost always be extra noodles and the like in BC to augment your supplies. I can't think of a trip when we actually have run low on food and typically at the end members are donating (in total) weeks of extra food to the staff and HAP's.

What is included on the mountain?

We'll have tents, stoves and fuel all at BC for the mountain. The majority of these items will be brought to camps on the hill by our HAPs. From time to time you may need for logistical reasons to bring some fuel or a stove or a piece of tent. This can happen if you are perhaps moving out ahead of most of the team with a strong group or if a previous group used up gas and you are heading up. If you wish to avoid carrying any of these items it can usually be avoided by taking an extra rest day!

If you have a stove you love...bring it. I think the idea of having you own emergency stove is a reasonable idea especially as most of them are very light. We intend to have at least one stove per tent but there are times when two stoves is nice and can get you all eating and drinking sooner and off to bed earlier...especially nice on a summit push! if you have a tent you really like and want to bring that is great as well. 

We do not provide food on the hill for our climbs (with some exceptions like ecuador) and this falls into our philosophy of good value. Most of our folks really know what they like to eat and can make a solid food schedule of valuable food that they can eat. We see little reason to have you allpay us to buy and transport food that you may not even like! I have seen this high on aconcagua and ama dablam (with companies charging much more) where members are waiting around for the staff to cook a meal and then seeing left over food on plates being tossed out. We feel that when you get into camp it is great to get right down to drinking and eating as soon as you can and to eat well.

If anyone needs help with menus and calorie counting etc we'll do lots of food emails in the months ahead of a trip. I know personally that my favorite Tuna-in-the-foil, Cheese Hummus soup which propels me in more ways than one up the hill is virtually inedible to other people! Certainly lots of things I see people eating that i can't stomach --- please don't offer me any Vegemite!

What gear do we need to bring? Do you supply?

We provide all  the group gear - fixed ropes, anchors (stakes, screws, pitons) etc. You are responsible for you own climbing gear and included in that should be 1 or 2 personal ice screws which you can use in an emergency. You do not have to bring them but sure feels nice to have a piton and ice screw on the harness in case you happen to be johnny on the spot if things should go pear shaped on K2. Not really an issue on Broad Peak but as a K2 climber i'd be thinking about having a little personal emergency gear. A length (20 - 30 m) of 6mm cord as well could be a crucial item to have if someone needs assistance coming down or you are stuck in a tight spot. Having a knife handy can also be crucial in a pinch for you all on K2.