Muhammad Taqi Akhunzada explores the untapped potential of mountaineering in Pakistan

Hassan Sadpara of Skardu lives his passion: mountaineering, in his beloved Baltistan. Sadpara has climbed K2. Nanga Parbat too was surmounted. He scaled Mount Everest in 2011. And yet, had it not been for Prince Luigi Amadeo and his expedition to Baltistan, Sadpara might not have been able to make an honest living out of his passion.

Amadeo, the duke of Abruzzi or the then prince of Italy, had visited the mountainous area of Baltistan in 1909. It was only then that the Baltis realised the true commercial value of the mountains for the first time. Previously, they believed completely the opposite, that the mountains were their biggest hurdle in the way of prosperity and development of their land.

The prince wished to scale heights and view the world from the top of K2, the world’s second highest peak. The first mountaineering team which came to Skardu sought manpower from the people of Baltistan, for who else would be more familiar with the rugged mountains, the treacherous route, and the harsh climate. There are altogether 14 peaks in the world which are above 8,000 metres, of which five are in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Mountaineering is the sustenance of life for the people of Baltistan, with around 40 per cent of their economy related to adventure tourism. This includes porters, high altitude porters, hoteliers, transporters, shopkeepers, people working at petrol pumps and site camps in villages. “Like me, thousands of families rely solely on mountaineering to make a living,” Sadpara says.

Those involved in the profession of mountaineering take pride in being in supremely fit physical shape. They must be up to carrying out immensely laborious tasks in hostile weather and rough terrain. Embarking on this adventure area at -50C on glacier-packed peaks often puts life at serious risk.But the Baltis take pride in being resilient and rugged. As Sadpara explains, such is the impact of mountaineering in Skardu that entire households are involved in collecting supplies and setting up shop for their various services as the mountaineering season approaches.

Not only do expeditions search for guides and porters, mountaineering teams significantly impact the local economy by buying poultry and live stock products for their journey. Interestingly enough, these teams provide medical care for local communities they come across as they ascend the mountains.Hotels also tend to stock up provisions and basic commodities, as expedition teams prefer to be logistically well-prepared before leaving the city of Skardu, from where they start their next destination towards K2 and other peaks.

The only transportation available to go up the mountains are jeeps that take eight hours to reach Pau, after which porters comes into play. From Skardu to Pau, jeeps charge Rs8,000 to Rs10,000. But when landslides and floods cause road blocks, the teams have to set up camp and the local community takes charge of the camp site.

Each mountaineering team books at least 10 to five jeeps for ferrying the equipment, while around 200 litres of petrol and diesel fill one jeep tank at the petrol pumps in Skardu. “Since it is difficult to load a jeep with a barrel or a can of oil due to excess weight or lack of space, the surrounding communities store oil for these jeeps in case there is a shortage but they sell it at double the price,” says Ali Muhammad, who drives his own jeep.

For cooking, kerosene oil is also available at Skardu city and at different spots in the adjoining areas. Ashraf Ali, a shopkeeper in Skardu says that mountaineers purchase everything they need from the local market as transportation is a hassle. Multinational goods are transported to Skardu by local traders in order to meet the demands of the mountaineers.

Despite the romance of mountaineering and the picturesque allure of Gilgit-Baltistan, the number of mountaineers arriving has begun to dwindle. Lodging facilities in Skardu and the remote areas or the base camps near climbing sites, which sometime ago were dependent mainly on foreign and domestic tourist flow, now wear a deserted look due to limited tourist arrivals.

Mehbook Ali, a tour operator, says that mountaineers’ flow has slowed down because of the global economy affecting this sport. “It is an expensive sport which requires thousands of dollars for a single person in addition to a whole team comprising dozens of porters, high altitude porters, equipment, food stuff and logistics, which is a huge expense for a mountaineer unless he or she is financially sound or has a sponsor,” he argues.

“A porter makes up to Rs12,000 to Rs14,000 per week which is not possible for them if they worked as an ordinary labourer,” says Afzal Husain, who has been working as a porter for the last five years. “Mountaineering can sustain the economy of the country from top to bottom, as long as it is developed in a proper way.”

Sadpara nods in agreement: “After Nepal, Gilgit-Baltistan ranks second in adventure tourism in the world. With such huge potential for adventure tourism, the government should take the initiative to improve infrastructure. Mountaineering can provide thousands of jobs to people, only if our government took it as seriously as in Nepal, where mountaineering enjoys exclusive attention from the government.”

A tough ascent, isn’t it?