Adam Bielecki of Poland and Louis Rousseau of Canada are teaming up for an off-season exploratory expedition to Pakistan’s Hunza Valley.
In just over a week, they are heading to a peak they’ve researched but otherwise know little about. It’s slightly over 6,500m and, according to locals and the little documentation available, it is unnamed and unclimbed.
“The peak is in a valley that few visit, but it is otherwise quite accessible [via] a three-day trek,” Rousseau told ExplorersWeb. “There are no official climbing records of the peak. If anyone has climbed it, it was without a permit.”
Permits are required for all peaks above 6,500m.
Louis Rousseau of Canada. Photo: Facebook
The pair will spend over one month in the mountains. First, they will acclimatize on nearby trekking peaks.
“This way, we will have views of the peak from different angles to study the possible routes of ascent and descent,” Rousseau said.
Their climb comes after the Pakistan 8,000m season has ended, but the climbers think the time is right.
“Autumn is the best season for 6,000’ers and 7,000’ers since the weather is cold and clear,” said Rousseau.
Rousseau and Bielecki have known each other since 2011, and last climbed together in 2017. At that time, they attempted a new route on the north side of Cho Oyu with the late Rick Allen of UK and Felix Berg of Germany.
Left to right, Adam Bielecki, Felix Berg, Louis Rousseau, and Rick Allen before the 2017 Cho Oyu expedition. Photo: Adventure Sports Blog
The Hunza Valley in Gilgit-Baltistan includes peaks like Rakaposhi, Batura Sar, Shispare, and Distaghil Sar.
Peaks in the Hunza region, Pakistan. Photo: Shutterstock
