Karakoram air safari1

Pakistan International’s ‘Air-Safari’ takes one over the highest and most spectacular mountain ranges of the world – the Himalayas, the Karakorams and the Hindukush. The flight takes one over nature’s grandest sculpted work of art – a journey of 1 hour and 50 minutes into another era, another realm – the closest most of us can get to names such as Nanga Parbat, K2, Broad Peak, Rakaposhi, Concordia, Trango Towers and more. The entire journey is nothing less than a spiritual experience. Galen Rowell has very aptly termed Concordia 'the throne room of the Gods'.

I boarded PIA’s Boeing 737 at Islamabad airport on its ‘Air-Safari’ over the highest and most spectacular mountain ranges of the world – the Himalayas, the Karakorams and the Hindukush. The flight took us over 1000 kms of nature’s grandest sculpted work of art – a journey of 1 hour and 50 minutes into another era, another realm.

Soon after take-off from Islamabad at nine in the morning on a clear October day, we headed in northerly direction and very soon climbed towards Nanga Parbat – the 9^th highest peak in the world and the second highest in Pakistan. This 26,660 feet high giant in the Himalayan range stands alone against the backdrop of the Karakorams.

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Also known as ‘the killer mountain’, Nanga Parbat is the most difficult and dangerous peak of the Himalayas – more climbers have lost their lives here than elsewhere in the world. We approached the mountain from its
southern side, the Rupal face (picture to the right) – the steepest face of Nanga Parbat. Flying almost at the same altitude as the summit, we first went clockwise and then anti clockwise around the mountain, so as to give passengers sitting on the left as well as the right side of the aircraft an equally breathtaking view of the mountain. At times we were not more than a mile from the mountain. It is difficult to describe the thrill of gazing at this ‘killer mountain’ and its Rupal face – a sheer wall that rises in an incredible swell of 15,000 feet.

Nanga Parbat, in the Himalayan range, is the 9^th highest peak in the world and the second highest in Pakistan (26,660 ft; 8125 metres). Also known as ‘the killer mountain’, Nanga Parbat is the most difficult and dangerous peak of the Himalayas – more climbers have lost their lives here than on any other mountain. The southern side of the mountain – the Rupal face – is the steepest face of Nanga Parbat. "It is a sheer wall that rises in a single swell of 15,000 feet – the highest mountain wall in the world." *

* From In the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods by Galen Rowell

Herman Buhl was the first to reach the summit of Nanga Parbat in 1953. He soloed this first ascent of Nanga Parbat, and climbed the Broad Peak in 1957 without oxygen, dying soon afterwards on Chogolisa.

It was rather amusing to sit in a plane that was being piloted around deftly as if it were a small car. The pilot came on the PA system and said "OK, now as we leave Nanga Parbat, we are going to accelerate our speed so that we can take you to the vicinity of K2 without wasting time."