Field Touring Alpine

If you love mountain scenery and amazing culture the fabled trek to K2 base-camp should be high on your bucket list. We will be returning for the 16th time to the mighty Karakoram with trips to K2 BC and a climb on Spantik (7027m) in August this year. For detailed trips notes email us at: dave@fieldtouring,com. Images: Dave Hancock/FTA

While it's the mountains and amazing scenery that take us to the Karakorum in the first place, its quite often the indelible memories of meetings with the locals and the kind hospitality afforded to us that truly complete the experience. We have spaces available on our August 2016 departures for the K2 trek and Spantik climb - email for details [email protected].
Images by Dave Hancock/FTA

Concordia is the meeting place of 3 great glaciers, and is surrounded by enormous walls of rock and ice and is the only place in the world where you can have 4 x 8000m peaks within a few kms of you, including K2. It's one of many highlights on our remarkable K2 Base-camp trek. Departing August 01 from Islamabad. Contact [email protected] for trip info. Images by Stu Remensnyder and Dave Hancock/Field Touring.

Field Touring's Dave Hancock travelling light once again - his heaviest haul was 340 kgs from Perth - Islamabad via Bangkok! If it wasn't for the support of Thai Airways we would be spending a lot of time faffing around with shipping, lost cargo, and belligerent customs officers. Many thanks to all the awesome crew in Perth's Thai Airways office!

Great trip for anyone wanting to climb a remote 7000m peak !

FTAs 'most recent trip saw all eleven members reach the 7027m summit, congrats to that team and to Tim Colqhoun our expedition leader. Images are from several of our trips there from 2005 - 2011 by Tim Colqhoun/Dave Hancock/Tony Breen/FTA

We are CONFIRMED for Spantik in 2016 - a truly remarkable 7000m expedition style climb inside one of the most picturesque corners of the Karakoram Himalaya. We are donating all profits from this climb as well as our K2 trek to help fund school teacher salaries in some of the more remote Balti villages. We would love for you to join us this year - email for the full trip notes, we start in Islamabad on August 01

FTAs 'most recent trip saw all eleven members reach the 7027m summit, congrats to that team and to Tim Colqhoun our expedition leader. Images are from several of our trips there from 2005 - 2011 by Tim Colqhoun/Dave Hancock/Tony Breen/FTA

We are heading back to the fabled Karakoram Himalaya this season with treks to K2, a climb on Broad Peak, and an expedition to Spantik. If you'd like to discuss your climbing or trekking plans for 2015 drop Dave an email via [email protected]

Images taken on the extra-ordinary 120km long trek to K2 base-camp, by FTA Principal Dave Hancock

Jeeps are the most obvious way to get to the trailheads inside Baltistan to start the trek in to the upper valleys. Back in the 1950's when the first larger groups of western climbers began heading in, many of these tracks didn't exist, with expeditions sometimes walking over 300kms with pack animals to get to K2, the Gasherbrums, and Broad Peak. Images: Dave Hancock/Field Touring

Lots of climbers and trekkers are heading back to Pakistan with plenty of safety and security measures now in place, Skardu is where we base our operations and it has always been a peaceful and welcoming place.

There is an interesting article in the Telegraph, parts of it below - you can read the full piece here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/pakistan/9100507/Are-we-wrong-about-Pakistan.html

Images by Dave Hancock, going up the Vigne Glacier near K2

The prejudice against Pakistan dates back to before 9/11. It is summed up best by the England cricketer Ian Botham’s notorious comment that “Pakistan is the sort of place every man should send his mother-in-law to, for a month, all expenses paid”. Some years after Botham’s outburst, the Daily Mirror had the inspired idea of sending Botham’s mother-in-law Jan Waller to Pakistan – all expenses paid – to see what she made of the country.

Unlike her son-in-law, Mrs Waller had the evidence of her eyes before her: “The country and its people have absolutely blown me away,” said the 68-year-old grandmother.
After a trip round Lahore’s old town she said: “I could not have imagined seeing some of the sights I have seen today. They were indefinable and left me feeling totally humbled and totally privileged.” She concluded: “All I would say is: ‘Mothers-in-law of the world, unite and go to Pakistan. Because you’ll love it’. Honestly!”

Mrs Waller is telling the truth. And if you don’t believe me, please visit and find out for yourself.

We are pleased to announce we will back to the hills at near full strength as of next season 2016 after taking a 12 month hiatus. We currently have plans for a return to K2 and Broad Peak, Spantik, and our regular favourites in Nepal, Argentina and Ecuador. We will update our database members in the next few weeks or you can email us for trip dates and costs via [email protected] or check the site below.

Field Touring Alpine - The Expedition Specialists Field Touring Alpine Expedition and Treks around the world

FTA guide Sean James is climbing Everest from the north side and was interviewed on Bloomberg and on Sky News. Listening in will give you a feel of the climber's situation as they still have a difficult task ahead to leave the mountain and make their way back to Nepal with the main roads by Kodari cut off.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-04-28/we-are-the-luckiest-people-on-the-mountain-james

https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/592611411890610176

We Are the Luckiest People on the Mountain: James Field Touring Alpine Climber and Guide Sean James discusses what it was like being on Mount Everest when the earthquake struck. At least 19 people died on the mountain. He speaks to Bloomberg’s Rishaad Salamat on “Trending Business.” (Source: Bloomberg)