Laila Peak

Layla Peak

Laila Peak in Hushe Valley near Gondogoro Glacier is in Karakoram range and is 6,096 metres (20,000 ft) high. It has a distinctive spear-like shape. Its northwest face has a slope of 45 degrees in more than 1500 vertical metres.

It has been climbed by Simon Yates, among others. According to the local people in Hushe, Laila peak has been climbed only twice, a total of only seven people have summited.^[2]

It was climbed in winter for the first time by Spanish mountaineers Alex Txikon and José Fernandez, in February 2013.^[3]

The height of the Laila peak in Hushe Valley is controversial. Some believe it to be 6200 metres whereas some mention it as 6614 metres. In a Japanese mountaineering map by Tsuneo Miyamori (published in 2003), the height of Laila Peak is mentioned as 6096 metres.^[4]

 

First skiers and snowboarders on Laila Peak

In the summer of 2005, the first ever ski attempts on Laila Peak were made by Fredrik Ericsson and Jörgen Aamot from Scandinavian countries. Although they could not reach the summit, they skied down the North-West face of the peak. They described it as “one of the most amazing mountains they have ever seen, like a needle it points straight up in the sky”.

Frederik and Jörgen reached the base camp of Laila Peak (4150 metres) on June 18, 2005, and they were at Camp1 (5000 metres) on June 22. They made their first attempt to summit on Friday, June 24. They started climbing from 5000 metres at 2:30 am and after seven hours of climbing when they were only 100 metres from the summit, they realized that it was too icy to continue, and started skiing down on the North-West face of Laila Peak towards Gondogoro Glacier.^[5]

The second group ever to attempt to ski the mountain was Paul Holding (UK), Brendan O’Sullivan (Ireland), Ed Blanchard Wrigglesworth (Spain) and Luca Pandolfi (Italy). All were the first snowboarders (two on splitboards) on the mountain except for Ed Blanchard Wrigglesworth, who was on skis. They reached the col at 5,400m only to find that the whole left side of the face had avalanched down to rock while they were climbing from the south side, scuppering any attempts for that year. A full account of their story can be found here.

  Permit

The mountain lies in a restricted zone. The village of Hushe is the gateway to the mountain, in the Masherbrum Valley below but the Gondogoro and Chogolisa valleys are restricted. In order for non Pakistani citizens to visit these valleys a permit must be purchased from the Ministry of Tourism ($50 per person), and a licensed guide is required for the duration.^[6]

Gondogoro Pass

English: Laila Peak (Hushe Valley), 6096 m, (Gondogoro Glacier Area, Central Karakoram, Pakistan) Français : Pic Laila (6096m), Vallée de Hushe, Zone du Glacier Gondogoro, Karakoram central, Pakistan.

Gondogoro Pass is the highest (19,500 ft) mountain pass on the Gondogoro Glacier near Vigne Glacier. From the Southern side, pass descends into the Hushe village which is the last human settlement of the Ghangche District of northern Pakistan. To climb the pass, mostly climbers and trekkers prefer to start from the Northern side which is easy and connected with the Vigne Glacier.

In 1986, a route was established that connects Concordia and the upper Baltoro Glacier to the Hushe Valley over the Gondogoro Pass(5940m). Since then, this challenging technical pass has attracted trekkers and climbers alike. This pass has one of the most overwhelming mountain panoramas anywhere in the world, with all of the Karakoram’s 8000m peaks close at hand. The Gondogoro La, although popular with trekkers, involves Class 4 climbing. The North side is a 50-degree snow slope with Avalanche danger requiring fixed ropes. The south side is a continuous 50-degree slope with rock-fall and avalanche danger that requires fixing as much as 300m of rope.

 

When to visit

The pass is easier to cross earlier in the season and can be attempted as early as the last three or four days in June. Any earlier and you are likely to be the first party of the season to break the trail. By August, objective dangers from crevasses, avalanches and rock fall increase substantially as the snow cover begins to melt. It may be approached either from the Askole village all the way over Baltoro Glacier leading to Concordia and Ali Camp over Vigne Glacier or from Hushe valley through Charakusa valley over Masherbrum glacier leading to the foothills of Gondogoro and Laila Peaks.

Even though the ascending and descending sides of the pass have fixed dynamic ropes, Crossing this pass requires good judgement, commitment, top fitness, prior acclimatisation and basic mountaineering skills of all members. Since the slope that comes down into Hushe valley is too steep, climbers and trekkers use crampons especially while descending. For the immature climbers and trekkers with minimal climbing training and experience, rescue workers stay at the top of the pass to assist them. They are highly skilled local climbers and high altitude porters. For such services they charge nominal fee but provide excellent quality of service.