In the light of the Karakoram

Even one of the lesser-known 7,000-metrepeaks of the Karakoram – the mountain range that spans the borders of China, India and Pakistan – would dwarf every peak in the Alps. In the Karakorum, however, such a summit is overshadowed by others. I travelled to the centre of this world of extremes in 2018, partly to learn more about the work of the Karakoram Anomaly Project – a team of scientists and mountaineers assessing the risk of glacial lake outburst prestigious Equator Prize, the latter works to protect the endangered snow leopard through insurance schemes and from snow leopard attacks. Such initiatives are important because, while local communities depend on subsistence farming for their survival, their actions can contribute to habitat fragmentation and lead to a reduction in the size of the natural prey. A balance has to be found. My journey culminated close to the base camp of K2, the second-highest mountain on Earth. From there I could admire most experienced mountaineers – as well as the graveyard for many of their ambitions. The base camp was only reachable river of ice. During my stay in northern Pakistan, I had the stores and sources of freshwater for the Indus River and the I joined the Karakoram Anomaly Project team on a third glacier – Khurdopin – the source of some of the most dangerous glacier hazards in the Hunza region of Pakistan. The purpose was to assess the immediate danger of communicate the risks to the local people. These powerful ice rivers, seemingly timeless yet balanced precariously on shifting terrain, have been bound up with local human cultures I came away with a deeper understanding of the fact that now, more than ever, we live in a time of profound change and Pakistan: www.anamariapavalache.com

Ibrahim, a local guide and schoolteacher from the Shigar Valley, helps Ishaq and Khadim to cross the river. For him, Biafo glacier is a living organism, a unique ecosystem to be respected.