pamirs

When I first became aware of a crowdfunded appeal to search for two climbers who had been missing for days on a remote peak in Pakistan, my immediate impression was that it was both desperate and futile. Not everyone saw it that way, and what happened next was remarkable.

Peak Lenin in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan has been on my radar for many years as a mountain renowned for being very big, but technically straightforward. But as I discovered, technically straightforward is not the same as easy.

I expect most of us have experienced it at some time in our lives: escaping the office for a few weeks of sunshine, only to end up somewhere wetter than a haddock’s bathing costume. Nobody likes rain, but sometimes it just won’t stop.

If I’d known about the climbing history of 7134m Peak Lenin, then I might have thought twice about going there. But if I’m lucky I will have good weather and reach the summit, and if I don’t I’m sure I will return home with many happy memories.

Why a crowdfunded mountain rescue raised $200,000 in under a week

Hell or high water: a Peak Lenin modern pentathlon

My 5 wettest mountain adventures

Sunshine and optimism in the High Pamirs: my attempt on Peak Lenin