Adventure at the end of the world

If there is still truly uncharted territory in today's mountain world, then it is in such a remote area in the Shimshal Valley in Pakistan's Karakorum.

JOURNEY INTO THE UNKNOWN

This is where Tyrolean professional alpinist Lukas Wörle (32) and Slovenian world-class mountaineer Aleš Česen (43) found themselves on an expedition that embodies everything that real adventure mountaineering is all about: uncertainty, improvisation, and the fascination of the unknown. Together, they succeeded in August in making the first ascent of the 6,224-meter-high Cherireen Sar – on a route that no one had ever taken before.

Even the journey to this remote area was an experience for the two professional mountaineers. The team reached the remote village of Shimshal via an adventurous mountain road. From there, the route continued on foot for three days towards base camp, deep into the wild solitude of the Karakoram. No tracks, no infrastructure, no contact with the outside world. Just rock, ice, and the silence of the mountains.

First ascent in pure alpine style

The original plan was to take a different route, up Kurdophin Sar. However, persistent rain, wind, and unstable conditions made a change of strategy necessary. Wörle and Česen quickly decided to set up a high camp at almost 5,000 meters and took advantage of a window of good weather to climb the neighboring mountain. In classic Alpine style, without fixed ropes or outside assistance, they climbed over brittle rock, steep ice, and exposed ridges to the summit of Cherireen Sar. After 17 hours, they returned to base camp exhausted but happy.

The expedition symbolizes a return to the origins of mountaineering, reduced to the essentials, driven by experience, instinct, and respect for nature. For Wörle, this type of mountaineering means slowing down and focusing on the essentials: discovery, experience, and knowing one's own limits.