1. The sense of real adventure
Snow Lake trek also called the Biafo hispar trek is one of the longest treks on a glacier. You are on a 140km long glacier for most of the time, which makes it difficult but a lifetime experience, unlike, the k2 trek it’s attempted by few which makes it even more tempting in my view if you are a real adventure enthusiast, you won’t see many trekkers along the way most of the time none on 14 days long trek from askoli to hispar, you are in the middle of some of the surreal peaks in the world some of the peaks are unclimbed, dangerous legendary peaks like Biantha brak, Latok, and Sosbun brak which have been only summited by very few. The danger of hidden crevasses is there always for a couple of days but if you are tied to the rope and carefully that makes the trek even more adventurous but safe
2. It is the most unreal landscape I have ever seen
After doing most of the treks in Karakoram and the Himalayas I have to say I have never seen a landscape like Snow Lake, it is the most unreal place, every day you are in a different pasture that itself is beautiful and rewarding each day you get to see new peaks along the glacier and also more mountain passes, but once you are on hispar la you are there all your tiredness reaching to it is gone you say to yourself this was worth it you see a planet of snow and endless mountains the surreal landscape makes you feel like you have landed on a different planet
3. Longest glaciated zone outside of the polar zones
67 km glacier long The Biafo Glacier or you can also call it the Biafo highwayis situated in which meets the 49 km long Hispar Glacier at an altitude of 5,128 m at Hispar La to create the world’s longest glacial system outside of the polar regions. This highway of ice connects two ancient mountain kingdoms, Nagar, in the west with District Shigar Baltistan in the east. This Glacier is about 20 km away from Askoli Village Braldo of Shigar District. The traverse uses 51 of the Biafo Glacier’s 67 km and all of the Hispar Glacier to form a 100 km glacial route. The Biafo Glacier presents a trekker with several days of strenuous boulder hopping, with views throughout and Snow Lake near the high point. Snow Lake, consisting of parts of the upper Biafo Glacier and its tributary glacier Sim Gang, is one of the world’s largest basins of snow or ice outside the polar regions, up to 1,600 m in depth. The Biafo Glacier is the world’s third longest glacier outside the polar regions, second only to the 70 km Siachen Glacier, India, and Tajikistan’s 77 km long Fedchenko Glacier.
4. Amazing campsites
Campsites along the Biafo are located off the glacier, adjacent to the lateral moraines and steep mountainsides. The first three (heading up from the last village before the glacier, the thousand-year-old Askole village) are beautiful sites with flowing water nearby. Mango and Namla, the first two campsites, are often covered in flowers and Namla has an amazing waterfall very near the camping area. Baintha, the third campsite, is often used as a rest day. A large green meadow, it has a few running streams near the camp and many places to spend the day rock climbing or rappelling. On the hispar also you are in the beautiful pastures of hispar campsites like Bittan Mal where you are next to Khunyung Glacier on the opposite side of Balchish Peaks and a view of Makrong Chhish another campsite Bakhtur Baig where you have a view of Makrong Chhish and the hispar la itself
5. You will feel the energy of the mountains
he Biafo Hispar also the Snow Lake trek in the words of The first foreign visitor Martin Conway described Snow Lake as “beyond all comparison the finest view of mountains it has ever been my lot to behold, nor do I believe the world can hold a finer view.”
Once you are on the Snow Lake trek you realize how true the worlds of Martin convey are! When you cross the Hispar La you feel like not in a different but on a different planet altogether. Every rock on every mountain was more photogenic than the last on the Hispar and Biafo glaciers. A place so immensely big that you could build more than 500 football fields. It is indeed the land of the giants! With some passes connecting the valleys of Shimshal, Nagar, Arandu, Haramosh, and Shigar all connecting to the mystical snow lake. The 120-long ice highways serve as a connecting route between two ancient mountain kingdoms: Nagar in the west and Baltistan in the east.
6. So easy to take amazing pictures
You have to be in that moment to capture the perfect sunset, that light coming from a cloud, that golden hour but at the snow lake there is always something in every moment
I should say it’s the easiest place to photograph the magic you just need to keep your eyes open and at every glance, there is something a mountain is different, surreal, and magical in its way that’s why it’s called the ultimate trekking destination, Every rock every mountain was more photogenic than the last on the Hispar and Biafo glaciers.
A perfect subject matter for photography. it was as if like a psychedelic experience
7. Unknown beautiful peaks you haven’t even heard of.
The hispar valley is connected to the Hispar Muztagh mountain range which highly concentrated amounts of 7 and 6 peaks, peaks like Khunyang Chish which is 7,852, Pumori Chhish 7490m Dastaghil Sar 7890m, and Kanjut Sar 7760m are in this sub-range of Karakoram and 6 thousand meter peaks which are not even names are in this sub-range of Karakoram as well, and when you are on the Biafo side you have Sosbun brak 6900m, solu peak, hispar peak and many more Some of these mountains looked like a work of abstract art you just can’t understand the intricate details of it but you know they are beautifully surreal as if someone has painted them with some kind of ice paints and rock brushes, But they are as dangerous as they are surreal. almost half of the peaks haven’t even been summited and most of the 5000ers are unnamed and the ones which are named most of them haven’t even heard of!
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