World ExpeditionsBig Adventures. Small Footprint.https://assets.worldexpeditions.com/BlogBritish Alpine Legend to lead K2 Trekhttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/5143/victor-saunders-k2-gondogoro-trekActivities,MountaineeringThu, 21 Jul 2022 01:27:00 GMT<p>One of Britain’s greatest living climbers, Victor Saunders, will be leading our <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Pakistan/Trekking-Walking/Ultimate-K2-Trek-Basecamp-Concordia-Gondogoro-La-with-Victor-Saunders">trek to the Karakoram</a> in 2023. </p> <p>Victor, whose career spans six decades, has summitted Everest six times between 2004 and 2012. Beyond Everest, Victor is an elite alpinist who has established some of the hardest mountaineering routes on earth. Victor will lead our K2 and Gondogoro La trek immediately before his own climbing expedition to K2.  </p> <p>The Gondogoro La (Gondogoro Pass) lies south of K2 and connects the Gondogoro Glacier to the southwest and the Vigne Glacier to the northeast. </p> <p>The late American photographer Galen Rowell called the exquisite area northeast of the Gondogoro La the ‘Throne Room of the Mountain Gods’ and titled his 1977 book after the region. </p> <p>Victor Saunders, together with his expedition team, will make a summit attempt of K2 ahead of our trek. How would you benefit from a guided trek with Victor? </p> <p>First, an accomplished mountain man like Victor notices the little things: your breathing, your condition, your steps—even how much water you’re drinking. He knows tricks for a proper acclimatization. He knows how to read the weather and prepare for the day. He knows how to maintain pace without stressing the body and mind. He knows the people and their histories. </p> <p>Second, he’s the president of the Alpine Club, and people in such high places have the best stories about the nutty, wonderful, and famous climbers of the day. You’ll likely hear a few stories that will impress and confound.</p> <div class="dynamicImageWrapper" switchsource="image1"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="embed-responsive-item" src="//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/1xTrciqkTyg?rel=0&controls=1"></iframe></div> </div> <p> </p> <p>Third, Victor will be in the region not just for the trek’s sake, but to actually attempt an ascent of K2, the hardest 8,000m peak and the second tallest mountain on earth. You’ll get to see how a world-class mountain athlete prepares himself physically and mentally for such an task.  </p> <p>Besides being an accomplished climber, Victor is a learned scholar. After training and working as an architect, Victor committed his life to the mountains. He has made several noteworthy contributions to mountaineering literature, and his book <em>Elusive Summits</em> won the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature – the most prestigious award in the mountain publishing space – in 1991.  </p> <p>Expect to have a fun, safe, and rewarding journey with Victor and gain some insight into what drives humans who live for the world’s greatest challenges.</p> 5143