SAFA Skysailor Magazine

22 SKY SAILOR January | February 2020 T he taxi took me on a winding route up the mountains from the quaint tourist town of Karimabad, in the Hunza Valley, to Eagles Nest where we hiked 25 minutes up a small rocky trail to the 3000m high launch. Miserable climbs greeted my 10am launch as I struggled to maintain height, slowly descending while sweating it out in my high altitude apparel. I scratched the first five kilometres towards the beautiful turquoise hued Attabad Lake (2550m), interestingly formed by a devastating landslide. I finally found a sharp edged, bumpy climb that slowly carried me over the jagged rocky spires of Attabad peak (5184m). I spotted Jan Tupy to the west, dwarfed by Ultar Sar. Unable to resist the company over this insane landscape, I turned around and joined Jan, climbing out together to 6000m. We flew side by side for the next hour with Ultar Sar (7388m), Shispare Sar (7611m) and Passu Sar (7284m) towering above us and the stunningly beautiful Gulmit, Ghulkin and Passu glaciers meandering below us. The day was now well established, with con- sistent climbs of up to 8m/sec. We pushed north, climbing wingtip to wingtip over the spectacular icy landscape of the 57km long Batura glacier. While Jan headed north, I attempted to surpass my altitude goal, topping out just short in the diminishing thermal at 6974m ASL (22880ft), thankful for my oxygen and well-prepared cloth- ing which ensured I was still comfortable at these incredible altitudes. From here, I felt like I could go Charismatic Karakoram After a decade of paragliding I’ve had some pretty memorable flights, but my recent flight in the Karakoram Mountains in northern Pakistan was a very special experience. by Shane Tighe My first good climb after launch ~4000m, looking up at Ultar Sar (7388m) Watching Jan climb out with Shispare (7611m) in the background On glide with Shispare in the background and Passu Glacier below Photo: Jan Tupy Gliding over Passu Glacier with Shispare in the background