Spantik expedition — the Golden Peak
Overview
Spantik — the Golden Peak — is a 7,027 m mountain in Nagar climbed by its south-east ridge, and the best first seven-thousander in Pakistan. Twenty-six days, graded very hard, no technical crux on the standard route. If you want to find out whether you climb well above 6,500 m, this is the mountain to find out on.
Why Spantik is the standard stepping stone
The south-east ridge is a long snow route. There is glacier travel, crevasse risk, altitude and weather, but there is no rock step, no icefall to thread and no section that demands technical climbing beyond competent cramponing and rope work. What it demands is the ability to keep going on a long summit day at 7,000 m — which is exactly the question a climber needs answered before booking an eight-thousander.
You approach from Arandu through the Chogolungma glacier to base camp at around 4,500 m, then build through Camps 1, 2 and 3 on the ridge. Summit day is long and begins in the dark.
The Golden Pillar, and what we do not sell
Spantik’s north-west face carries the Golden Pillar, one of the most celebrated hard climbs in the range. We do not guide it and we do not pretend to. We run the south-east ridge, properly, and we say which one you are buying.
Who we take
A 6,000 m summit, or solid alpine experience with glacier travel and crampon competence, plus references. No 7,000 m experience needed — that is the point of the trip. We will talk through your record at enquiry and tell you honestly whether this is your year for it.
When it runs
June to August. The Chogolungma approach and the ridge both want settled summer conditions, and we build weather days into the rotation rather than fixing a summit date.
What is inside the price
Peak royalty and permits, the trekking visa file, all transport on our own vehicles to Arandu, the approach under our published porter charter, base camp with cook and mess, route rope and hardware placed by our crew, one high-altitude guide per two climbers, oxygen held for emergency use, satellite comms and a written evacuation plan for every camp on the ridge.
- Duration
- 24 – 28 days
- Maximum altitude
- 7,027 m
- Grade
- Hard
- Group size
- Max 10
- Guides
- 2 certified, 1 WFR
- Season
- June – August
- Starts / ends
- Islamabad / Islamabad
- Spantik at 7,027 m, the usual first seven-thousander in the Karakoram
- A snow route rather than a technical one, which is why it is the right first one
- The Golden Pillar on the north-west face, one of the great hard lines in the range, seen from below
- Approach through Arandu and the Chogo Lungma glacier
- Guides on our own payroll and a published turnaround time on summit day
Fixed departures
These prices are per person on a fixed departure, and they are the price — we do not discount a published figure. Deposit is 30%; the payment schedule and cancellation terms are published and sent with every quote. For your own dates, see the private pricing below.
Private departures and group pricing
Your party, your dates. The per-person figure falls as the party grows, because the guides, the vehicles and the camp cost the same split more ways. Everything in the inclusions list applies, and the safety standard is the one published above.
| Party size | Price per person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | USD 7,850 | Private guide and vehicle for the two of you |
| 3 – 4 | USD 6,600 | |
| 5 – 8 | USD 5,500 | Second guide joins at six |
| 9 – 12 | USD 4,750 | By arrangement, season permitting |
Deposit is 30% of the trip price. The payment schedule and the cancellation terms are published and sent with every quote, before you pay anything.
Day by day
Buffer days are built in, not padding. If the weather takes them, nothing downstream collapses and you are not charged twice.
01 Arrive Islamabad Hotel · 540 m
Met inside the terminal. Briefing and gear check.
02 Islamabad to Hunza or Nagar Hotel
Air to Gilgit and road, or the Karakoram Highway.
03 To Arandu Camp
Jeep to the roadhead. Crew and loads organised.
04 Arandu to Chogolungma Camp
Onto the glacier.
05 To Bolocho Camp
Up the glacier, ablation valley where it exists.
06 Bolocho to base camp Base camp · 4,500 m
Camp built below the southeast ridge.
07 Base camp — rest and rope practice Base camp · 4,500 m
Acclimatisation and skills, every member.
08 Rotation one — Camp 1 Base camp · 4,500 m
Up the ridge and back to sleep low.
09 Rest Base camp · 4,500 m
Recovery, pulse and saturation recorded.
10 Rotation two — Camp 2 with a night out Base camp · 4,500 m
Higher, sleeping on the mountain.
11 Rest and weather window Base camp · 4,500 m
Waiting.
12 Summit push — Camp 1 Camp 1
Push begins. Turn-back criteria restated.
13 Push — Camp 2 Camp 2
Short night.
14 Summit day, or turn back Camp 2
The long upper ridge. It goes further than it looks.
15 Descent to base camp Base camp · 4,500 m
Off the mountain.
16 Weather reserve Base camp · 4,500 m
Held for a second attempt.
17 Base camp to Bolocho Camp
Loads lighter.
18 Bolocho to Arandu Camp
Off the glacier.
19 Arandu to Hunza or Gilgit Hotel
Out by jeep. Kit return and debrief.
20 To Islamabad Hotel · 540 m
Air or road, with buffer.
21 Islamabad, and home —
Airport transfer.
What is included
- Visa sponsor letter
- All permits, park fees and NOCs
- Met inside the terminal, all transfers
- Our own 4x4s and drivers
- Certified guides and insured crew
- Camp equipment, cook and all meals on trek
- Medical kit, oxygen where the route calls for it
- Satellite comms and a daily message home
- International flights
- Visa fee itself
- Travel insurance covering evacuation and repatriation
- Personal equipment
- Tips
If our price is wrong for you we will move you to a lower tier or remove a named inclusion. We do not discount a published price, and we do not cut the crew.
Fitness and difficulty — read this honestly
A verified record of serious trekking at altitude and preferably a six-thousander. Spantik by the south-east ridge is a snow plod rather than a technical climb, and that is exactly what makes it the usual first seven-thousander — but a long snow plod at 7,027 m with a pack is harder than most people expect and summit day is very long.
You need to be comfortable in crampons, able to walk roped, and fit enough for a sixteen-hour day after three weeks of camping. We teach the rope work. We cannot teach the engine.
Kit list
The full list with quantities is sent with your quote. Rental is available in Skardu for most of it, priced separately. Your kit is checked item by item in Islamabad, not the night before the trek.
Group — we provide
- Sleeping, mess, kitchen and toilet tents
- Group first aid and the medical kit
- Satellite phone and messenger
- All cooking and camp equipment
Personal — yours
- Sleeping bag rated to −20 °C or better
- Insulated jacket and waterproof shell
- Walking boots, worn in before you arrive
- Trekking poles
- Sun hat, glacier glasses and high-factor sunscreen
- Headtorch with spare batteries
- Water bottles or bladder, two litres minimum
- Personal medication and a declared medical history
Technical — yours, rentable in Skardu with notice
- Mountaineering boots, crampon-compatible
- Crampons and ice axe
- Harness, belay device, two locking carabiners, prusik
- Helmet
Safety, evacuation and insurance
Helicopter rescue in the Karakoram is not guaranteed. Weather, altitude, daylight and clearance all decide whether a helicopter flies, so every stage carries a named drive-out or walk-out plan. Your insurance must cover helicopter evacuation and repatriation to the maximum altitude on your itinerary, and we verify the certificate before the trip starts.
A graded medical kit sized to the trip, oxygen, a portable altitude chamber, a satellite phone and a messenger, and a wilderness first responder in the crew.
The lead guide’s decision to turn back is final. Not a guest, not an agent, not this office — whatever has been paid.
Getting there
Islamabad
Met inside the terminal. Briefing the same evening, SIM and cash sorted.
Islamabad to Gilgit or Hunza
By air to Gilgit, weather permitting, or by road up the Karakoram Highway. The road is long but reliable and it is scenery rather than dead time.
On the ground
Our own vehicles and drivers throughout.
Questions people actually ask
Is Spantik a good first 7,000 m peak?
It is the one most often used for that and we think it is a sound choice. Not technically hard on the standard ridge, long enough to teach you what altitude does, and with a real summit at the end.
What experience do I need?
Above 6,000 m, competent in crampons on snow with a rope, and able to carry at altitude on consecutive days. We check it rather than take your word.
How long is summit day?
Long. The upper ridge goes considerably further than it looks from below, which is the single most common surprise on this mountain and the reason the turn-back time is set early.
Do you use supplementary oxygen?
Not on the climb at this altitude. We carry oxygen at base camp for medical use, with a portable altitude chamber.
What happens if I cannot continue?
Someone qualified goes down with you — that is what the ratio is for — and the expedition continues.
Can it be combined with a trek?
Yes, and it works well with the Nagar and Hunza valleys either side. Tell us how long you have.
What permits does Spantik need?
Peaks above 6,500 m carry a royalty and a climbing permit, and a liaison officer is assigned. Spantik is in an open zone so the approach paperwork is lighter than on the border peaks. All of it is in the price and itemised. Royalty bands were revised recently and we quote live figures at enquiry rather than from memory.
What does it cost and what moves the price?
The peak royalty and the liaison officer are fixed costs that fall per head as the team grows, so party size moves the figure more here than on a trek. After that, porter stages to the glacier and the length of the season you want. Deposit is 30 per cent on peaks above 6,500 m rather than the usual 25.
When does Spantik run?
June to August. Early season has more snow on the approach and better conditions high; late season is warmer and the glacier is more broken. We will tell you which we think suits your record.
If this one is not quite right
The commonest reason a trip is wrong is that it is too hard or too easy, not that it is in the wrong place.
- A step harder Diran expedition
You have already chosen the region, which is the harder decision. These run from the same roadhead.
- Nagar · Day excursion Hopper glacier and Nagar
- Nagar · Trek Rush Lake and Rush Pari
- Nagar · Trek Rakaposhi Base Camp from Minapin
If this one is not right
Khosar Gang — first 6,000 m peak
Gasherbrum I expedition — Hidden Peak
Rakaposhi expedition
Very hard
Hushe & Charakusa · Expedition