An international expedition aims to travel through untrekked valleys and attempt several first ascents in the Wakhan Corridor, Afghanistan, this summer. The Afghanistan’s Secret Peaks 2012 expedition also aims to raise awareness of the region as a destinations for climbers and trekkers, and generate some positive coverage for the war-torn country.
We spoke to Polish climber Malgosia Skowronska, who had the idea for the expedition after visiting the region last year: “After myself and (Ozzie) Sarah Sheridan spent a month on trekking in Wakhan in 2011 we absolutely felt in love with the place, the people, their warm welcome and the beauty of the mountains. I had a strange feeling that we would be back, so I got a few friends on board and a new idea started to grow in my head.”
The aims of the exped are much more than just about climbing, as Malgosia explains: “The expedition’s objective is to traverse the length of the Wakhan Corridor from west to east, explore two untouched valleys and tackle a few unnamed and virgin peaks. Apart from climbing one of our team members, Will Palmer, plans to paraglide from the mountains into the valleys to contribute aerial views to our filming project. We aim to produce a high definition documentary that can be used to promote the region among other climbers and lovers of any type of outdoor adventure – unspoilt culture, remote valleys and untouched mountains. We hope that this will help to promote the idea of tourism as additional income for the locals.”
Setting off in July 2012, the team aim to spend a month exploring the region, and you can follow their progress at their website listed below.
RELATED LINKS
www.afghanistandssecretpeaks2012.com