SAMAYA x ANTOINE GIRARD
PERILOUS PARAGLIDING-MOUNTAINEERING COMBO EXPEDITION IN PAKISTAN
Antoine Girard, a paraglider and mountaineer accustomed to high peaks, travelled to Pakistan in May 2023 to perform ski/paragliding combos on peaks over 7,000 meters above sea level. Weather conditions made the attempts difficult, but didn't stop Antoine from trying.
"Why did I do it?
For quite a few years now, I've been combining paragliding and mountaineering, i.e. reaching the mountains by paragliding and then climbing them. I've been working on it for years. We set off to do these combos, landing by paraglider at over 6,000 metres, then skiing back down to the end of the snow, and then taking off again by paraglider to return. It's really to show that the cable car can be replaced by paragliding.
We also wanted to confirm these combos over 7000 metres. Which was very complicated given the weather conditions. The weather in Pakistan was disastrous this year. So we had to juggle with this element. A "classic" year in Pakistan sees the snow begin at around 5500 meters. This year, we had snow at 4000 meters. It was quite a long struggle to find the right niches to attempt the 7000 meters.
On the last day of the window, I'm the only one who believes in it. I set off solo in the direction of Diran, which rises to 7266 meters. The bad weather forecast for the following day pushes me to attempt the summit during the day. After landing by paraglider at 6700 meters, I put on touring skis to climb the remaining 500 meters, leaving my paraglider and bivouac behind. For the last 100 meters, I had to abandon the skis, and finish the climb with my ice axes and crampons, and snow up to mid-thigh, such was the steepness of the slope.
I reach the top as night falls. I enjoy a moment of suspension in time, with sublime purple-red colors.
At that point, I couldn't sleep up there because I wasn't sufficiently acclimatized. I had to come down at night on a route I didn't know. It became a struggle for survival. I arrived in the middle of the night at 6400 meters where I set up my bivouac. I know that the storm will arrive early the next day and prevent me from taking off.
In the morning, I'm hit by a windstorm. I'm forced to continue my descent towards 6100 metres, which becomes very challenging due to the crevassed terrain, steep slopes and the fact that I'm alone.
Despite my precautions, a snow bridge gave way beneath my feet and I disappeared into a crevasse. The climb back up is extremely difficult with my 30kg rucksack on my back. It takes me over an hour to get out.
I eventually reached a take-off at 6000 metres where the wind died down, allowing me to escape. It was starting to snow, so it took me 10 minutes to get off the ground, then a few more minutes to get back in and make the 20-kilometer descent, leaving the storm behind me.
My feelings are mixed. On the one hand, I'm delighted with this achievement and the moment of pure beauty I experienced at the summit. On the other hand, the commitment this climb required was too much. The fact that I went alone, the amount of snow, the weather conditions and my lack of acclimatization all contributed to making this expedition a perilous one, turning a beautiful descent into a headlong rush to try and survive.
I can't wait to get back out there, to redo this outing and be able to attempt to fly above K2, with favorable weather, good timing and a real sense of achievement."
