The Expedition Trip Notes provide detailed information and background for the Adventure Consultants Gasherbrum 2 Expedition.
You can view the trip notes online by clicking the image or download a pdf by clicking the following link:
Gasherbrum 2 Expedition 2021 Trip Notes
Team Membership
The team will have a maximum size of 12 members and 2 guides. The Base Camp will be staffed by a Pakistani cook and helper. A team of high altitude porters will carry loads and help support the summit climb.
Our Guides
The expedition leader will be scheduled approximately six months out from the trip start. All of our trip leaders to the 8,000m peaks have extensive experience at high altitude and a proven record of safety, success and compatibility. Leading our 2020 Expedition are Dean Staples and Lydia Bradey.
Lydia Bradey
Lydia was the first woman to ascend Mt Everest without oxygen in 1988 and after years of personal climbing is now mountain guiding with Adventure Consultants. She has climbed and guided extensively throughout the world, including previous expeditions to Pakistan's Karakorum with summits of Gasherbrum 2, Broad Peak and an attempt on K2. As well as being a qualified IFMGA Guide she is also a qualified physiotherapist.
Dean Staples
Based in Lake Hawea, New Zealand, Dean Staples, leads both international expeditions and New Zealand trips. A multi-talented IFMGA guide with over two decades of guiding experience, Dean is a super friendly guy, with great patience and leadership skills. Among a multitude of climbing achievements Dean has a total of 9 Everest summits and as lead guide on our 2013 Everest Expedition, he achieved a double summit of Everest and then Lhotse in just over 24 hours. Dean has recently climbed in the Karakorum, summitting Broad Peak in 2019.
Climbing Sherpas
The Gasherbrum 2 expedition will be supported by a small team of Climbing Sherpa from Nepal who have dozens of 8,000m summits between them. Our group of Climbing Sherpas is enthusiastic, motivated and regarded as the strongest and most cohesive group of Sherpas in the Himalayas. It is indicative of the reputation that our Sherpa team has earned—that Sherpas from other expeditions enthusiastically pursue a future position with the Adventure Consultants team. We have been developing the personnel within our Sherpa team for 25 years and they are an integral part of the Adventure Consultants team.
Head Office Support Team
Running successful journeys and expeditions is more about experience, knowledge and strategic management than any other factors. As an organisation, we place a substantial amount of time and resources into ensuring our trips are well planned and supported. You can be assured that the AC staff will provide you with friendly advice and knowledgeable support throughout the planning stages of your trip and we will be there to provide backup while the trip is running.
Hayley Furze, Client Liaison
Hayley joins the AC team with a wealth of experience working in the tourism and hospitality industry along with a love of travel. She works as Client Liaison on a number of our European and international ascents, treks and expeditions.

Your Health
Expedition members will be provided with pre-trip medical advice and a medical questionnaire and asked to visit their family physician to receive a full medical examination. This information will be sighted only by the expedition leader and our medical adviser and treated with full confidentiality.
Level of Experience Required
Gasherbrum 2 is a relatively straightforward climb in good conditions. Conditions are the crux of climbing in Pakistan, as the weather is less settled than further east in Nepal and storm cycles can persist for extended periods. Consequently, we have a large window for ascending the mountain with our summit bid being timed to coincide with the best weather statistically.
Climbers contemplating this climb should have a strong background in mountaineering skills and have experienced altitude above 5,500m prior to this expedition. Commonly climbers will have previously climbed Denali, Aconcagua or the various Mexican volcanoes or even other 8,000m peaks as training for this climb.
A fierce determination and burning desire to climb the mountain are essential ingredients for this expedition. The guides and other expedition staff will provide the leadership, tactics and overall decision making during the climb allowing you to concentrate all your energies to completing the climb. See our Fitness Training Programs for information on how we can help you prepare for the expedition.
Difficulty Rating
Each of our trips is individually rated according to its physical and technical difficulty, displayed in the icons towards the top of each trip page. You can click on the accompanying question mark for additional descriptions and the full run-down of our grading system is available on our Difficulty Ratings page.
What You Carry
Climbers will be expected to carry only their own equipment and a small amount of group gear. We will use the services of the strong local High Altitude Porters (HAPs) to help with establishing high camps.
Food
Food will be of the highest standard possible, given the remoteness of the situation. Please inform us if you have any special dietary requirements.
Clothing & Equipment
Expedition members will be sent a list detailing all necessary clothing and equipment to be individually provided.