Alpine Club of Pakistan organized a Women Alpine Mountaineering Training expedition to Passu Glacier in Hunza from 10 to 24 July 2009 in which 22 girl students from Punjab University, Lahore, Fatima Jinnah University Rawalpindi and Karakoram University Gilgit took part. The training was aimed to prepare these girls in rock, ice and snow climbing techniques which are essential for high altitude climbing.  

Pakistan has five of the fourteen highest peaks above 8000m including the second highest K2 8616m with over a hundred peaks above 7000m peaks and scores over six thousand meters. This training provided these young women of Pakistan an opportunity to enrich them with enough mountaineering technical skills to enter this adventurous sport and negotiate some of the high peaks in Pakistan. The trainees were taken to 2800m high base camp established at Borit Lake in Hunza where they learnt and rock ice climbing skills, belaying, abseiling and ice climbing and were also equipped with necessary theoretical knowledge about ecology, geology, geomorphology, navigation, mountain weather and hazards related to it, high altitude sickness, cure and prevention, environment, waste management and other mountain related issues. Apart from this, they were also trained in Crevasse Rescue Techniques and Fixed Rope assembling and dismantling. The training was imparted by Alpine Club’s instructional team comprising of Afzel Sherazi, Prof. Mehmood Pervaiz, Farid Ahmad, Attaulah Khan and Muhammad Tauqee

The trainees, after completion of training went up Borit Sar Peak and also did few high altitude walks and traversed glacier terrain and returned to Islamabad on 23rd July. Alpine Club of Pakistan organized reception on their return and a certificate distribution ceremony was held at Sports Complex Islamabad in which Brig. (Retd) Mir Gulistan Janjua, former Governor of NWFP who also remained President of the Club for many years distributed certificates among all the participants. Speaking on the occasion Brig Janjua appreciated the efforts by Alpine Club and reiterated the need for continuation of similar youth training programmes in future. Mr. Maurizio Gallo, Director Karakoram Trust of Italy and Prof. Khalida Khan, Director CMIR, Punjab University were also present at the occasion. Renowned mountaineer Nazir Sabir and President Alpine Club of Pakistan, who apart from climbing K2 also scaled Mount Everest in 2000 apprised the audience about the scope of training and appreciated the participants for completing such an extensive training programme and hoped that this effort of Alpine Club of Pakistan will help shape the women mountaineering future in Pakistan.

The Chief Instructor Mr. Afzel Sherazi briefed the audience about the details of this climbing camp with a preview of the proceeding. Some of the girls expressed their satisfaction about the training expedition and paid gratitude to the Alpine Club of Pakistan for providing such an opportunity in the heart of Karakoram.

The ceremony was attended by Club’s members, notables, media men and people from different walks of life. With this training, the Alpine Club of Pakistan aims to continue these training courses and to send a woman expedition to climb a peak in the time to come.