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Karakoram: Ice Mountains of Pakistan

$155.00

Karakoram: Ice Mountains of Pakistan

SKU: 9781858946870 Category: Product ID: 149209

Description

Temporarily out of stock

Title: Karakoram: Ice Mountains of Pakistan
Author: PRIOR COLIN
Format: HARDCOVER
Publication date: 01/04/2021
Imprint: MERREL
Price: $155.00
Publishing status: Active

The ice mountains of the Karakoram are among the world’s greatest natural treasures. At 8611
metres (28,251 ft), K2 is the second tallest mountain on Earth. There are three other mountains
in the range that top 8000 metres (26,247 ft) – Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II –
and more than 60 peaks above 7000 metres (22,966 ft). Extending in a south-easterly direction
from the north-eastern tip of Afghanistan and spanning the borders of Pakistan, India and China,
the Karakoram is part of a complex of ranges in Central Asia that includes the Hindu Kush to the
west and the Himalayas to the south-east. These mountains, however, are distinctive. This is the
most glaciated region on the planet outside the Arctic and Antarctic. But while most of the world’s
great peaks are almost blanketed in snow and ice, the Karakoram is an exception: the mountains
are so vertical that they rapidly shed snow, leaving their bold, jagged outlines of black granite
glistening in the sun. The name of the range comes from the Turkic term for ‘black rock’ or ‘black
gravel’. The well-known landscape photographer Colin Prior was initially inspired to visit the
Karakoram in his early twenties: in his local library he picked up the book In the Throne Room of
the Mountain Gods (1977) by the American climber and photographer Galen Rowell, and was
instantly captivated by images of the sharp, fractured peaks and vast glaciers. His first trip to the
Karakoram came in the mid-1990s, and he has been passionate about these mountains ever
since. Prior’s new book is the result of six expeditions he has made to the Gilgit-Baltistan region
of north-east Pakistan over the last six years. Because the region is so remote, there are no
established base camps, and each expedition requires careful planning and miles of trekking with
a large team of guides, porters and ponies to carry the equipment and provisions. There are
regular rock falls and perilous snow-covered crevasses to contend with. The reward for Prior is
what he calls the ultimate mountain landscape: ‘The scenery is graphic, with towers, minarets
and cathedrals of rock.’ This beautifully produced volume showcases the breathtaking beauty of
the Karakoram in some 130 duotone and colour photographs. The images are largely arranged
to follow Prior’s progress up the glaciers, and are accompanied by well-chosen quotations from
accounts of historical expeditions to the region. A selection of ‘making of’ images at the end of
the book highlights the challenges of documenting the most exceptional mountain range in the
world.

Colin Prior is an acclaimed landscape photographer with almost four decades of experience. He
seeks out patterns in the landscape and the hidden links between reality and the imagination. His
images capturing sublime moments of light and land are the result of meticulous planning, and
often take years to achieve.
110 duotone and colour photographs

ISBN: 9781858946870
Dimension: 346mm X 280mm

Additional information

Dimensions 346 × 280 mm