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Channel4+1 9pm Himalayan walk

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llechwedd 27 Dec 2015
Just a heads up for a TV programme about a man walking the length of the Himalaya. Might be worth a go seeing as there's nowt else on...
 Phil Murray 27 Dec 2015
In reply to llechwedd:
Thanks.

Getting choppered in to 4000m then spending the whole episode complaining about his altitude problems was a bit of a silly own goal, I thought......

Hanza valley (sp?) looked amazing though.
Post edited at 21:30
 Billhook 28 Dec 2015
In reply to llechwedd:

And although the programme is about "Walking the Himalaya", its quite clear that he had vehicle support plus film crew for much of what I saw in the 1st programme.

I'll watch it for the scenery but his commentary is a bit overdone; "We've conquered the pass" - yes you and all the thousands of nomads over the centuries who didn't use fancy modern kit either.

 JohnnyW 29 Dec 2015
In reply to Dave Perry:

Agreed. Disappointing
 AlH 29 Dec 2015
In reply to Dave Perry:

I don't like the militarised language used either but he didn't have a vehicle with him on the Afghan side of the Irshad pass. The roadhead is days downriver from the pass.
 Billhook 29 Dec 2015
In reply to AlH:

No, but he did state that he had a support crew with him for the start and we got a glimpse of one of them at the start of the pass when they got the yaks. I assume they used an off roader of some kind.

I'm no filming buff but several of the later shots showed both of themin the same shot and whoever was holding the camera appeared, at least to me, to also be moving. Film crew or one of the natives?

I think the guy is ex-army and didn't he do the programme a year or two ago called something like 'walking the nile'?

mind you I would not want to be walking down the road he ended the programme on. Especially with all the negative signs about america and Israel. Nor would I walk it if I was the Afghan interpreter as he'd be guilty by association!
 JohnnyW 29 Dec 2015
In reply to Dave Perry:

> No, but he did state that he had a support crew with him for the start and we got a glimpse of one of them at the start of the pass when they got the yaks. I assume they used an off roader of some kind.

True, he did

> mind you I would not want to be walking down the road he ended the programme on. Especially with all the negative signs about america and Israel. Nor would I walk it if I was the Afghan interpreter as he'd be guilty by association!

Thought that too.

In reply to Dave Perry:

The nile one was pretty good, I thought. He was mostly unsupported, and was in some situations that didnt look staged in the seriousness they presented.

I wouldn't have walked that road into gilgit, and the teaser for next episode with the shots of him being in presumably a RTA look alarming

Overall I enjoyed it- though it did seem to jump at one point from him reaching the summit of the pass late in the day, with his gear on the yaks supposedly hours below, to them being in the valley on the Pakistan side. Not sure what happened there- that could have been clearer
 Martin Hore 29 Dec 2015
In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

I visited the Hunza valley in 1982. Agree that the people are very friendly there (mostly Ismaili Muslim - definitely not fundamentalists). Sad to see the tensions in Gilgit. It was equally friendly when we were there.

Absolutely agree that some of the commentary was OTT. He must surely have known or been told that he was likely to suffer from the altitude if he got choppered into 4000m and started walking up-hill.

All that was said about crossing the pass into Pakistan was that they were "stopped". The implication was that it was for political reasons, but I suspect it may just have been too early in the season to be safe for the yaks. If that was case it would be good if they had been up front about their mistake. I understood that they then retraced their steps and used road transport around to the other side - which pretty much must have been through Gilgit so what we saw them experience there was not new to them.

Some stunning scenery though. Worth watching for that.

Martin
In reply to Martin Hore:

Ah right, that would make sense.

And it does look like an amazing part of the world. And, compared to most of the other stuff that's been on over the festive season, it was good TV...
 AlH 29 Dec 2015
In reply to Dave Perry:

They've mixed and matched shots and looks like they used vehicles on the Pakistan side to back track.
But trust me, no form of 4 wheeled transport would get within days of the Irshad Pass on the Pakistan side. There are 2 routes on that side, one frequently washes away and is a few feet wide. The other goes over a pass with no road, only a footpath. Horses, foot traffic and a few hardy mountain bikers who enjoy long carries only. The 'road head' is often inaccessible to 4wd too when it falls into the river on a regular basis
 Route Adjuster 30 Dec 2015
In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

> Overall I enjoyed it- though it did seem to jump at one point from him reaching the summit of the pass late in the day, with his gear on the yaks supposedly hours below, to them being in the valley on the Pakistan side. Not sure what happened there- that could have been clearer

He did say on the narration that they had been stopped by the Pakistani officials at the border and were forced to 'take the long way round' - once in Pakistan they then back-tracked to a point as close as they could to the Pass they came over, was pretty clear I thought.
In reply to Route Adjuster:

Ah, right, I missed that bit... Must have been distracted by the scenery...!
 mike123 30 Dec 2015
In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:
Totally agree. Due to the usual Xmas malarky I've watched far more tv than I would usually , despite all the annoying details , it's been just about the only thing I've enjoyed .
 Martin Hore 30 Dec 2015
In reply to Route Adjuster:

> He did say on the narration that they had been stopped by the Pakistani officials at the border and were forced to 'take the long way round' - once in Pakistan they then back-tracked to a point as close as they could to the Pass they came over, was pretty clear I thought.

I thought at first that is what I had heard too. But I became less sure. Perhaps it was just they had been stopped "at the Pakistan border" (which could have been by the snow conditions) and we assumed by officials at the border. I can't imagine the Pakistan authorities station officials actually at the pass - though perhaps they do.

If the narrator had travelled down the Pakistan side of the pass and had been turned back at the first border post then it's strange we didn't see some footage of the descent.

I don't think we were told the whole story here which slightly jarred with me, but overall it was worth watching.

Martin
 Billhook 03 Jan 2016
In reply to llechwedd:

I think the man must be another wanna be Bare Grills.

"If I have to stay out here the night, its game over", because there are bears and wolves living here. And;

"I'v e got to climb this almost vertical sheet of ice to get to the top", which looked like a shallow snow gully to me.

A bit talked up in my view and clearly he does not actually walk the Himalayas only tiny bits of it. But never mind, the scenery is rather more scenic than I expected. I'll probably watch the rest and wish I wasn't so cynical.
 abr1966 03 Jan 2016
In reply to Dave Perry:

Well he was there doing it....he's also an ex para so I can't imagine him as a wannabe Bear...!
In reply to abr1966:

Poor episode tonight to much talk of conflict ,guns ,police army etc
Not the reason I'm watching....... Didn't seem to get anywhere
1hour and I can't see anything happening beside the pointless
Bridge crossing
 JohnnyW 04 Jan 2016
In reply to llechwedd:

Yep, still persevering, but as said above, it's grating on me.

My wife was watching with me last night, and she was perplexed as to the whole point of it - 'It looks like he just wants to get into trouble with bemused border folks who are kind of doing their job, and then is kind of disappointed when he doesn't.

And as for the vertical ice slope......

And why has he got one of these man-bag satchel thingies rather than a rucksack? Hardly practical I would have thought.

And originally he said he'd be alone predominantly, or with his guide. So where's all his kit?

Hmmmm
 Wsdconst 04 Jan 2016
In reply to JohnnyW:

I've watched both episodes and I have to say I'm enjoying it, the scenery is really spectacular and the friendliness and hospitality he's received really surprised me.i thought the afghan mountaineer was a top guy too, the program did piss me off abit when his guides walked off with all his kit and he had to camp in the woods,obviously a set up, why would you let some total strangers wander off with all your gear/food , and how do two ex army guys lose a trail that donkeys have just passed over ?
 felt 05 Jan 2016
In reply to JohnnyW:

> And why has he got one of these man-bag satchel thingies rather than a rucksack? Hardly practical I would have thought.

Oneupmanship/blendin' in

Bellie 12 Feb 2016
In reply to felt:

I watched this and wasn't in raptures about it. In the main because of the type of presentation Channel 4 tried to do. Dumbed down - with the bits of false jeopardy thrown in, and repeated introductions - I'm Levison Wood and I'm walking.... etc. I think the title had us imagining high treks all the way, and the repeated shots of road walking were uninspiring.

The enjoyable bits - and the reason for the road walking, were the people and towns he visited. Interesting to get to see that rather than just 'views'.

I have watched recently - Bruce Parry's Arctic, and Michael Palin Himalaya, and found I enjoyed the more old school presenting of these... just more natural and less naff modern TV style presentation.


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