UKC

Hello I am trying to get the best map for Pakistan the Karakoram area. I already got Karakoram by Schweizerische Stiftung für Alpine Forschung (Swiss Foundation For Alpine Research) looks good, but may be someone who has been to that region has got advice on the better map?

Cheers,
Kat

In reply to Kat4kgb: might be worth getting in touch with ice.solo, think he has done stuff in and around the Karakorum.

In reply to Kat4kgb:

The Swiss one probably has the best overall coverage but there are more local maps. Where are you planning to head?

In reply to Kat4kgb:

We bought a couple of maps from Stamfords when we went to the Hispar Glacier. I think one of them was that Swiss map you mentioned.

They're pretty basic, great for working out where you are or what a peak is, but you can't navigate on them.

It is worth taking a GPS and maybe printing off some close up images of the specific areas on Google Earth.

Where are you heading? Get in touch if you want and I'll be happy to share any info I have.

In reply to Kat4kgb:

Most of the hiking/climbing stores in Skardu sell fairly comprehensive maps of the Karakorum. From memory it is a set of 4. Each map was around ~$USD5 each

In reply to radson:

There'll be the Leomann maps from memory. They look a bit like the Swiss maps but are actually very poor quality in comparison. They are also quite easy to find in the UK.

In reply to Kat4kgb:

From the couple of trips I've done to the Karakoram, I reckon that whilst it's good to have a map, you don't actually use them all that often. They're great for working out the name of the peaks you're walking amongst, but I've never used them for navigation (as far as I can remember). You're mostly following pretty good tracks along or across glaciers, or up and down large valleys, it's fairly obvious. Also porters tend to know where they're going. I did find the descriptions in the LP trekking guide very useful however.

In reply to Kat4kgb:

For the Baltoro and close nearby, the Polish sat map is best. Made by Gregor Glazek of the Polish Mountaineering Association and GeoSystems. Published by PZA, 2004. It's b&w but with all peak names and glaciers overlaid on a large sat image. Stanfords used to sell it.

The two-sheet Swiss map is the only other decent one I know of. The Leomann maps are not only basic, they have a sufficient number of errors to be too misleading, maybe even dangerous, for actual routefinding. The old Soviet maps are quite accurate, and comprehensive, but even if you read Russian they are inaccurate in terms of roads, tracks, villages etc. and of varying scale, depending where you want.
http://mapstor.com/map-sets/country-maps/pakistan.html#maps-050k-preview

But those maps have not, nor will be, ever improved, as none of them beat Google Earth and a good colour A3 printer.

In reply to Kat4kgb: I got some of 4 map set from Maps Worldwide no contours on them though. I also found them in skardu. I found a few years back a web site with contoured maps of Karakorum and Northern India, lost the URL but worth looking for. They covered Spantik - K2.

In reply to Kat4kgb: Found the link:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/india/#A

In reply to m0unt41n:

The AMS maps are very poor. Eg, look at how few peaks have actually been properly marked on the maps.

In reply to Mr. Lee: I know, and the spot height values are a bit random but never the less the contours do give a good idea of ground shape which others do not. However they are 250K scale so it is all a bit indicative anyhow.

In reply to Mr. Lee: And useful for a first look since they are free.

In reply to m0unt41n:

You'd be better off just using Google maps with the coutures switched on.