Snow Lake & Hispar La Traverse

This traverse links the Biafo and Hispar glaciers over the Hispar La at roughly 5,128 metres, crossing Snow Lake — a vast high basin of snow and ice that drains into both systems. It is one of the longest continuous stretches of glacier travel anywhere outside the polar regions.

The route runs from Askole in Baltistan to Hispar in Nagar, so it crosses between two regions on foot with no road access in between. Crevasse terrain means roped travel for parts of it, and the commitment is real: once you are on the ice past the point of return, the only way out is forward.