GILGIT/ISLAMABAD: The mountain peaks in the Karakoram range witnessed a frenzy of activity on Saturday as eleven foreign climbers successfully summited Broad Peak (8,051 metres) and Gasherbrum II (8,034 metres).

Over 200 climbers have also started the summit push for K2 (8,611 metres) and fixed ropes up to Camp 3.

The summit pushes have been aided by ideal weather conditions which are forecast to last throughout the month. So far, 2,200 adventure tourists have been issued permits to scale mountains over 6,500m in height in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Seven Summit Treks said that seven climbers, including sherpas, have reached the top of Broad Peak, the world’s 12th highest mountain, on Saturday morning.

The summiteers included Oswaldo Freire Ossy from Ecuador; Sarah Marxer from Germany; Allie Pepper from Australia; Matteo Bonalumi from Italy; and Lakpa Nurbu Sherpa, Dawa Sherpa, Ngima Tashi Sherpa from Nepal.

11 scale Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II; 250 to push for K2 summit; 2,200 permits issued by regional govt

Separately, Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) Secretary Karrar Haidri said Romanian climber Horia Colibasanu also reached the summit.

Three climbers, Norway’s Kristin Harila and Nepal’s Tenjen Sherpa and Mingtemba Sherpa, successfully summited Gasher­brum-II in the morning at around 7:45 am, Seven Summit Treks said.

Ms Harila, 37, is also attempting to set the record for the fastest mountaineer to climb the world’s 14 tallest peaks in three months.

According to ACP, teams had started the summit pushing for Broad Peak, on Friday. Mr Colibasanu, and other independent climbers, rested at Camp III at 7,000m for a day and continued to the summit at night.

Interestingly, Ms Harila had just flown to the Gasherbrum II base camp and reached the summit without any acclimatisation, Mr Haidri claimed.

Mr Colibasanu also arrived recently and climbed the Broad Peak, bagging his 10th summit of 8,000’er peak, he added.

‘250 pushing for K2 summit’

More than 200 foreign climbers have started their adventure to scale the world’s second-highest peak K2 after weeks of bad weather that thwarted their efforts.

Alan Arnette, the oldest American climber to scale K2 and famous alpine blogger, has said an estimated 250 people are awaiting the expedition.

The summit pushes would have to wait until camps and ropes were installed along the way. Most teams have taken advantage of improved weather and were on their way to Camp II for the first acclimatisation round. Those with oxygen or already acclimatised were going even higher. Ropes had been fixed till Camp III.

The climbers will also have to face the challenge of heavy snowfall recently which has increased the threat for avalanches. However, the snow would reduce the incidents of rockfall.

The climbing activity at Nanga Parbat (8,126 metres) has clo­sed for the year with 60 climbers, including 12 Pakistani, summiting the mountain.

‘Record’ number of climbers

The climbing activity is now picking up on the four other 8,000 metres peaks as the government issued over 2,000 permits to foreign adventure tourists to scale peaks above 6,500 metres, including five 8,000ers — K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum-I, Gasherbrum-II and Nanga Parbat.

Sajid Hussain, the deputy director of the GB tourism department, told Dawn that 2,200 permits have been issued so far and more applications were being reviewed to allow foreign climbers to scale the peaks.

He said the number of permit requests received for this year was a new record.

Last year 1,937 foreign adventurers visited GB to scale the peaks. It was the highest number of climbers to have arrived in the region for expeditions.

Mr Hussain added that the GB government was charging $12,000 per permit to an expedition group, which usually has seven members.

From 2007 to 2022, permits were issued by the GB Council Secretariat in Islamabad. However, since last year, the GB tourism department has been given the authority to issue permits.

He said revenue collected from the permits in 2023 was being deposited in the GB government’s consolidated account. Previously, the fees used to go into the centre’s account.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2023