Tensions between India and Pakistan have abated after the flare-up in early May, and some alpine-style teams are already tackling difficult routes in Pakistan. At the same time, outfitters have confirmed their commercial expeditions to K2 and Broad Peak and reached a compromise with local authorities on the new price of climbing permits.
At least three teams are currently working on alpine-style routes on 6,000m and 7,000m peaks in the Karakoram.
The first team to reach Pakistan was the American expedition to 7,388m Ultar Shar in the Batura Muztagh range. Ethan Berman, Maarten van Haeren, and Sebastian Pelletti had their original flight cancelled during the political turmoil but boarded the first available plane once the situation calmed down. The team has been in Pakistan for the last two weeks.
The late Kazuya Hiraide silhouetted against Karun Koh in Pakistan. Photo: K. Nakajima
French alpinists
Piolet d’Or winner Elias Millerioux has not revealed his goal or his team, but he is currently setting up Base Camp on the Momhil Glacier in Shimshal. This is where the late Kazuya Hiraide and Kenjo Nakajima achieved two of their most applauded first ascents, on Karun Koh and Shispare. Last year, Millerioux and fellow Chamonix guide Yannick Graziani attempted a new route up the southeast ridge of Trivor Peak in the nearby Batura range.
Momhil Glacier and surrounding peaks on Google Maps.
French guide Mathieu Maynadier is attempting a new route on Spantik via the Chogho Lungma Glacier. He has again teamed up with local climber Mueez Ud Din.
“At one point, the expedition was on the verge of cancellation due to recent Pakistan-India tensions, which led to many teams pulling out, but against the odds, we’re here,” Ud Din wrote on social media.
Ud Din recognizes that this kind of alpine-style expedition is “the beginning of something bigger for Pakistan’s mountaineering community.”
They started the 35km approach trek three days ago from the village of Arandu and set up their Base Camp yesterday at the foot of Spantik.
“We’re the first team to break trail this season,” Maynadier wrote. “The route wasn’t always easy, with many crevasses to navigate, but the whole team and the porters arrived safely.”
Climbing fees confirmed
Several local outfitters have told us about the compromise reached over climbing permit fees. An official announcement that tripled the cost of 2025 fees discouraged many climbers and concerned local outfitters.
Outfitters and the authorities have now agreed to split the difference, so the final figure falls midway between the authorities’ original proposal and the current low rate. As we announced earlier, the permit fee for K2 is $3,500 per climber, and the rest of the country’s 8,000’ers cost $2,500 each.
Below, an updated list of prices for climbers and trekkers, with the fee initially proposed by the authorities and, on the right, the agreed-upon final price for this season:
List of climbing and trekking fees in Pakistan for 2025
While several outfitters in Pakistan confirm that they are running climbs to K2 and Broad Peak, there is no news yet about any Gasherbrum climbs. As for Nanga Parbat, where the season starts in June, the situation is uncertain. Several teams canceled their trips when the political conflict escalated in early May. The mountain will likely be pretty lonely, but a few teams may still apply for permits at the last minute and enjoy the peak without the usual crowds.
One potential entrant is Denis Urubko. He has not yet confirmed this, but he recently said that he intends to open a new route on the peak’s Diamir Face, probably with his wife Maria Jose Cardell. For the time being, Urubko is training hard to get as fit as possible, “just in case.”
The fact that the only team with serious plans for Nanga Parbat is a pair of alpinists could signal a limited return of old-fashioned expedition climbing on at least one 8,000m peak.
