Overlooking the town of Chitral in Pakistan, Tirich Mir’s several jagged points dominate the skyline. The loftiest of them, at 7,708m, is the roof of the Hindu Kush and the highest peak outside of the Himalaya and Karakoram.
Pakistan wants to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Tirich Mir’s first ascent by a Norwegian-British team. So to encourage visitors to the region, the authorities of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region are waiving all fees for both climbing and trekking in 2024-5, Ali Porik of Jasmine Tours told Explorersweb.
According to Pakistan’s tourism website, the royalties for peaks between 7,500m and 8,000m are usually $4,000 for a group of up to seven, plus $1,000 more for each additional member.
However, royalty-free access is where the easy part ends.
Hostile fairies and the trail of Osama Bin Laden
According to the traditions of the local Chitrali people, climbing Tirich Mir leads to death. The “bohtan doyak” — the stone-throwing fairies that inhabit its slopes — supposedly ensure that intruders don’t make it back.
While the presence of fairies is hard to prove, it is well known that there is no straightforward route — not just to the summit but even to the foot of the mountain, which is guarded by heavily crevassed glaciers.
Tirich Mir’s location. Photo: Medium.com
Tirich Mir is also located in the troubled northwest corner of Pakistan. It is close to the Afghan border and the Tora Bora range, where Osama Bin Laden hid in 2001 before fleeing to Pakistan. The area was also the scene of bloody battles during the Russian-Afghan war. Such circumstances have kept the mountain closed to foreign climbers for long periods.
A place for the bold
It opened again in 2016, and two small teams summited that year. Since then, the mountain was deserted until Japanese aces Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima attempted a new route in 2019. They finally succeeded last year, on their second try. ExplorersWeb deemed their “secret line” on the previously unclimbed north face the best expedition of 2023.
Hiraide and Nakajima’s 2023 route on Tirich Mir. Photo: Ishii Sports
Needless to say, there are still plenty of opportunities for new routes on Tirich Mir. For those who dare.
Tirich Mir at sunset. Photo: Wikipedia
