With the Nepal climbing season finally closed, Sherpa guides are flying to Pakistan to work on the first 8,000m destination of the summer: Nanga Parbat.
Unlike the record number of clients on Everest this spring, preliminary reports suggest a quiet climbing season in Pakistan. Some major outfitters are skipping Pakistan entirely this year.
Politics and rising prices
Among other causes, geopolitics has affected the choices of many potential climbers. Middle Eastern safety concerns have not spilled over into northern Pakistan, but flights are fewer and much more expensive. Garrett Madison is not running any commercial climbs in Pakistan. Likewise, Furtenbach Adventures is outfitting a film crew, but has no guided expeditions this season.
“Pakistan is at war with Afghanistan, so we don’t feel it is the right time for guided expeditions in a restricted military zone,” Lukas Furtenbach told ExplorersWeb.
Helicopters in front of K2. Photo: Naila Kiani
Border tension has existed between Pakistan and Afghanistan for several years, and the two countries had hostile skirmishes early this year. These were far from the Karakoram or anywhere around Gilgit-Baltistan, including near Nanga Parbat. China facilitated talks in April that concluded with a significant de-escalation. However, the two countries have not signed a formal peace agreement.
From a practical point of view, if the situation were to worsen during the climbing season, airspace restrictions might hinder potential helicopter rescues or delay flights to and from Skardu. Those traveling to the area should carefully check prices and their insurance coverage, as these may have changed due to the volatile situation.
Warm weather worries
Another reason to hesitate before climbing in Pakistan is the rising temperatures. It is too early to preview how this season will be, but 2025 was alarmingly hot, and unstable rock on dry mountains caused several accidents. Two female climbers even perished on K2 and Laila Peak. It also made the approaches on glacial terrain dangerous due to open crevasses.
The broken Gasherbrum Glacier. Photo: Lukasz Supergan
Uncertainty may prompt more last-minute decisions than usual. The climbing season lasts two months, and climbers may make up their minds in upcoming weeks, especially if teams on the ground report on good conditions.
Go local
Currently, most commercial teams are heading to Pakistan’s 8,000’ers with Nepal-based companies that have partnered with local operators. Smaller alpine-style expeditions usually work directly with Pakistan companies.
So far, Seven Summit Treks is the only international company running expeditions on Pakistan’s five 8,000’ers. Nepal’s 8K Expeditions told ExplorersWeb that they have a seven-person team for Nanga Parbat and a single client for K2. EliteExped has trips to both Gasherbrums, Broad Peak, and K2. Leader Nirmal Purja will go to the Gasherbrums as he pursues his goal of climbing the 14×8,000’ers three times.
It is not clear if all those above commercial expeditions are confirmed. Often outfitters list expeditions but only them run if a minimum number of clients sign up.
A high camp in Pakistan. Photo: Chhang Dawa Sherpa
Karakorum Expeditions reports they have a team on the way to fix the route on Nanga Parbat. Unlike Nepal, this is not an official assignment by authorities; usually members of several teams work on the routes as they arrive.
