Pakistan’s K2, the “wild mountain” with a reputation for being the most difficult to climb of all eight thousandhas lived a record seasonwith massive ascents that have left images of climbers huddled together reminiscent of the jam on Everest that went around the world in 2019.
On July 22, taking advantage of favorable weather conditions, 145 mountaineers walked to the top of K2. This is the highest number of ascents ever recorded in the Pakistani mountain, a spokesman for the Asian country’s Alpine Club, Karrar Haidri, told Efe.
“Is he highest number compared to single day record of 45 (mountaineers) in 2005,” he noted.
Parallelism with Everest
But this massive influx of climbers, seen by some as a boon to the Pakistani economy, is not without consequence.
Mingma G, part of the team of ten Nepalese who made the first winter ascent of K2 last year, was back on the Pakistani mountain on July 22 when he shared a video on the social network Facebook of the area known as “neck of bottle”, at 8,200 meters.
A long line of mountaineers ascended slowly towards the summit of K2. “This is the scariest part of K2 and we are in a long tail,” Mingma wrote.
The moment is immediately reminiscent of the images captured in 2019 on Everest, when more than 200 climbers reached the top on the Nepalese side, breaking the record for ascents in the same day but also creating a jam that caused queues of several hours in a narrow pass in the hillside near the summit.
That season, the last before the restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, was charged nine deaths on the Nepalese side, and several of these deaths were attributed to exhaustion from hours of waiting caused by traffic jams.
Six people have died so far this season on K2including Ali Akbar Sakai, who aspired to be the first Afghan climber to summit the mountain, a nearly perfect icy pyramid that has so far been considered one of the toughest eight-thousanders because of the terrain, unpredictable weather and relative difficulty in obtaining Pakistani visas compared to Nepal.
improvement of conditions
An improvement in security conditions and a most efficient online visa system has turned the tables on this 8,611 meter mountain, as well as the support of experienced Nepali Sherpas.
More than 1,400 climbers and trekkers have headed to northern Pakistan this year, which boasts five eight-thousanders and hundreds of mountains over 6,000 meters, and Haidri expect the number of visitors to continue to increase in the next years.
Haidri said, however, that K2 remains the same unforgiving mountain, and the increased influx of climbers opens the door to more deaths in a country where rescue services depend on the Armyunlike what happens in Nepal.
“The government should take a step forward to promote mountaineering in the country, although not at the cost of putting lives at risk,” he said.
On the last stretch from the famous bottleneck there was only one fixed rope, as the images captured by Mingma show.
“K2 is the king of the mountains (…) it is massive, it is dangerous and it is beautiful, and it is continually trying to kill you,” commented on social networks Samina Baig, who on July 22 became the first woman Pakistani to conquer the mountain.
This 30-year-old climber, a native of a remote town in the Pakistani province of Gilgit-Baltistan, reminded Efe that the weather window to attempt the ascent that day was particularly brief.
Baig began the ascent to Camp 4 on July 21 at around 10:00 AM, and headed for the summit a day later.
“On July 22 at 7:45 a.m. I managed to reach the top that I had dreamed of for so long,” he said, “a proud moment that is difficult to put into words.”
But Baig recognition be concerned about the influx of climbers.
“K2 is more dangerous than Everest, especially if it’s crowded,” she explained, admitting that she was forced to spend a night at Camp 4 and another night at Camp 2 during the descent due to the large number of mountaineers.
This increase in influx also worries the experts, above all because of the ecological impact in one of the countries most affected by climate change.
“When you have more people on a route or expedition, the environment is affected,” climate change expert Mome Saleem, who calls for a rate increase.
The fees for climbing K2 are about $12,000, similar to the cost of the climbing permit issued by the Government of Nepal. Nevertheless, Climbing Everest can cost between $35,000 and $90,000 per persondepending on the guides, the requirements of supplemental oxygen and other supplies.
Until last year, just under 400 climbers have reached the second highest peak in the world and about 90 have died, since the Italian Achille Compagnoni achieved the first ascent in 1954.