Pakistan Explorer

25/07/2025

Tension is rising on and as bad weather delays rope-fixing, with summit season nearing its end.

A single, crowded summit window seems likely, though fewer climbers are on the mountain this year.

No-oxygen climbers face tough decisions, especially with limited acclimatization. Sherpa-led rope-fixing on the Abruzzi Spur has been stalled by rain, snow, and rockfall. Meanwhile, has taken up both rope work and cleanup, removing over 67 kg of trash.

Climber Serge Hardy noted: “Without a night at Camp 3, a no-O2 ascent will be nearly impossible.” With the next possible weather window around July 27–30, base camp has begun to split—those who leave, and those who wait.

📸
📸.serge

23/07/2025

It is always a pleasant site to watch honing on his skills of professional High Altitude climbing. Trained and groomed by his father , Sajid reminds us of the privilege we had had of being an acquaintance of a great climber and a human being Muhammad Ali bhai was.
Sajid is currently going through acclimatization for yet another summit.
Good luck brother! ✌👍

📸

23/07/2025

https://pakistanexplorer.org/americans-in-hunza-how-a-serene-holiday-turned-into-a-war-time-evacuation-part-2/

Written by: Naveed Bari .......Continued from Part-1 How an ambitious endeavor by a small group of American youngsters to explore Pakistan’s serene Hunza Valley turned into an emergency evacuation as the war broke out between India and Pakistan. May 5th started with the break of dawn. I walked in ...

21/07/2025

Massive flooding has been reported from Babusar Pass Chilas near Thak station. Several passenger vehicles along with a police van were swept away with more than 11 people are reported missing. Karakorum Highway is also reported to be blocked near D**g Nala and other places.

21/07/2025

Denis & Maria’s new route has slight variations to what maybe called a ‘shortened Messner-2000’ route on the Diamir Face of Nanga Parbat. Starting a bit earlier than the foot of Messner-2000 and a bit later than the standard Kinshofer route, the new route avoids the difficult Kinshofer wall and joins the Messner-2000 somewhere around Camp-2 and follows a similar trail until it reaches the final trapezoid beyond Camp-4. Onwards, Denis utilized his understanding of the trapezoid through his multiple Nanga ascents in the past and successfully summits through a shorter but more vigorous trail up to the summit.
Many congratulations to Maria (P**i) Cardell and to Denis Urubko for being the ultimate climbing machine he has been.

📸 .ru

20/07/2025

Climate change is Real!
Dodipitsar Lake over time.

📸 Zeeshan Ali

19/07/2025

Pakistani Mountaineer Killed in Avalanche on K2

A tragic accident has claimed the life of Pakistani mountaineer Muhammad Iftikhar Hussain during an ascent on K2 (8,611 meters), the world’s second-highest peak. The avalanche struck as climbers were making their way from Base Camp to Camp I.

Hailing from Sadpara, near Skardu—a village renowned for producing some of Pakistan’s most skilled high-altitude climbers—Hussain was part of a climbing team attempting the summit this season. His body is currently being transported to Skardu, where he will be laid to rest in his hometown.

According to preliminary reports, several other climbers sustained minor injuries in the incident.

19/07/2025

A route so terrifying, it has never been repeated.
July 8, 1986. Two Polish climbers—Jerzy Kukuczka and Tadeusz Piotrowski—stood breathless atop K2, not by the usual routes, but via the forbidden South Face—a sheer wall of death, ice, and legend.

They carved their own line into the mountain.
No fixed ropes.
No Sherpa support.
No second chances.
Just two men, climbing the most dangerous face of the most dangerous mountain on Earth—in pure alpine style.

🗻 First ascent of K2’s South Face.
🗻 A route so terrifying, it has never been repeated.

They started in June—quietly. While the rest of the international expedition hesitated, overwhelmed by the face’s fury, the Poles moved in silence, drawn to the impossible.

By June 9, they had reached Camp I. But the expedition was crumbling. First the Swiss quit. Then the Germans turned back.
By June 21, only Kukuczka and Piotrowski remained.

On June 24, a brutal storm forced them down from 7,400 meters. For seven days, they waited. Starving. Trapped. Listening to the mountain howl.

Then, a break in the skies.
July 3—they launched again.

Up the icy couloir they called the "Hockey Stick."
Up the final headwall: vertical rock, V+ climbing at 8,000 meters. No oxygen. A single 30-meter rope. Every move was a gamble.

And then, July 8, 6:25 PM—they stood at the top.
Kukuczka’s twelfth 8000er.
Piotrowski’s first.
They embraced—exhausted, euphoric. But the mountain wasn’t finished with them.

Darkness fell.
No gas.
No light.
The descent began—a razor’s edge between life and death.

Then it happened.
On the same slope where Art Gilkey died in 1953, Piotrowski slipped. His crampons tore off. He hurtled past Kukuczka, a blur of movement—then vanished into the void.

Kukuczka was alone.
It took him five hours to descend 200 meters.
Starving. Frostbitten. Shattered in body and soul.

At last, he reached a Korean tent. He collapsed. He slept.
He survived. Barely.

Four days later, a helicopter lifted him off the mountain.
The face was behind him. The climb complete.

But there was no celebration.
Just silence. And loss.

Because on K2, the mountain gives you a choice:

Glory... or life.
Rarely both.

16/07/2025

Within a week of resuming operations, Luxus Hunza has been hit by yet another flash flood, again destroying its access road.
No wonder nature has its own plans!

16/07/2025

The United Kingdom on Wednesday removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, thereby allowing Pakistani airlines to now apply to operate flights to the UK, according to a statement from the British High Commission in Islamabad.

14/07/2025

An Airblue flight from Islamabad to Skardu on July 12th, faced extreme weather challenges as shown in a radar image revealing repeated aerial loops above Skardu Airport.

Originally scheduled for 8:45 AM, the flight was delayed until 12:40 PM due to rain in Skardu. After takeoff at 2:25 PM, the plane hit severe turbulence near Nanga Parbat. Passengers endured intense air pockets, with many visibly shaken and praying silently as the aircraft shook violently.

At 3:06 PM, the captain attempted to land but aborted just 2,000 feet above ground due to strong winds. A second landing attempt also failed. The aircraft climbed back to 14,000 feet, possibly preparing to return to Islamabad, but worsening weather en route complicated that option.

Eventually, the pilot made a final attempt. Battling high winds between mountains, he successfully landed the plane after circling for nearly 50 minutes. The cabin broke into applause, relieved to be safely on the ground after a tense and turbulent journey.

Via Asadullah Khan (Translated)