ISLAMABAD: Bad weather combined with delays in receiving permits is hindering the progress of dedicated mountaineers waiting to climb Pakistan’s toughest mountains.

Like last year, a number of international expeditions focused on summiting K2 and Broad Peak may not achieve their goals this summer season. While unfavourable weather forced Swiss climbers Mike Horn and his team members Fred Roux and Kobi Reichen to turn back after reaching 6, 000 meters on K2, the Seven Summit Treks expedition is facing permit-related issues causing much frustration and disappointment. Meanwhile, Pakistan International Airlines misplaced another team’s essential climbing equipment delaying their summit attempts.

Updating his status on Facebook, French mountaineer, Philippe Gatta wrote, “Once again we are stuck, waiting for yet another security clearance for trek to (base camp) BC. We already lost a week because of all this paperwork, a week that we should have spent on the mountain acclimatizing. Unfortunately K2 will not wait for us and if the only weather window comes too early, we might miss it.” The team had previously spent a number of days waiting for their climbing permit.

Philippe Gatta said that his team needed roughly a week to reach the K2 base camp. Once at the base camp, they needed around 14 days to acclimatize and do at least two round trips to carry loads and set the high camps. “This was in addition to a few days needed to rest before the summit push, which takes around seven days. Knowing that the window of favourable weather is usually between July 25th and August 3rd, the schedule is very tight,” he wrote.

According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), most climbers were attempting to summit the two mountains one after the other.

Explaining the reasons for the delays in issuing permits to foreign expeditions, ACP President Col Manzoor Hussain explained how the government had been reluctant to issue permits to Nepalese Sherpa members of the team. Some of the world’s best climbers prefer to climb with the Sherpas who are tough, experienced mountain climbers and high altitude porters. Last year, most foreign climbers brought Nepalese Sherpa porters along, reducing the income of local porters who voiced their concerns.

However, among other famous names in the mountaineering world, Chris Burke from New Zealand is back in Pakistan attempting to summit Broad Peak. She and her climbing partner Lapka Sherpa were unable to summit the 12th highest mountain standing at 8, 051 meters due to lack of cooperation between different expeditions. However she did become the first New Zealander or Australian woman to reach the summit of K2, Lhotse the 4th highest, Makalu 5th highest and Gasherbrum 1 the 11th highest mountains in the world.

Although the number of expeditions coming to Pakistan to climb the five highest peaks in the world had shrunk to between 15 and 20 groups, climbers from Romania, Switzerland, France, Spain, Hungry and Argentina are now at the base camps of these peaks getting acclimatized.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play