CHITRAL: Two Japanese mountaineers scaled Terich Mir, the highest peak of Hindu Kush mountain range, on July 23 (Sunday).

Kenro Nakajima, 38, and Kazuya Hiraide, 44, both photographers by profession, told Dawn here on Sunday that after their failed attempt in 2019 to scale the peak, they had committed to accomplishing the feat at any cost, and they finally did it.

They said that this time around they took a different path from the base camp to the summit, reaching the top in three days.

They termed the pleasant weather prevailing throughout the climbing days as the major factor contributing to their success.

They recalled that the last time their summit push was hindered by a snowstorm.

The Japanese climbers said that weather was quite clear when they reached the peak (7,708 meters), giving them a wide range of visibility. They said that they started descending after staying there for more than 40 minutes.

The climbers expressed their intention of coming back to Pakistan in future to surmount the peaks of Istoronal and Naushaq having altitudes of more than 7,600 meters, also situated near the Terich Mir.

The two Japanese had scaled Raka Poshi peak in 2019, Shispar in 2017 and KarunKho in 2022 situated in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Theynoted thatthenssures and cracks developed in the lower altitude (4,700 meters) of the glacier of Terich Mir during the course of climbing showed its accelerated melting triggered by climate change.

The Japanese climbers asked the mountaineers to come to the Hindu Kush region,which had more than 100 peaks with heights greater than 7,000 meters, while the environment was quite ideal in all respects needed for a climber.

Sahib Alam, the local tour operator and guide, said that the team had accomplished feat through better planning as most expeditions failed while scaling the tricky mountain in the past.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2023