Avalanche risk, bad weather disrupt climbing season in Gilgit-Baltistan
GILGIT: Climate change-induced shifts in weather patterns have worsened conditions on the peaks of the Karakoram Range in Gilgit-Baltistan, creating serious difficulties for mountaineers. No climber managed to summit the world’s second-highest mountain, K2 (8,611 metres), or Gasherbrum-I (8,080 metres), this summer. Around 40 foreign climbers also failed to reach the summits of Gasherbrum-II…
Climate change and unpredictable weather patterns have severely disrupted the climbing season in Gilgit-Baltistan, according to reports. No climbers managed to reach the summits of K2 or Gasherbrum-I this summer, despite a total of over 200 attempts. Heavy snowfall, unstable snow conditions, high avalanche risks, and severe storms presented numerous challenges for mountaineers.
The climbing season typically runs from late July to mid-August, but persistent bad weather and summit attempts being called off due to unsafe conditions forced many climbers to remain at base camps. In response to the tragic avalanche disaster at Broad Peak on July 30, which claimed the lives of 10 foreign climbers, including a Pakistani climber, many mountaineers abandoned their missions to assist in the search and rescue operation.
Experts and tour operators attribute the worsening conditions to shifting weather patterns exacerbated by climate change, making snow unstable and increasing the risks of avalanches and rockfalls.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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