Karachi:
The famous summits of northern Pakistan, long a magnet for climbers around the world, are faced with almost effaceting abroad this season.
Unpredictable climatic disasters, regional armed conflicts and increased expense increases have combined to reduce international visits by almost 90%, taking a blow to mountaineering and the country’s tourism economy.
The Gilgit -Baltistan region, which houses five of the 14 highest mountains in the world – including K2, Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum I and II – saw only 270 foreign climbers trying expeditions this summer, against more than 2000 years last year, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan.
“Hard weather conditions, including avalanches, rock falls and violent winds, have forced many expeditions to abandon their attempts and to return without peaks,” said Karrar Haidri, club vice-president, which is the official Pakistan mountaineering.
Climatic disasters were a special challenge for Pakistan this year, the country is still featured with some of the deadliest floods in its history, which cost the lives of at least 1000, swept away villages, submerged agricultural land and forced more than 2 million people from their home, mainly in the northeast province of Punjab.
Haidri, however, also pointed out that the drop in arrivals was not only linked to the weather conditions. “In addition to rains and floods, recent wars and an increase in climbing costs have also contributed to the drop in the number of foreign climbers,” said Haidri, referring to a four -day armed conflict between Pakistan and India in May and the 12 -day war between Israel and Iran in June.
This season, only 40 climbers have succeeded in Summit K2, the second highest mountain in the world, while 25 years have reached the Nanga Parbat summit, and a handful succeeded in Gasherbrum I, said Haidri.
Local tourism and carriers suffer
Gilgit-Baltistan has long been a global destination for mountaineers and hikers, offering robust beauty and a unique cultural landscape shaped at the crossroads of Central and South Asia.
The slowdown in visitors has devastated the local economy, where tourism is a rescue buoy. Hotel owners, merchants, carriers, craftsmen and even tea stand operators along the Karakoram motorway have seen the business drying.
“This is the first dry season after 2020, when there was a total prohibition to climb due to COVVI-19. I did not even join a single expedition this year,” said Ashraf Ali Raza Sadpara, one of the most experienced carriers in the region that summed up K2 three times.
“Usually this would be our busiest time. We had to refuse expeditions because of too many offers. But this season has turned into a nightmare,” he said.
The carriers – known as Sherpas in the Himalayas – are highly qualified in shipping logistics but often face the farm. Foreign climbers absent, many are now unemployed and fight to provide for their families.
Domestic tourism has also dropped. Last year, more than a million local travelers and 24,000 foreign visitors without climbing permit visited Gilgit-Baltistan.
This year, Haidri said, the drop in international and national arrivals was “alarming”.
Between promotion and protection
The initiates of the industry claim that another major reason for cancellations is the high increase in the government of climbing costs. The Gilgit-Baltistan administration has doubled K2 license fees from $ 1,750 to $ 3,500 per climber, while increasing the costs for other peaks by 8,000 meters from $ 1 to $ 2,500.
“Climbers save money for years to realize their dreams. It is not that they decide today and rush into the mountains. We book them at least a year or two in advance,” said Anwar Syed, shipping operator based in Islamabad.
“When they learn that their costs have doubled or tripled, many cancel their plans. Regional wars have only won out the cancellations,” he said, adding that half of his business expeditions had been abandoned this season.
Iqbal Hussain, director general of the Gilgit-Baltisan Tourism Department, defended the increase, appealing to him the first increase in costs since 1999.
“The decision was made with several factors in sight, mainly to protect the environment,” said Hussain. “A gradual increase in commercial expeditions has created problems that could harm the mountains if they are not contained.”
He stressed that the climb partly aims to brake the rush to K2, the “Savage Mountain” of 8,611 meters “notorious for its deadly land. Even in favorable conditions, 86 climbers lost their life by trying the peak.
Hussain compared Pakistan fees in Nepal, which charges $ 15,000 for Everest permits. “We do our best to promote climbing, but we must also protect the mountains,” he said
