Foreign team makes first 8,000m summit of the summer climbing season in Gilgit-Baltistan

Matteo Della Bordella, Mirco Grasso, Luca Ducoli and Giacomo Mauri at the K7 base camp.—Dawn

• Six-member rope-fixing group establishes route to peak
• Expedition includes climbers from China, Ukraine, Lithuania, Nepal and Pakistan
• Italian team opens a new route on K7’s Southeast Face, but turns back 350 metres below the summit due to dangerous conditions

GILGIT: A seven-member international expedition, along with a six-member rope-fixing team, successfully summited Nanga Parbat (8,126 metres) on Thursday, marking the first successful ascent of an 8,000-metre peak in Pakistan during this summer’s climbing season.

The summer climbing season in Gilgit-Baltistan typically begins in mid-June and continues until mid-August, with several foreign expeditions currently attempting to scale the region’s high-altitude peaks.

The Seven Summit Treks expedition team comprised Tao Hu (China), Antonina Samoilova (Ukraine), Mindaugas Satkauskas (Lithuania), Dawa Sherpa, Dendi Sherpa, Lakpa Temba Sherpa (Nepal), and Abbas Ali Mehdi (Pakistan).

Earlier, a six-member rope-fixing team from Seven Summit Treks successfully fixed ropes to the summit. The team included Mingtemba Sherpa, Pas­a­ng Dukpa Sherpa, Dawa Rinji Sherpa, and Pasang Nurbu Sherpa of Nepal.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Seven Summit Treks congratulated the entire Nanga Parbat Expedition Team on the successful ascent, describing it as the first successful summit of an 8,000-metre peak during the summer season.

Renowned Nepali climber and Seven Summit Treks owner Chhang Dawa Sherpa also congratulated the team on their successful ascent.

Meanwhile, a four-member Italian expedition has opened a new route on the Southeast Face of K7 (6,934m) in Gilgit-Baltistan. However, the climbers were forced to abandon their summit attempt approximately 350 metres below the top due to dangerous snow and ridge conditions.

Despite not reaching the summit, the team completed a demanding 1,600-metre big wall climb over six days.

The expedition comprised Matteo Della Bordella, Mirco Grasso, Luca Ducoli, and Giacomo Mauri. The team arrived at base camp on June 3 and launched their attempt on June 11.

In an Instagram post, team leader Matteo Della Bordella wrote: “Six days on the wall where we gave all of ourselves: soul and heart for an adventure that will stay inside us forever. A rollercoaster of emotions, 30 pitches, including steep vertical ice, mixed climbing, precarious hooks, and difficult aid climbing.

“From June 24 to 29, we climbed 1,600 metres up the huge southeast face of K7. At about 6,600 metres, we reached the southwest ridge and joined the route established by the Japanese first ascent team in 1984.

“Our dream was obviously to climb the final 350 metres and reach the summit of K7, but we had to give up because of excessive snow and extremely dangerous ridge conditions, one section of which collapsed before our eyes. We returned to base camp extremely satisfied. We are all safe and still have dreamy eyes after this incredible journey.”

The expedition was sponsored by the Italian Alpine Club.

The tourism department said 31 mountaineering permits and 39 trekking permits have so far been issued to foreign visitors for the current summer season. Permit issuance will continue until Aug 1.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2026 ...