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 exp