K2 2025: Coverage: Dry, Hot, and Rockfall

K2

Nepali operators Seven Summits Treks, Elete Expeditions, and 8K Expeditions are climbing K2 again this year. Multiple Pakistani guides, including Summit Karakorum, are also involved. Madison Mountaineering and Mountain Professionals may be the only Western teams there, but information is hard to come by. Most K2 summits occur at the end of July.

Remember that communications in Pakistan are drastically different from those in Nepal. Cell phone signals are unreliable, so many teams bring expensive satellite connection devices, even though they can sometimes be wonky. Also, since the Northern Territories are adjacent to the disputed area of Kashmir between India and Pakistan, the military will sometimes limit communications. The bottom line is that we cannot expect the same type of coverage we can for the Nepal mountains.

Popular US climber Ryan Mitchell is at K2 Base Camp, reporting that all is well, save for the lack of snow. They attempted a peak near K2 base camp, turning around at 20,400 feet, thus eliminating at least one rotation on K2. Ryan, a Summit Coach client, gained considerable recognition thanks to his impressive video documentation of his 2024 summit of Mt. Everest, which he completed with Madison Mountaineering, and is now attempting K2. I did a Podcast with him before he left home. You can follow him on his social media:

• Ryan Mitchell YouTube
• RyanMitchellUnfiltered
• Instagram
• Website
• GPS Tracker

Terray Sylvester is leading the trip as Garrett Madison opted to stay home after a blazing one-week summit climb on Denali checked in with this dispatch from the Karakoram:

Today we attempted to summit the objective of our unclimbed peak expedition. We left ABC at the foot of the peak at 12:45 a.m., and by 5 o’clock we were standing on a col on the peak’s summit ridge at about 6,200m. We gingerly negotiated cornices overhanging the peak’s steep east face until the cornices ended, and a long series of precipitous, chossy gendarmes lay between us and the summit. That terrain was unsafe for our team. So we descended to ABC, arriving before the afternoon sun began sending volleys of stones down the peak. All in all, it was a spectacular foray into unclimbed terrain. We hope to return when an alternate route, directly up the peak’s face to its summit, is in better shape. Until more snow falls, that option is too icy as a result of the very dry conditions this season. We’re looking forward to dropping back down to the comforts of K2 Base Camp (4968m/16,300ft) tomorrow!

And the Other 8000ers

While K2 gets disproportionate attention, the other four deserve equal coverage. The Nepali outfit Seven Summits Treks, aka SST, has commercialized all fourteen of the 8000ers and usually does the route finding and rope fixing.

Nanga Parbat – Summits

Nanga is more southern and western than Pakistan’s four other 8000ers. It’s in the Himalayas, whereas the other Pakistani giants lie in the Karakoram. NP usually sees the first summit each year; this season was no exception.

The earliest reported summits occurred on June 26, 2025, when Czech climbers Marek Novotny and Ondra Hlasny reached the top via the normal (Diamir) route. On the same push, David Goettler and French skiers Tiphaine Duperier and Boris Langenstein summited from the Rupal side—marking Goettler’s first success on the mountain after five attempts.

On July 3, 2025, a team from Seven Summit Treks achieved the first major commercial summit of the season, successfully fixing the route to the top and enabling further summit bids, which included Paula Birgitta Strengell, Dorota Lidia-Samocko, Jorge Egocheaga, Rana Hassan Javaid, Dawa Sherpa, Pasang Dukpa Sherpa, Lakpa Temba Sherpa, and Ali Hassan. On July 4, there were more summiters of NP: Allie Pepper, Mingtemba Sherpa (Mikel), Dawa Sherpa, and Horia Colibasanu.

Thanks to follower Katherine Levins for pointing out that five Pakistanis achieved NP Summits, all notable for their climbing CVs:

• Sohail Sakhi of Aliabad, Hunza with no O2 or Sherpa/porter support
• Ashraf Sadpara with no O2
• Sherzad Karim of Aliabad, Hunza with O2
• Dr. Rana Hassan Javed from Rawalpindi as part of a commercial expedition
• Ali Hassan from Hushe as a HAP

Gasherbrum I/II – Ropes to C1

Summit Karakorum reported, “Our Gasherbrum I-II Expedition 2025 team has reached Camp 1 (C1) and deposited necessary climbing equipment for higher camps.” And Jagged Glove noted:

Our Gasherbrum II team has been in base camp this past week and has had a couple of training sessions and forays into the icefall. At midnight last night, a team of Sherpas from various teams, which included Pem Chirri, Mani and Mingmar Dorje, managed to find a route through the Icefall to establish Camp 1. They will need a rest day before the whole team plans to move up to Camp 1. Camp 1 is located at 5,950m after traversing the plateau, near the foot of the South West Ridge. 

Broad Peak – Dry

Karakorum Expeditions noted that their advance and rope-fixing team has arrived at Broad Peak Base Camp and has the ropes to Camp 2.  My friend Ryan Kushner, who is climbing Broad this season, sent me this update:

Got an inch or two of snow last night at C2, but it hardly snowed at camp one, and immediately below C1, it rained at 3:30 am for a few hours. I can confirm that by 1 pm today, almost all the new snow at Camp 2 has melted. I almost got hit by two people below C1 who kicked hundreds of small rocks down on and near me; luckily, I was just around the corner.  A group from Singapore got close to the summit today, then turned around on the ridge before reaching the top, exhausted. Two days ago, our group and two Nepalese Sherpas reached the highest point on the mountain at 21,750 ft, but they have made much progress since then.

Pictures from Łukasz Supergan and Alan Arnette of Broad Peak Camp 2 in 2025 and 2006.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

The Podcast on alanarnette.com

You can listen to my podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Anchor, and more. Just search for “alan arnette” on your favorite podcast platform.

What Makes Summit Coach Unique?

Schedule a Free Call

At Summit Coach, we emphasize the entire preparation process for your climb beyond physical training. We begin with fitness, skills, and experience, then incorporate the mental and emotional tools necessary for a successful climb. Your teammates are welcome to join you at a discount, and we encourage your family to participate in your engagement so they understand what to expect during your climb. We strive to be affordable and provide our services at fair prices. Please visit the Summit Coach website for information on prices and offerings.