K2 2025: Coverage: Injured Climber on Broad Peak – Updated

Finally, a bit of snow fell on  Karakorum’s high mountains; however, the good came with the bad. On Broad Peak, an avalanche between Camps 2 and 3 injured a Polish climber. K2 climbers prepare to go up, but are wary of rockfall. News is sparse from all the Pakistani 8000-meter peaks.

Northern Pakistan recorded some of its highest temperatures ever on July 5, 2025, with Gilgit-Baltistan’s Chilas district reaching 48.5°C (119.3°F), breaking a 28-year-old record, according to the Meteorological Department. source

Injury on Broad Peak

From fellow Polish climber Łukasz Supergan:

Avalanche on Broad Peak – Polish climber injured.

The two-day snowfall that covered the high parts of Broad Peak ended this morning. We were sitting in front of the tents at base camp when we spotted an avalanche coming down at around 6600-6800m, between Camp Two and Camp Three. At first we treated it as a curiosity until we saw the silhouette of a man in the avalanche. Surveying the area carefully, I spotted three people there. It looked as if one was above the avalanche and two more were crawling out of it.

After a while, we only saw 1 person – the two located below had reached a flat area of the slope where we could not see them. A while ago we received information that Waldemar Kowalewski is among the three. He is injured, with a broken leg above camp two. Our liaison officer has already passed on the information to the Pakistani army, but bad weather is coming from the south, so we do not know if and when the helicopter will arrive. We also don’t know if it can pick up anyone at around 6500m.

The 2 days of snow in the high parts of Broad Peak have created large deposits of snow. The slab that broke off on the mountain can be seen from base camp with the naked eye. Waldemar, after spending 3 nights in a snowstorm in the triple (around 7000m) entered this snow. It was very dangerous to enter this area and unfortunately a bad scenario came true. For the moment we are waiting for more information from him and from the two other people on the mountain.

Update

We are trying to get the helicopter, but we have no information at the moment about if and when it will be able to fly. We don’t know if it can take the casualty from this altitude. Tonight a team of several people with a doctor is leaving the base camp for the mountain. Unfortunately, due to the danger of falling rocks during the day, the operation cannot start now. However, it seems that the situation on the mountain is under control, at least until the arrival of the rescue team. We have confirmation that Waldemar Kowalewski has broken his leg. However, he is in a tent at 6500m, about 330m above camp two. Two colleagues, Jarek and Hassan, are with him. Jarek is looking after him and Hassan has gone down to camp two to get gas. For the moment the situation is stable.

Additional Updates:

Unfortunately, Waldek went to a high camp during a blizzard, when the forecasts clearly told to go down. He walked in an area very prone to avalanche. This factor caused the accident and prevented it from reaching it today. We are waiting for information from the agency, and if nothing changes – we will act on our own.

We have spent the last day and a half looking for a solution to the difficult situation on the mountain. This afternoon, the head of Waldemar’s support agency, Lela Peak, found a team of three Nepalese Sherpas working as guides below K2. They have agreed to go up to Waldek and Jarek who are at 6500 metres. They will certainly be faster and fitter than us, European and American climbers. Nevertheless, this will be a serious and demanding operation. We will be monitoring their progress from base camp.

K2

Popular US climber Ryan Mitchell is at K2 Base Camp, reporting that all is well, albeit a bit worried about the climbing conditions. Terray Sylvester is leading the Madison Mountaineering trip and checked in with this dispatch from the Karakoram:

We started today with a short hike to the Gilkey Memorial on the outskirts of K2 Base Camp (4968m/16,300ft). It was a sunny morning with a dusting of fresh snow on the big peaks above us. So the views from the memorial were great. After lunch, we returned to the ice pinnacles near our camp for a final technical training session, focusing on footwork technique on steep ice and fixed line skills. The team is doing well. We’re happy that cooler temperatures, plus some precipitation, have arrived at last. We’ll be in touch tomorrow!

Nepali operators Seven Summits Treks, Elete Expeditions, and 8K Expeditions are climbing K2 this year. Multiple Pakistani guides, including Summit Karkorium, 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.

Ryan Mitchell

Ryan remains optimistic, telling me:

We got a few inches of snow at BC last night. It looks like a cloudy day, too. I’m not expecting much, but I think the weather is trending worse than most think, which is a good thing, lol. But we will see. I have no more expectations. I’m just going to enjoy the mountains.

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 (name shown as Ryan Moore)

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 – More 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 yearly; this season was no exception. There have now been at least 24 summits, including Denis Urubko, 52, and Maria Cardell, 50, who claimed a new route on the Diamir Face with no Os, support and in alpine style.

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

Broad Peak – Dry down low, avalanches mid-mountain, snow and ice on top

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:

We’re going back up around midnight on the 12th. We’re starting stupid early to avoid crowds and people kicking rock down. We’re not going to get a freeze below Camp 1.

From Łukasz Supergan :

After spending three nights at camp 2 and completing a reconnaissance ascent to 6500 metres, I descended to base camp.

As I mentioned in my last update, the conditions on Broad Peak have been difficult this year. Below camp 2, the terrain is often snowless and very unstable. This is a hazard, particularly when coming down the mountain you meet climbers going up. Yesterday morning, below camp 1, I was rappelling down through a short couloir full of loose rocks. There was no option not to drop a few, and then the team below started shouting and hid behind a rock. This is why I start climbing in the middle of the night rather than in the morning.

Two days ago, above base camp, Ismail Akbarov from Azerbaijan was hit by a stone. This was his first ascent, and it also marked the end of his expedition. The impact damaged his tibia so that he had to be flown by helicopter to Skardu. Yesterday, a Nepalese climber had an encounter with a rock. Perhaps the upcoming snowfall will change this situation a bit. For now, night climbing is the way out.

Climb On!
Alan
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