K2 2025 Coverage: Weather Stalls Plans, Or Not?

Conundrum

Thus the conundrum: push fast now, risk the winds, or stay put, hoping for a solid window that may or may not emerge.

K2 – Waiting

With the weather, I won’t be surprised to see no July summits but August ones. Imagine Nepal notes the

“On K2, we fixed the rope till 7200m, crossing the rocky section below camp 3. We had amazing teamwork with the Madison Mountaineering Sherpa team up there. Next will be the summit push on K2, depending upon weather conditions. The K2 team is patiently waiting at base camp for good weather to come. Our team reached base camp late, so they are not in a hurry to go to the K2 summit. When the weather permits, they will make their progress. Our Leader @mingma.g has good experience on K2 and its weather, so we have confidence in his leadership.

Nepali operators Seven Summits Treks, Elete Expeditions, and 8K Expeditions are climbing K2 this year. Multiple Pakistani guides, including Summit Karakorum, Karakorum Expeditions and Masherbrum Expeditions, are also involved. Madison Mountaineering and Mountain Professionals may be the only Western teams there.

Pakistani Sajid Ali Sadpara did his first rotation to C1, where he slept for two nights, and then a second rotation to C2. He’s ready for the summit push now and posted on his social:

The feeling to be in k2 is totally different from other mountains. our acclimatisation rotation completed now waiting for weather window for attempt remember in prayers.

Mingma David Sherpa, leading one of the Nepali outfits, commented on the weather:

A major storm is approaching K2, bringing heavy snow, strong winds, and freezing temperatures. The team remains safe at basecamp, waiting for a brief break in the weather to plan their next move. This moment demands patience, precision, and true mountain resilience.

Mountain Professionals finally gave an update from the mountain, the first this season:

Our team is currently staged below K2, patiently awaiting the right window to move higher. This season, the mountain is especially dry, with significant rockfall making the upper route particularly hazardous. We’ll share updates as conditions evolve.

Terray Sylvester is leading the Madison Mountaineering trip, and reported more of the same:

Hello again from the foot of K2 (4968m/16,300ft)! We’re still playing the expedition waiting game here, watching our forecast for a weather window with winds low enough for a summit bid on K2 (8611m/28,251ft). While we wait, we’ve been going for hikes, and practicing our technical skills and ice climbing on the towers of the Godwin-Austen Glacier.

Popular US climber Ryan Mitchell is at K2 Base Camp, reporting that all is well. They attempted a peak near K2 base camp, turning around at 20,400 feet, thus eliminating a rotation on K2. It appears their next push will be for the summit. He continues to collect trash and work on technical skills on nearby peaks.

And the Other 8000ers

While K2 gets disproportionate attention, the other four deserve equal coverage. 

Gasherbrum I – Summits!

Four teams, three Nepali and one Pakistani, summited the more difficult Gasherbrum, GI, on Sunday, July 20, 2025. Then on July 22, Elete put eight more on top, including Pakistani climbers Mehboob Ali and Abbas Ali from Arandu village of Shigar valley, Baltistan. Together, there are now over 22 summits.

Gasherbrum II – Climbing

On GII, Summit Karakorum is advancing:

Following our successful ascent of Gasherbrum I (8067m) on July 20th, our team has now advanced to Camp 2 of Gasherbrum II. We are planning to reach the summit on July 27th, contingent on favorable weather conditions. We wish our team a safe and successful expedition.

Broad Peak – Waiting

Madison Mountaineering has a small team of one client and two Sherpas. They made a summit push but pulled back for safety:

Our Broad Peak (8051m/26,414ft) climbers have returned to base camp, after they – and the other teams on the mountain – were turned around by poor weather and deep snow above Camp 3. We’re looking for a window for them to make another attempt.

My friend Ryan Kushner, who is climbing Broad this season, sent me this update:

Could be over. So much new snow up high. Teams came down yesterday and almost died in avalanches. Non stop precipitation since then and I have to leave aug 1

And Norweigan climber, Vibi Vibeke Andrea Sefland, noted the conditions on teir C3 rotation:

“… We had to wait at least 1 hour in C1 to let climbers come up due to the risk of kicking rocks at them. At the same time we are wondering why they are going for summit push; weather forecast is bad and there are no fixed ropes and not enough manpower to break trail break at a glacier river to fill our water bottles with the fresh water. The glacier river has grown a lot since first time we jumped over it. The temperature is getting higher the further we descend and snow has melted.”

Lukasz Supergan noted the conditions, but more troublesome is the lack of cooperation among the teams that could result in reaching the summit this season.

Two issues have dominated plans below K2 and Broad Peak.

The first is the dire situation on K2. The warm weather and little snow have turned the route to the summit into a massive rockfall area. Teams of Nepalese and Pakistani guides were setting fixed ropes until an accident occurred a few days ago. A large rockfall killed a Pakistani climber and injured several others. Attempts to climb higher have ceased.

No mountain agency is attempting further ascents. However, none of them want to be the first to announce that they are closing the season on K2. The first clients are withdrawing and others are waiting around. Several Sherpas have sustained climbing-related injuries, but their agencies are not discussing this publicly.

Second – a weather window is coming over Broad Peak, perhaps the last of the season. Opening a route to the summit requires crossing deep snow above camp 3. This could be achieved by a large, combined team from agencies and independent climbers working together. However, such cooperation is completely lacking. Leaders keep their plans secret. Groups set out despite obviously bad forecasts and return exhausted and resigned. Each agency wants to be the one at the top, but by acting alone, it reduces its chances.

Joint action has been replaced by a lack of communication. Unfortunately, this will have an impact on many of our plans. Keep your fingers crossed for the coming days.

Nanga Parbat – Over

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. It appears the season is over and closes on NP with at least 24 summits, including climbers from Russia, Pakistan (5), the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, France, Nepali Sherpas, and unspecified Europeans.

Climb On!
Alan
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