K2 just had the busiest climbing season ever

Hong Kong and Islamabad (CNN) — The world’s second highest mountain, K2 in Pakistan, has welcomed a record number of climbers this year amid a post-pandemic spate of fever at the summit.

Some 207 permits have been issued to climb K2, says Sajjid Hussain, a tourism official in Gilgit Baltistan, the region that borders China and is home to the Karakoram Mountains, a mountain range that includes all five peaks of Pakistan. above 8,000 meters (26,000 feet).

But the temperate weather in July, usually the best time of year to reach the summit, plus the relative ease of travel compared to previous years and a stable political situation in the country, are said to have contributed to the record number of climbs.

Another factor was pent-up demand that grew during the pandemic. With some of the world’s highest peaks inaccessible or difficult to access due to Covid-related border closures, many climbers have spent the past two years saving money and preparing to return to the mountains.

While K2 is physically more difficult to climb, it is significantly cheaper than Everest.

Permits to climb the world’s highest mountain cost $11,000 per person, and would-be climbers must also calculate travel costs to and from Nepal, clothing, equipment, food, and hired guides and Sherpas.

Meanwhile, a K2 climbing permit — which often covers the other four “eight-thousander” peaks nearby — can be obtained for $7,200 for a group of seven.

The number of permits was not the only record this year.

K2 was the last mountain Drummond had to climb to set her historic record.