GILGIT (MNN); A French mountaineer lost his life after being caught in a snow avalanche while attempting to climb the 7,282-metre-high K-6 peak in the Hushe Valley of Gilgit-Baltistan’s Ghanche district, officials and tour operators confirmed on Wednesday.
The deceased climber was identified as 41-year-old Guillaume Pierrel, who was part of an international expedition team that included fellow French climber Boris Jule and Swiss mountaineer Christina Maria.
According to tour operator Ishaq Ali, the three-member team began its expedition on June 6 with the objective of summiting K-6, one of the region’s challenging and technically demanding peaks.
Ali said the team was climbing at an altitude of approximately 5,000 metres when a powerful snow avalanche struck. Guillaume Pierrel died at the scene, while the other two climbers escaped unharmed.
“The surviving climbers informed their families in France through satellite communication, and their relatives subsequently contacted us this morning,” Ali said.
Following the incident, local authorities and volunteers launched a recovery operation to retrieve the climber’s body from the remote mountainous area.
A rescue and recovery team comprising local police personnel and volunteers has been dispatched to the site, where difficult terrain and weather conditions are expected to complicate the operation.
Pakistan’s northern mountain ranges attract thousands of climbers and trekkers from around the world every year. The country is home to five of the world’s fourteen peaks that rise above 8,000 metres, making it one of the most sought-after destinations for adventure tourism.
These include K2, the world’s second-highest mountain at 8,611 metres, along with Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum-I, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum-II.
Officials say the climbing and trekking season in Gilgit-Baltistan generally begins in June and continues until the middle of August, drawing both professional mountaineers and recreational trekkers from across the globe.
Assistant Director of the Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Department Sajid Hussain said the current season has witnessed a significant increase in tourist activity despite earlier concerns that the now-suspended conflict between the United States and Iran and rising fuel prices could negatively affect the tourism sector.
According to tourism officials, the number of applications submitted by foreign climbers and trekkers for permits this year has already exceeded last year’s figures, reflecting growing international interest in the region.
Official data shows that during the summer season of 2024, Gilgit-Baltistan welcomed approximately 2,200 foreign adventure tourists, 24,000 foreign visitors travelling without climbing permits, and nearly one million domestic tourists.
However, tourism suffered a setback last year when climate-related disasters and tensions along the Pakistan-India border contributed to a decline in visitor numbers. Around 2,000 climbing and trekking permits were issued to foreign adventure tourists during that period.
Despite the tragic accident on K-6, authorities remain optimistic about the continued growth of adventure tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan, which remains one of the world’s premier destinations for high-altitude mountaineering and trekking.
