Expeditions wait as inclement weather changes climbing conditions.

ISLAMABAD -- As rains caused floods and landslides in several parts of the country and the temperatures dropped by about 15 degrees during the longest days of the year, expeditions wait to see whether this may affect climbing conditions in the mountains, said Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) on Sunday.

'Although mountaineers are no strangers to unusual weather in Pakistan's Karakuram Range, they will have to include patience in their tactics,' said ACP Secretary Karrar Haidri, adding some wondered if the unpredictable Karakoram weather could be equally abnormal this summer season.

Mr Haidri told Dawn that climbers attempting to summit the 8,126-metre-high Nanga Parbat in the Himalayan Range admitted that the snow that had accumulated for the past several days would make rope fixing difficult.

'Yesterday, climbers reported that it was snowing at Nanga Parbat's base camp for the fourth day in a row and estimated that 80cm of fresh wet snow had fallen just in the last 24 hours,' he said.

Snowfall over last several days would make rope fixing difficult on Nanga Parbat, says official

Snowfall had also delayed alpine-style teams, including the French climbers on Pumari Chhish East and the Americans on K7, according to the ACP.

However, meteorological experts were working with several climbers and paragliding expeditions currently in the Karakoram.

The difficult conditions had thwarted Carlos Garranzo's K2 attempt even before it began. The Spanish climber and blogger slipped on an icy rock and broke his leg. He was now back in Islamabad, ready to depart for home.

'Overall, waiting is just part of...

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