(MENAFN) Foreign mountaineering activity in Pakistan’s northern highlands has plummeted dramatically this season, as the region faces an alarming downturn in international visitors due to volatile weather, geopolitical unrest, and soaring expedition costs.

The once-thriving Gilgit-Baltistan region — renowned for its iconic peaks like K2, Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak, and Gasherbrum I and II — has attracted just 270 foreign climbers this summer. That’s a steep fall from over 2,000 last year, according to data from the Alpine Club of Pakistan.

“Harsh weather conditions, including avalanches, rockfalls, and high winds, forced many expeditions to abandon their attempts and return without summits,” said Karrar Haidri, vice president of the club, which acts as the country’s official mountaineering authority.

The sharp decline is being attributed in part to intensifying climate-related disasters. Pakistan continues to reel from devastating floods — among the deadliest in its history — that have killed over 1,000 people, destroyed entire villages, submerged agricultural land, and displaced more than 2 million residents, primarily in Punjab province.

Yet Haidri underscored that environmental factors are not the only reason for the collapse in climber numbers. “Apart from rains and floods, the recent wars and an increase in climbing fees also contributed to the decline in the number of foreign climbers,” Haidri said, pointing to a brief four-day military clash between Pakistan and India in May and the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June.

This season’s summits reflect the downturn. Just 40 climbers reached the peak of K2 — the world’s second-highest mountain — while only 25 summited Nanga Parbat. A few others succeeded on Gasherbrum I, according to Haidri.

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