Paiju Peak

Paiju Peak (Paiyu Peak, Payu Peak)

Morning sunrise over Paiyu peak in the Karakoram mountain range of Pakistan

Paiju Peak is a 6,610-meter (21,686-foot) mountain in the Baltoro Muztagh of the Karakoram in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Rising immediately northwest of the lower end of the Baltoro Glacier, it occupies one of the most traveled landscapes in the entire Karakoram. Thousands of trekkers heading toward K2, Broad Peak, the Gasherbrums, and Concordia pass directly beneath it at the famous Paiju campsite.

The mountain is also known as Payu Peak, and historical climbing literature often argues that Payu is the more accurate spelling. The name comes from the Balti word for salt, probably referring originally to mineral salts found around springs in the area. The name appears to have been applied first to the traditional campsite and later to the mountain towering above it.

Paiju may be much lower than the 8,000-meter giants farther up the Baltoro, but its climbing history is surprisingly serious. Its steep granite walls, ice gullies, seracs, rockfall, avalanches, and complicated upper snowfields defeated several expeditions before an Alpine Club of Pakistan team finally reached the summit in 1976.

On July 20, 1976, Major Bashir Ahmed, Major Manzoor Hussain, and Nazir Ahmed Sabir completed the first ascent after an arduous climb from the north. American mountaineer Allen Steck joined the expedition as a technical adviser, led difficult sections of the route, and climbed to the final snowfield immediately beneath the summit. He chose to remain there and photograph the three Pakistani climbers making the historic first ascent.

The achievement had particular importance because it was the first major successful all-Pakistani expedition organized by the newly established Alpine Club of Pakistan. Nazir Sabir would later become one of Pakistan’s most celebrated mountaineers, making the first Pakistani ascent of K2 in 1981 and eventually becoming the first Pakistani to climb Mount Everest.

Paiju received another important ascent in 1981, when four Italian climbers opened a technically difficult route on the south side. More than three decades later, Alberto Iñurrategi, Juan Vallejo, and Mikel Zabalza returned to the enormous south pillar and established Via 2T, an exceptionally demanding granite and mixed route. They reached the top of the south tower in 2014 but deliberately did not continue toward Paiju’s main summit because of a dangerously active serac barrier.

Paiju is therefore both a familiar trekking landmark and a rarely climbed technical mountain. Almost everyone walking toward K2 knows the campsite beneath it; very few people have ever stood on its true summit.

⚡ Fast Facts

Fact	Details
Alternative Name	Payu Peak
Continent	Asia
Country	Pakistan
Territory	Gilgit-Baltistan
District	Shigar
Mountain Range	Karakoram
Subrange	Baltoro Muztagh
Elevation	6,610 m / 21,686 ft
Prominence	Approximately 530 m / 1,739 ft
Isolation	Approximately 2.97 km / 1.84 mi
Key Col	Approximately 6,080 m / 19,947 ft
Nearest Higher Neighbor (NHN)	Choricho
Coordinates	Approximately 35.7156° N, 76.1167° E
Name Meaning	“Salt”
Protected Area	Central Karakoram National Park
Early Reconnaissance	1961
First Major Attempt	1974
First Ascent	July 20, 1976
First Ascenders	Bashir Ahmed, Manzoor Hussain, and Nazir Ahmed Sabir
Expedition	Alpine Club of Pakistan Services Expedition
Technical Adviser	Allen Steck
First-Ascent Approach	Northern side via Uli Biaho Glacier
Second Ascent / South Route	Italian expedition, 1981
Via 2T South Pillar	Iñurrategi, Vallejo, and Zabalza, 2014
Paiju Campsite Elevation	Approximately 3,400–3,450 m
Principal Hazards	Rockfall, icefall, avalanches, seracs, crevasses, mixed climbing, and altitude

🏔️ Where Is Paiju Peak?

Paiju Peak rises in the central Karakoram of Gilgit-Baltistan, near the western entrance to the great Baltoro Glacier system. The mountain lies immediately north of the Braldu Valley and only a few kilometers northwest of the snout of the Baltoro Glacier.

This position places Paiju at the gateway to one of the greatest concentrations of high mountains on Earth. Continuing east from the mountain leads toward the Trango Towers, Cathedral Peaks, Masherbrum, Muztagh Tower, Broad Peak, the Gasherbrums, and ultimately K2.

The mountain rises extremely steeply from the Braldu Valley. Its summit stands more than three vertical kilometers above the river corridor within only a few kilometers of horizontal distance, creating tremendous local relief despite Paiju’s relatively modest elevation by Karakoram standards.

On its northern side, glacier systems connect with the rugged terrain around Uli Biaho and Choricho. Its southern walls rise above the Paiju camping area and the traditional Baltoro trekking route.

Paiju lies within Central Karakoram National Park, Pakistan’s largest protected area.

📏 How High Is Paiju Peak?

Paiju Peak reaches 6,610 meters (21,686 feet) according to modern detailed topographic mapping.

Historical climbing accounts used slightly different elevations. The 1976 first-ascent report gave the mountain as 21,658 feet, while various later climbing records have used figures around 6,600 or 6,605 meters.

Small discrepancies of this kind are common among Karakoram peaks because older expeditions relied on maps and surveys produced with less precise techniques than modern satellite-based measurements.

For current geographical purposes, 6,610 meters is the best working elevation.

That places Paiju just below the 7,000-meter threshold but still considerably higher than almost every mountain in Europe, North America, or Africa.

📐 Prominence and Isolation

Paiju Peak has approximately 530 meters (1,739 feet) of clean topographic prominence according to current Peakbagger mapping. Its key col lies at roughly 6,080 meters (19,947 feet).

Its topographic isolation is approximately 2.97 kilometers (1.84 miles), with the nearest higher terrain lying toward Choricho, immediately west-northwest of the summit.

These statistics show that Paiju is a substantial but not highly independent mountain. It rises within an extremely dense concentration of peaks where high ridges and neighboring summits occur only short distances away.

Its visual prominence from the Braldu Valley tells a somewhat different story. Because the valley floor lies thousands of meters below, Paiju appears enormous to trekkers approaching from Askole even though nearby mountains eventually rise considerably higher.

🧂 What Does Paiju Mean?

One of the most interesting things about Paiju is that its name has a fairly well-documented origin.

A study of Balti place names in the Karakoram published by the American Alpine Club explains that Payu means “salt.” Mineral salts crystallize around springs in the area, and the name appears originally to have referred to the campsite known as Payu Brangsa.

In Balti, the elements of that name combine the idea of salt with a dwelling or camping place and ground.

Over time, the name of the campsite was transferred to the mountain rising above it.

Historical mountaineers often preferred the spelling Payu, and the 1976 first-ascent account even described “Paiju” as the less correct form. Modern maps and trekking literature, however, overwhelmingly use Paiju Peak and Paiju campsite.

Both spellings therefore have a strong historical basis.

Baltoro glacier landscape with Paiju and Trango family background, K2 trek, Pakistan | Punnawit Suwattananun

🏕️ Paiju Campsite

For most visitors to the Karakoram, Paiju means the campsite rather than the summit.

The camp lies at roughly 3,400–3,450 meters beside the trekking route from Askole toward the Baltoro Glacier. It is generally reached after several days of walking through the Braldu Valley.

Unlike the increasingly barren glacier landscape ahead, Paiju contains patches of vegetation and shelter. Willows have historically grown around the campsite, fed by local water sources, making it one of the last noticeably green places before trekkers move onto the enormous Baltoro Glacier.

The location traditionally serves as an acclimatization and rest stop. Expeditions reorganize loads, repair equipment, bake bread, and prepare porters and trekkers for the days of glacier travel ahead.

This role has existed for generations. Long before Paiju Peak attracted technical climbers, the site below it functioned as a natural stopping place along routes leading into the central Karakoram.

🥾 Paiju on the K2 Trek

Paiju is one of the best-known stages on the trek toward K2 Base Camp and Concordia.

Trekkers generally begin from Askole and follow the Braldu River through an increasingly arid landscape. The route passes Jhola before continuing toward Paiju, where the mountain gradually becomes a dominant feature of the skyline.

Beyond the campsite, the character of the journey changes dramatically. Trekkers move onto or beside the Baltoro Glacier, crossing moraine, loose rock, ice, and increasingly complex glacial terrain.

The great granite towers of the Trango group become progressively more prominent, while mountains such as Masherbrum and Muztagh Tower eventually appear farther up the glacier.

Paiju therefore marks a geographical transition. Behind lies the lower Braldu approach. Ahead lies the extraordinary glaciated heart of the Karakoram.

🧊 The Baltoro Glacier

The Baltoro Glacier is one of the defining features of the central Karakoram and one of the world’s most famous mountain glaciers.

Its main trunk extends for more than 60 kilometers through a landscape enclosed by some of Earth’s highest mountains and largest granite walls.

Paiju Peak rises near the glacier’s western terminus, where meltwater enters the Braldu drainage.

Trekkers passing Paiju soon climb onto the glacier and continue east toward Urdukas, Goro, and Concordia. From Concordia, tributary glaciers lead toward K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, and other enormous peaks.

The glacier is not a smooth river of white ice. Much of its lower surface is covered with rock debris and broken moraine, while crevasses, ice cliffs, meltwater channels, and unstable slopes complicate travel.

Paiju’s location beside this system explains why the mountain has appeared in the photographs and journals of Karakoram expeditions for nearly a century.

📸 Early Views of Paiju

Paiju appears in some of the classic early photographic records of exploration along the Baltoro.

During the 1936 French Karakoram Expedition, the mountain was photographed and described as a roughly 21,650-foot peak north of the snout of the Baltoro Glacier.

At that time, expedition attention was focused primarily on far higher objectives deeper in the range. Paiju served more as a landmark than as a principal mountaineering target.

Its walls nevertheless attracted attention. The mountain’s mixture of granite and steep ice distinguished it from the broad snow peaks found elsewhere in the Karakoram.

As access to Pakistan’s high mountains expanded after the mid-20th century, climbers began looking seriously at Paiju itself.

The first modern reconnaissance produced a discouraging conclusion: there was no obvious easy route.

🔍 The 1961 Reconnaissance

An American party investigated Paiju in 1961.

The group included Felix Knauth and initially hoped to conduct a genuine climbing attempt, but personnel and administrative problems gradually reduced the effective climbing team.

From Paiju campsite, Knauth examined several sides of the mountain.

The north face rose above the Biaho Glacier, while the east and southeast sides could be studied from the Baltoro approach.

None offered a straightforward solution.

Knauth later thought that the west face might contain a feasible route, but every possibility appeared difficult and uncertain.

Then poor weather arrived. Persistent cloud and drizzle associated with the summer weather system settled over the region, and the expedition withdrew.

The reconnaissance did not become a serious summit attempt, but it reinforced Paiju’s reputation as a much harder mountain than its elevation suggested.

🧗 The 1974 Pakistani-American Attempt

The first major modern attempt came in 1974, through a joint Pakistani-American expedition led by renowned American mountaineer Nicholas Clinch.

The expedition was historically important because it brought together experienced American climbers and a developing generation of Pakistani mountaineers.

The team worked its way onto the northern side of Paiju.

Progress ended in tragedy when Pakistani expedition member Momin Hamid suffered a fatal accident.

The team abandoned the climb at approximately 18,000 feet.

The loss had a lasting effect on Paiju’s climbing history. When the successful Pakistani expedition returned two years later, it named its Base Camp Momin’s Meadow in his memory.

The 1974 expedition also helped establish relationships that contributed to the development of organized mountaineering within Pakistan.

🇫🇷 The 1975 French Attempt

A French expedition led by Jean Fréhel returned to Paiju in 1975.

The team attempted approximately the same general route from the northern side and progressed higher than the 1974 expedition.

Climbers reached roughly 19,000 feet, but Paiju again demonstrated the seriousness of its snow and ice terrain.

During a descent from Camp I, Fréhel and Jean-François Porret were swept away by an avalanche.

Fréhel managed to stop their fall, but Porret suffered a badly broken leg.

The injury required an extremely difficult evacuation lasting weeks.

With one of its members seriously injured and the route clearly dangerous, the expedition abandoned the mountain.

Paiju had now defeated two substantial teams in consecutive years.

🇵🇰 The Alpine Club of Pakistan

The Alpine Club of Pakistan had been established only shortly before the successful Paiju expedition.

Its development represented an important change in Karakoram mountaineering. For decades, expeditions to Pakistan’s highest mountains were dominated by foreign teams that employed local porters primarily for transport and support.

Pakistani climbers increasingly wanted to develop their own technical mountaineering expertise and organize expeditions under Pakistani leadership.

Paiju became an ideal objective.

The mountain was high enough and technically difficult enough to require genuine expedition skills, yet accessible enough to serve as a training ground for a young national climbing organization.

The Alpine Club began preparing a dedicated Services Expedition in late 1975.

Its objective was not merely to assist another international team.

It intended to put Pakistani climbers on the summit.

🇵🇰 The 1976 Services Expedition

The successful expedition was led by Major Manzoor Hussain.

Other Pakistani members included Major Bashir Ahmed, Squadron Leader Javaid Iqbal, Captain Mohammad Ayaz, Captain Amjad Kamal Butt, Captain Saeed Ahmed, Flight Lieutenant Z. H. K. Yousafzai, expedition doctor Tahir Ahmed, and Nazir Ahmed Sabir.

American climber Allen Steck joined as a technical climbing adviser.

Steck was already a major figure in American mountaineering. His experience on Yosemite walls, Himalayan expeditions, and major alpine climbs made him especially valuable to a team building its technical skills.

The expedition flew to Skardu on June 5 and then traveled toward the Braldu Valley.

More than 100 Balti porters helped transport expedition supplies.

Base Camp was established on June 14, 1976, at approximately 15,000 feet in the meadow named for Momin Hamid.

🧗 Training Beneath Paiju

Before launching the main climb, the expedition spent approximately a week on technical refresher training under Allen Steck.

This detail makes the ascent particularly significant in Pakistani mountaineering history.

The expedition was not simply using a foreign climber to lead Pakistani members up the mountain. Steck’s role was instructional, helping the team develop the skills required to take responsibility for difficult pitches itself.

The weather was poor even during this training period, with heavy snowfall reaching Base Camp.

On June 23, the team made its first effort to establish Camp I.

Climbers entered a steep snow-and-ice gully rising from roughly 15,000 to 18,000 feet.

The lower section was moderate, but the angle eventually increased toward 50 degrees.

Then an avalanche hit.

⚠️ Avalanche on the Lower Route

Saeed Ahmed was leading when the avalanche struck the climbing party.

He was thrown against rocks and left hanging upside down beneath a ledge on his belay rope.

Steck and Bashir were able to rescue him and lower him toward Base Camp.

After waiting for the fresh snow to stabilize and avalanche naturally from the route, the expedition returned.

Camp I was established at approximately 17,200 feet on June 28, with around 500 feet of fixed rope protecting important sections.

Repeated bad weather prevented immediate progress.

The mountain’s difficulties were already proving similar to those encountered by the French expedition the previous year: technically climbable gullies became extremely dangerous whenever fresh snow accumulated above them.

🏕️ Camp II

On July 6, the expedition finally established Camp II at approximately 18,500 feet.

Reaching it required climbing ice up to around 50 degrees and negotiating rock ledges. Another 750 feet of fixed rope was installed.

The position offered extraordinary views into the central Karakoram, including K2, Broad Peak, the Gasherbrums, and Masherbrum.

Above Camp II, the climbing became considerably harder.

The route passed through steep gullies threatened by avalanches and onto sections of frozen rock.

Bashir became ill and was temporarily replaced in the leading group by Nazir Sabir.

By July 13, the climbers had established Camp III at approximately 19,600 feet.

A difficult 300-foot section of rock lay in this portion of the route, and the expedition fixed much of the ground between Camps II and III.

🧊 Above 20,000 Feet

Saeed Ahmed and Allen Steck moved above Camp III on July 14 to investigate the final portion of the mountain.

What initially appeared to be relatively easy snow proved significantly harder.

The pair encountered ice slopes reaching approximately 60 degrees.

They climbed to roughly 20,600 feet before exhaustion and frostbite forced them back.

Saeed eventually had to descend all the way to Base Camp and was later evacuated by helicopter because of injuries to his feet.

The expedition could no longer rely on a straightforward summit push from Camp III.

Manzoor Hussain decided that another camp had to be established higher on the mountain.

On July 17, Bashir, Nazir, Steck, and Manzoor climbed beyond Camp III and established Camp IV around 20,100 feet.

Above them stood the most difficult climbing of the expedition.

🧗 Seventeen Hours of Climbing

The four climbers left Camp IV at approximately 3:30 a.m. on July 19.

The summit attempt quickly became an epic.

They climbed for roughly 17 hours, negotiating steep ice, mixed terrain, and around 200 feet of direct aid on difficult rock.

Steck led much of the aid section, while Nazir Sabir also made important leads higher on the mountain.

By the end of the day, the climbers were still below the summit.

They dug a snow cave at approximately 21,400 feet and bivouacked without sleeping bags or food.

The situation was uncomfortable but provided them with a final opportunity.

Only a few hundred vertical feet remained.

On July 20, they emerged from the snow cave and continued upward.

🏔️ The False Summit

Only about 50 feet above the bivouac, the climbers reached a snowfield connecting two summits.

The lower eastern summit was roughly 150 feet below the main top.

This geographical detail had confused observations from the Baltoro Glacier because only the lower summit was clearly visible from portions of the approach.

Beyond the snowfield, the true summit rose through very steep ice.

At this point, Allen Steck made an unusual decision.

Rather than continue the final short section, he remained on the snowfield.

His Pakistani companions would make the summit themselves.

Steck positioned himself to photograph the final ascent.

🏆 First Ascent — July 20, 1976

Nazir Ahmed Sabir led the final steep ice toward Paiju’s true summit.

Manzoor Hussain belayed him from below.

Major Bashir Ahmed then joined the summit party.

At approximately 2 p.m. on July 20, 1976, Bashir Ahmed, Manzoor Hussain, and Nazir Ahmed Sabir stood on the summit of Paiju Peak.

The climb became the mountain’s first confirmed ascent.

It was also an important moment for Pakistani mountaineering. The summit had been reached by Pakistani climbers under a Pakistani-led expedition organized by the Alpine Club of Pakistan.

Steck’s decision to remain just below the summit reinforced the character of the expedition. His technical expertise had been essential to the route, but the final first-ascent credit belonged entirely to the Pakistani team.

🧗 The Descent

Reaching the summit did not end the danger.

The three summit climbers returned to Steck, and the group began a long series of rappels toward Camp IV.

They did not reach the camp until approximately midnight.

The expedition then dismantled its upper camps and descended.

By July 27, everyone remaining on the climb was back at Base Camp.

The ascent had required weeks of effort, avalanche accidents, frostbite, difficult aid climbing, a high bivouac without sleeping bags, and two days of sustained movement above the highest camp.

Paiju’s modest 6,610-meter elevation had provided a level of technical commitment more commonly associated with much higher Karakoram mountains.

🧗 Nazir Sabir

The first ascent also marked an important stage in the career of Nazir Sabir, who would become one of the most internationally recognized mountaineers from Pakistan.

Sabir later participated in some of the defining climbs of Pakistani mountaineering.

In 1981, he became part of the first Pakistani ascent of K2, reaching the summit during a Japanese expedition.

He subsequently climbed other major Himalayan and Karakoram peaks and in 2000 became the first Pakistani to summit Mount Everest.

His role on Paiju came relatively early in that career.

The technical experience gained during the expedition, combined with the training provided by Allen Steck and other international climbers associated with the Alpine Club of Pakistan, helped build a generation of Pakistani high-altitude mountaineers who increasingly climbed as expedition leaders and summit climbers rather than only as support staff.

🇮🇹 The 1981 South-Side Ascent

Paiju’s second significant summit ascent came in 1981.

Italian climbers Alberto Enzio, Giovanni Calcagno, M. Pellizzaro, and Tullio Vidoni tackled the mountain from the south.

Their route was entirely different in character from the 1976 northern ascent.

The lower portion involved difficult granite climbing, while the upper mountain shifted into mixed rock-and-ice terrain.

Contemporary climbing chronicles regarded the expedition as the second ascent of Paiju and the first successful route from the south.

The climb also demonstrated that Paiju’s great granite walls could be climbed directly rather than bypassed through the northern snow-and-ice systems.

The Italian route subsequently received surprisingly little international attention, but later climbers studying the south pillar rediscovered evidence of the ascent and recognized its technical quality.

🧱 The South Face

Paiju’s southern side rises almost directly above the Braldu Valley.

Its great granite pillars give the mountain a character dramatically different from the glaciated normal route on the north.

Large sections of the wall are steep enough that snow cannot accumulate permanently, leaving extensive areas of exposed granite.

Higher up, rock gives way to snow slopes, mixed terrain, and threatening seracs.

This combination creates an unusually complex climbing problem. A team attempting the south side needs big-wall rock-climbing ability at lower elevations and high-altitude snow-and-ice experience above.

Rockfall adds a major objective hazard.

The face receives strong sunlight, and freeze-thaw cycles can loosen stones from high on the wall.

These dangers explain why the south side has attracted elite technical climbers but remarkably few complete ascents.

🧗 The 2013 South-Pillar Attempt

Basque climbers Alberto Iñurrategi, Juan Vallejo, and Mikel Zabalza turned their attention to Paiju’s south pillar in 2013.

All three were exceptionally experienced high-altitude mountaineers and had climbed difficult routes throughout the Himalayas and Karakoram.

Their objective was an enormous granite pillar rising from approximately 5,000 meters toward a distinct tower around 6,100 meters.

Above that tower, another 500 meters or more of snow, ice, and mixed terrain led toward the main summit.

The team climbed roughly the first 500 meters of the pillar.

Bad weather and poor conditions then forced them to retreat.

Rather than abandon the project permanently, they returned the following year with more equipment and a refined strategy.

🧱 Via 2T — 2014

The Basque trio returned to Paiju in summer 2014.

They used capsule style, moving camps progressively up the wall while maintaining enough fixed rope to retreat if weather deteriorated.

The climbing was sustained and difficult.

Two camps were established on the wall, around 5,500 and 5,750 meters, and the climbers regularly spent ten to twelve hours moving each day.

Technical difficulties reached approximately 6b, A3, and M5, combining hard free climbing, aid climbing, and mixed terrain.

Mikel Zabalza later described the route as one of the most demanding alpine climbs of his career.

The wall also remained dangerously active, with falling stones and ice repeatedly threatening the team.

⚠️ Rockfall on Juan Vallejo

On July 26, 2014, the climbers were approaching the top of the south tower when Juan Vallejo was struck by a falling block of granite.

The rock hit his shoulder hard enough to prevent him from safely continuing the final pitches.

Iñurrategi and Zabalza continued to the top of the tower.

From there, they were finally able to study the terrain leading toward Paiju’s main summit.

What they saw convinced them not to continue.

The connecting snow ridge led directly beneath an enormous active serac barrier that was continually releasing ice.

The climbers considered the continuation unjustifiably dangerous.

They therefore ended their route on the roughly 6,100-meter south tower and descended.

🧗 Why Via 2T Is Not a Paiju Summit Ascent

Via 2T is sometimes loosely described as a new route on Paiju Peak, which is correct geographically, but it is important to distinguish the achievement from a complete ascent of the mountain.

The Basque climbers successfully completed approximately 1,100 meters of new technical climbing through the south pillar.

They did not reach Paiju’s 6,610-meter main summit.

The route terminates at the top of the major south tower.

Above lies additional snow and mixed terrain leading toward the summit, with a dangerous serac barrier blocking the most logical continuation.

The American Alpine Journal therefore treats Via 2T as a major new route on the south pillar, not as another complete summit ascent.

This distinction preserves the unusual fact that Paiju’s true summit has been reached only very rarely.

🧊 Uli Biaho Glacier

The first-ascent route approached Paiju from the north through the Uli Biaho Glacier system.

This side of the mountain presents a dramatically different landscape from the south pillar.

Instead of huge uninterrupted granite walls, climbers negotiate snow gullies, glacial terrain, ice slopes, rock bands, and high snowfields.

The 1976 expedition found angles between approximately 30 and 60 degrees, interspersed with substantial sections of technical rock.

Avalanches are a constant concern because many gullies concentrate snowfall and debris from slopes above.

The Uli Biaho area also lies beneath some of the most spectacular granite towers in the Karakoram.

Nearby Uli Biaho Tower rises as an almost impossibly steep rock spire, while the Trango group stands farther east.

Paiju occupies the transition between these granite towers and the larger glaciated peaks deeper in the range.

🏔️ The Trango Towers

The Trango Towers rise approximately nine kilometers northeast of Paiju and form one of the greatest concentrations of big-wall granite climbing on Earth.

Great Trango Tower and Nameless Tower rise in enormous walls above the Baltoro Glacier.

Their vertical rock faces have attracted many of the world’s leading technical climbers since the 1970s.

Paiju belongs to the same broader geological and geographical environment.

Its south wall lacks the famous isolated tower shape of Trango, but it contains similarly steep granite.

For trekkers, the relationship becomes increasingly clear after leaving Paiju campsite and moving toward the Baltoro Glacier.

Paiju gradually recedes behind while the Trango group becomes one of the dominant features ahead.

The sequence provides one of the most dramatic transformations of mountain scenery anywhere along the K2 trek.

🏔️ Choricho

Choricho rises immediately west-northwest of Paiju and forms its nearest higher neighbor in modern prominence mapping.

Its summit reaches roughly 6,769 meters according to current topographic data, although elevations vary between maps.

The connecting terrain between Choricho and Paiju is high enough that Paiju’s prominence remains only around 530 meters.

This relationship helps explain why Paiju’s summit does not qualify as an especially independent peak despite its enormous appearance from the Braldu Valley.

From the valley, local relief dominates the visual experience. From a topographic perspective, however, Paiju belongs to a closely connected group of high mountains immediately north of the Baltoro entrance.

🌦️ Climate and Weather

Paiju lies in the central Karakoram, where climate is influenced by both western weather systems and the outer effects of the South Asian monsoon.

The Karakoram is generally drier than the central and eastern Himalayas, but summer storms can still produce significant snowfall at altitude.

The 1961 reconnaissance was eventually driven away by persistent cloud and drizzle. Heavy snow repeatedly delayed the 1976 first-ascent expedition and contributed directly to avalanche conditions.

For climbing, June through August generally provides the most practical seasonal window.

Even during these months, long periods of poor weather are possible.

Rock faces can become dangerous after freeze-thaw cycles, while fresh snow accumulates rapidly in gullies and on the upper mountain.

The combination of steep rock and glacial terrain means that weather influences nearly every part of a Paiju climb.

⚠️ Avalanche and Rockfall Danger

Paiju’s climbing history contains repeated evidence that objective hazards are at least as important as technical difficulty.

An avalanche struck the 1975 French expedition and broke a climber’s leg. Another avalanche hit the 1976 team while it was establishing Camp I, injuring Saeed Ahmed.

Fresh snowfall on the upper mountain can load steep gullies that naturally funnel debris toward climbers.

The southern side presents a different problem. Its steep granite walls are vulnerable to rockfall, especially when sunlight warms frozen cracks and releases blocks from above.

Juan Vallejo’s 2014 injury occurred when a large stone struck him high on the south pillar.

Above the rock wall, the Basque climbers encountered an active serac barrier dangerous enough that they considered continuing toward the summit unjustifiable.

Paiju therefore combines nearly every major form of objective Karakoram hazard within a relatively compact mountain.

🌿 Flora and Fauna

Paiju lies inside Central Karakoram National Park, an enormous protected landscape extending across more than 10,000 square kilometers of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The ecological conditions vary dramatically with elevation.

The upper mountain consists almost entirely of granite, snow, and glacier ice. Lower valleys contain much more vegetation, although the central Karakoram remains generally dry.

The park identifies vegetation zones including alpine dry steppe, alpine meadow, alpine scrub, and subalpine scrub. Recorded plants include West Himalayan spruce, Himalayan white pine, juniper, thyme, clover, wormwood, and numerous hardy alpine species.

Paiju campsite itself has historically been noted for its willow vegetation, which provides a striking contrast with the barren glacial landscapes immediately farther east.

Above the campsite, plants rapidly become sparse as moraine, rock, snow, and ice dominate.

🐾 Wildlife

Central Karakoram National Park protects some of Pakistan’s most important high-altitude wildlife habitat.

The snow leopard is one of the park’s flagship species. Other mammals include Himalayan ibex, markhor, musk deer, lynx, wolf, Tibetan red fox, stone marten, alpine weasel, and Kashmir marmot.

The park also records roughly 90 bird species, including Himalayan snowcock, snow partridge, chukar, Himalayan monal, golden eagle, griffon vulture, bearded vulture, and common kestrel.

Most large mammals do not inhabit Paiju’s upper rock and ice slopes permanently. Their habitats lie primarily in lower valleys, cliffs, alpine meadows, and remote side drainages.

The mountain nevertheless forms part of the same continuous protected ecosystem, while its snowfields and glaciers contribute water to the valleys supporting wildlife and human communities below.

🏞️ Central Karakoram National Park

Central Karakoram National Park was established in 1993 and is the largest national park in Pakistan.

Government sources give its area as approximately 10,557 square kilometers.

The park contains one of the world’s greatest concentrations of high mountains and glaciers. Its elevation extends from roughly 2,000 meters to the 8,611-meter summit of K2.

Glaciers cover a major portion of the protected landscape, including the Baltoro, Biafo, Hispar, and numerous tributary systems.

The park uses a combination of core and buffer zones intended to protect fragile environments while permitting sustainable access for local communities, trekkers, and climbers.

Paiju occupies one of the most heavily traveled corridors within this protected landscape because practically every conventional K2 and Baltoro trek passes through the area.

🏘️ Baltistan and the Braldu Valley

Paiju lies within the cultural landscape of Baltistan, a high mountain region whose people have lived around the Karakoram valleys for generations.

The Balti language belongs to the Tibetan language family and preserves many place names describing local geographical features.

Payu is one such name.

The traditional approach follows the Braldu River, whose valleys contain settlements that historically depended on agriculture, livestock, local trade, and seasonal movement through mountain landscapes.

Askole has become especially important as the conventional roadhead for expeditions traveling toward the Baltoro.

Modern trekking and mountaineering provide substantial seasonal employment for Balti guides, porters, cooks, drivers, and expedition workers.

The climbing history of Paiju also demonstrates the transition from an era when local people were often described simply as porters to one in which Pakistani mountaineers increasingly organized and led major expeditions themselves.

🌊 The Braldu River

The Braldu River drains the enormous glacier systems of the central Karakoram.

Water flowing from the Baltoro and Biafo glaciers eventually enters the Braldu and continues westward toward the Shigar River before joining the Indus system.

Paiju rises directly above this drainage corridor.

The relief is exceptional. From river level, the mountain climbs several vertical kilometers in only a short horizontal distance.

Summer meltwater can transform the Braldu into a powerful river, and early expeditions sometimes encountered extremely difficult crossings before modern bridges improved access.

The river also determines the conventional trekking route. Travelers from Askole generally follow its valley until reaching the entrance to the Baltoro Glacier system around Paiju.

From there, the journey leaves the river corridor and enters the high glacial world leading toward Concordia.

🪨 Geology

Paiju is composed largely of granite, part of the extensive intrusive rocks that help create the spectacular towers of the central Karakoram.

These rocks originated from magma emplaced deep within the crust during the complex tectonic history associated with the collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates.

Continued uplift eventually exposed the granite at the surface.

Glaciers and severe high-altitude weathering then carved the mountain into its modern form.

The same processes produced the famous rock architecture of the nearby Trango and Uli Biaho groups.

Freeze-thaw cycles exploit cracks in the granite, gradually releasing blocks from the walls. This process contributes directly to the rockfall danger encountered by climbers on Paiju’s south pillar.

Glacial erosion continues below, transporting huge quantities of debris toward the Braldu Valley.

Porters’ loads on the trekking trail from Jula to Payu, K2 Base Camp trek | Joss K

🏔️ Nearby Mountains

The Trango Towers lie northeast of Paiju and contain some of the world’s largest vertical granite walls.

Uli Biaho Tower rises nearby and is another legendary Karakoram big-wall objective.

Choricho is Paiju’s nearest higher neighbor and reaches roughly 6,700 meters.

Farther east, Masherbrum rises to more than 7,800 meters south of the Baltoro Glacier.

Broad Peak and K2 dominate the upper Baltoro region beyond Concordia.

Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II form another pair of 8,000-meter giants farther southeast.

This extraordinary neighborhood explains why a 6,610-meter mountain receives relatively little general publicity. In almost any other range, Paiju would be one of the defining summits. Along the Baltoro, it stands at the entrance to an entire landscape of larger giants.

🧭 Can Paiju Peak Be Climbed Today?

Yes. Paiju remains available as a mountaineering objective subject to Pakistan’s current climbing regulations.

Because the summit exceeds 6,500 meters, foreign climbers fall under Pakistan’s mountaineering-permit system rather than the rules applying to lower open-zone peaks.

Current Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation guidance requires climbers attempting a mountain of 6,500 meters or higher to select the mountaineering category during the visa process and coordinate the permit through a licensed Pakistani tour operator.

Gilgit-Baltistan’s Tourism Department also requires expedition registration, appropriate permit fees, environmental requirements, and insurance documentation.

The department reiterated in 2025 that no mountaineering expedition in Gilgit-Baltistan should begin without an official permit and association with a registered tour company.

Regulations and fees can change, so current government guidance should always be checked during expedition planning.

🧭 Trekking to Paiju vs. Climbing Paiju

The distinction between visiting Paiju and climbing Paiju Peak is particularly important.

Paiju campsite is part of the established Baltoro trekking corridor used by K2 Base Camp and Concordia trekkers. Reaching the camp requires strenuous trekking but no attempt on the mountain itself.

Climbing the 6,610-meter summit is a completely different undertaking.

The northern route requires glacier travel, avalanche assessment, steep snow and ice climbing, technical rock work, high-altitude acclimatization, and expedition logistics.

The south side is far more technically difficult and contains major big-wall climbing.

A trekker can therefore stand beneath Paiju without participating in mountaineering at all.

This unusual combination helps explain the mountain’s fame. Paiju is encountered by thousands of ordinary mountain travelers but remains a summit visited by exceptionally few climbers.

⭐ Why Paiju Peak Is Remarkable

Paiju Peak is easy to overlook on a map.

At 6,610 meters, it is surrounded by mountains reaching 7,000 and 8,000 meters. Its prominence is only about 530 meters, and it does not rank among the highest independent summits of the Karakoram.

On the ground, however, Paiju is impossible to ignore.

The mountain rises more than three kilometers above the Braldu Valley near the entrance to the Baltoro Glacier. Its dark granite walls, ice gullies, and bright summit slopes stand directly above one of the most famous trekking camps in Asia.

Its climbing history adds another dimension.

The mountain resisted early reconnaissance and then defeated major expeditions in 1974 and 1975, with both attempts ending after serious accidents.

In 1976, the newly established Alpine Club of Pakistan returned with a team determined to develop Pakistani technical mountaineering. Allen Steck helped train the climbers and led some of the hardest rock sections, but when the final summit stood above him, he stopped and photographed Bashir Ahmed, Manzoor Hussain, and Nazir Sabir completing the first ascent themselves.

That moment made Paiju an important landmark in the development of Pakistani mountaineering.

The story continued in 1981, when Italians climbed the mountain from its far more technical southern side. More than thirty years later, Iñurrategi, Vallejo, and Zabalza spent ten exhausting days establishing Via 2T through the massive south pillar, only to stop at the top of the tower when the continuation toward the main summit proved dangerously exposed to collapsing seracs.

Paiju therefore embodies the character of the central Karakoram particularly well. It is beautiful, accessible from below, technically complex above, and surrounded by mountains so enormous that even a 6,610-meter summit can seem almost secondary.

For trekkers, Paiju is the green camp before the Baltoro Glacier.

For climbers, it is something entirely different: a granite-and-ice mountain with remarkably few successful ascents and a history deeply connected with the emergence of Pakistani mountaineering itself.

Paiju Camp, June 2015 – Birds in Karakorum | Piotr Snigorski

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How high is Paiju Peak?

Paiju Peak reaches 6,610 meters (21,686 feet) according to modern topographic mapping.

Where is Paiju Peak?

It is located in Shigar District of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, near the western terminus of the Baltoro Glacier.

What mountain range is Paiju in?

Paiju belongs to the Baltoro Muztagh of the Karakoram.

Is Paiju also called Payu?

Yes. Payu is the spelling commonly used in older climbing literature and may more closely represent the original Balti pronunciation.

What does Paiju mean?

The Balti word payu means “salt.” The name probably referred originally to mineral salts around local springs and to the Payu campsite before being applied to the mountain.

How high is Paiju’s prominence?

Modern Peakbagger mapping gives approximately 530 meters (1,739 feet) of clean topographic prominence.

How isolated is Paiju Peak?

Its topographic isolation is approximately 2.97 kilometers (1.84 miles).

What is Paiju’s nearest higher neighbor?

The nearest higher summit is Choricho, immediately west-northwest of Paiju.

Who first climbed Paiju Peak?

Major Bashir Ahmed, Major Manzoor Hussain, and Nazir Ahmed Sabir made the first ascent.

When was Paiju Peak first climbed?

The first ascent took place on July 20, 1976.

Was Allen Steck one of the first ascenders?

No. Steck was a critical member and technical adviser on the expedition and climbed to the final snowfield immediately beneath the summit. He chose to remain there and photograph Bashir Ahmed, Manzoor Hussain, and Nazir Sabir making the first ascent.

Why was the 1976 ascent important?

It was the first major successful all-Pakistani expedition organized by the Alpine Club of Pakistan and became an important milestone in the development of Pakistani technical mountaineering.

Were there earlier attempts?

A 1961 expedition reconnoitered the mountain but was unable to mount a serious climb. A Pakistani-American expedition attempted Paiju in 1974, and a French expedition attempted it in 1975.

What happened in 1974?

Pakistani climber Momin Hamid died in an accident, and the expedition abandoned the mountain.

What happened in 1975?

A French expedition climbed to approximately 19,000 feet before an avalanche caused a severe leg injury to Jean-François Porret and forced the team to retreat.

When was Paiju climbed from the south?

An Italian team consisting of Alberto Enzio, Giovanni Calcagno, M. Pellizzaro, and Tullio Vidoni climbed a difficult new south-side route in 1981, generally regarded as the mountain’s second ascent.

What is Via 2T?

Via 2T is an approximately 1,100-meter route on Paiju’s south pillar established by Alberto Iñurrategi, Juan Vallejo, and Mikel Zabalza in 2014. Difficulties reached approximately 6b, A3, and M5.

Did the Via 2T climbers reach Paiju’s summit?

No. They reached the top of the south tower at approximately 6,100 meters but did not continue toward the main summit because an active serac barrier made the continuation unacceptably dangerous.

Where is Paiju campsite?

Paiju campsite lies beneath the mountain along the standard trekking route from Askole toward the Baltoro Glacier and K2 Base Camp.

How high is Paiju campsite?

Different itineraries use slightly different measurements, but the camp is generally around 3,400–3,450 meters.

Why do K2 trekkers stop at Paiju?

Paiju provides a traditional rest and acclimatization location immediately before trekkers begin the more demanding journey onto the Baltoro Glacier.

Is Paiju inside a national park?

Yes. Paiju lies within Central Karakoram National Park, Pakistan’s largest protected area.

Can Paiju Peak be climbed today?

Yes, subject to Pakistan and Gilgit-Baltistan mountaineering regulations. Because the mountain exceeds 6,500 meters, foreign climbers require the appropriate mountaineering visa and climbing-permit process.

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