New Route Opened on Spantik’s East Ridge: Climbing Style or Number of Summits?

Muiz Ud Din of Pakistan and Mathieu Maynadier of France have opened a remarkable new alpine-style route on the East Ridge of 7,029-meter Spantik. This milestone reaffirms climbing as a craft rooted in style, ethics, and connection with nature, rather than just a game of 8,000-meter summits.

Their climb, accomplished in a classical alpine style without the use of fixed camps, porters, or other assistance, followed a graceful yet difficult path on the less-travelled East Ridge of Spantik. The route, located in Pakistan’s Karakoram, specifically in the Spantik-Sosbun subrange, was completed in a lightweight, self-sufficient push —a strategy that is becoming increasingly uncommon in an area that has seen a growing number of summit-focused commercial expeditions.

A New Line on the Golden Peak

Locally in the Burushaski language, known as “Ghanish Chhish”, meaning Golden Peak for its fiery golden glow at sunrise and sunset. Spantik has long drawn climbers for its aesthetic lines and remote ridgelines. Yet, its East Ridge remained unclimbed in pure alpine style — until now. Climbing light and fast, without porters, fixed ropes, or pre-installed camps, Muiz says, they tackled the complex ridge in a minimalist push, relying on experience, grit, and intuition. The climb demanded technical proficiency across steep snow, exposed mixed terrain, and ever-changing weather.

Route Detail

The new line, “Zindabad” (meaning “long life” in Urdu), was initiated on the East Ridge of Spantik (7,029 m) by Pakistan’s Muizz ud Din and France’s Mathieu Maynadier. This is notable because it was the first time a local climber was involved in establishing a new alpine-style route on a prominent mountain in the Karakoram. Over five days, the duo climbed the 1,800-meter line alpine style, rating the line M5, A1, 80°: M5: Modestly difficult mixed ground with technical rock, snow, and ice. A1: Artificial climbing grade. A1 means that the anchor points (pitons, cams, etc.) are solid and easy to install. 80°: Very steep snow/ice, almost vertical. Major snowfall preceding their weather window caused significant snow accumulation to depths, and a monstrous wind slab just short of the summit forced them to retreat 50 meters short of the summit (6,999 m, GPS 28 m short). But for the climbers themselves, though, it was never a matter of the summit, per se, but of style and integrity of ascent — and the symbolic value of establishing an environmentally clean, sustainable route in the high Karakoram. Descent was accomplished in one and a half days by the normal route, with the final bivouac at 5,800 meters. Source: Climbing reports published by L’ÉQUIPE and expedition news on social media.

Muiz Ud Din: A Rising Alpinist from Hunza

Muiz Ud Din is an example of the new generation of Pakistani alpinists who have a strong heritage of high-mountain exploration. He is from the renowned Hunza Valley. Many of Pakistan’s pioneering climbers, including the legendary Nazir Sabir and Ashraf Aman, the formidable Hunza Tigers of Nanga Parbat fame, the resilient Shimshalis, and today’s 14 peaks summiter, Sirbaz Khan, all trace their origins back to Hunza. Muiz grew up in Duiker, Altit, a mountain village at an altitude of 2,700 meters, overlooking the Hunza River. His first ” training ground” was the tough, hilly paths between Karimabad and Altit, a multi-kilometre daily walk to school that inadvertently formed the foundations of his endurance and resilience. He grew up as a child crossing these mountainous terrains, and Muiz began a life-long dialogue with the mountains — one that would evolve from adventure photography and mountain guiding to proper alpine climbing. A hobbyist mountain guide and photographer first, he gradually became part of the climbing community, often joining the expeditions with the elite international alpinists like Alexander Maynadier. Exposure to the alpinist community led him towards more technical and independent climbs.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mueez Ud din (@muizz.din)

Apart from mountain guiding, Muiz is heavily committed to the establishment of mountain sports in northern Pakistan. He is a keen participant in ZomConnection, a grassroots movement with the aim of providing equipment and lessons in skiing, rock climbing, and mountaineering to remote communities. The project, headed by Mathieu Maynadier, is a reflection of their shared belief that local youth need to be empowered and provided with opportunities through mountain culture. Mueez is also a skilled rock climber and free skier. During the off-season, he can be seen most likely climbing Islamabad’s Margalla Hills advanced-level sport climbing crags, and during winter, Chitral’s backcountry’s snowy terrain is haunted by him with touring skis on his legs and a camera in hand — living where sport, adventure, and story come together.

The Karakoram Insider: Mathieu’s Mountaineering Revolution

For Briançon mountain guide and veteran French alpinist Mathieu Maynadier, home is the mountains. With French Alpine experience and a discerning eye for exploring new Karakoram slopes, Mathieu has spent the past fifteen years heading out into the greater ranges, mixing the technicality of European alpinism with the ambiguity of high-altitude climbs. Since 2007, Mathieu has made frequent visits to Pakistan’s Karakoram, driven not only by the promise of new routes but also by an increasing interest in grasping the culture and people of the valleys. Not simply an alpinist, he explores the Karakoram like an ethnographer — mingling with the valley climbing community, immersing himself in the mountain culture, and genuinely connecting with the people who live in these valleys. He is determined to provide local climbers with the skills and confidence to climb their own giant mountains independently in true alpine style. His mentoring and training initiative is aimed not only at technique but also at building a self-sufficient and self-contained climbing tradition within Pakistan.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mathieu Maynadier (@mathieumaynadier)

  Unlike those who come to the Karakoram simply to set records, Mathieu climbs with care for nature, culture, and the spirit of exploration — often venturing far beyond the crowded basecamps of tourist climbers into the quiet heart of remote valleys. His way of travelling and climbing has become a benchmark for ethical and engaged adventure in the greater ranges. In a recent interview with Scarpa, Mathieu views alpinism as a balance of physicality, intuition, and environmental awareness. “The mountain is not a stadium,” he says. “It’s a place to read and respond to, not just perform in.” A proponent of Alpine style, Mathieu emphasizes lightness, speed, and adaptability — the very qualities that made the Spantik East Ridge ascent possible. He also leads training programs and skiing education in Pakistan through ZomConnection, seeing such initiatives as vital for cross-cultural growth in mountain sports.

A Milestone in Modern Karakoram Alpinism

This first ascent is not just a personal triumph for Muiz and Mathieu — it is part of something greater taking place in the highlands of Pakistan. As the country’s homegrown climbing culture matures, and international climbers increasingly collaborate with Pakistani partners as equals, the Karakoram is shaping up to be a playground for audaciously ethical, fashionably cutting-edge alpinism. In Mueez Ud Din, the local climbing community has found not only a forceful climber, but a trend setter — one who is deeply rooted in mountain culture and geography, and is linking generations and continents in the high mountains.

Climbing for the Right Reasons

In today’s Himalayan landscape, a rising wave of commercial tourism has commercialized the ascent of 8,000-meter peaks into a quantifiable, market-driven pursuit. For others, the goal is how many peaks they can accumulate. But in focusing on the numbers, usually the very essence of mountaineering itself gets lost, which is, at its core, about personal challenge, style, and respect for nature. Muiz and Mathieu’s ascent of Spantik’s East Ridge presents a stark contrast. In choosing alpine style over siege, they demonstrated a cleaner, faster, and more sustainable form of climbing, both on an environmental level and a philosophical one. This style, although more difficult and risky, is a sign of a bond between the mountain and the climber. It is not a matter of defeating nature, but moving through it with awareness and modesty. And it is the climbing style, rather than the stamp collection of summits.

Toward a Culture of Ethical Alpinism

As Pakistan’s northern youngsters become more and more engaged in mountain climbing, Muiz Ud Din’s tale is a case that offers a powerful model to be remembered. Promoting alpine-style climbing with a commitment to values of skills, sustainability, and respect, which must be at the heart of mountaineering ethics. With training, mentorship, and initiatives like ZomConnection, one hopes to see a new generation of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral climbers rising – a mountaineering revolution in the Karakoram-Hindukush-Himalayas.