Zubair Qureshi
The Gilgit Baltistan (GB) Tourism Department has announced to recommend Austrian climber Lukas Woerle’s name for Pride of Performance for the heroic deed he displayed by rescuing a local porter and aborting his ‘dream flight’ from the top of Broad Peak (8,047m). While paying rich tributes to this display of chivalry and sacrifice, Minister for Planning & Development of GB Fateh Ullah Khan on behalf of Governor of GB, Syed Mehdi Shah presented Lukas Woerle a certificate of commendation during a special event organized by the Tourism Department of Gilgit-Baltistan in the federal capital.
The Governor of GB has also announced to nominate Lukas Woerle for the presidential award “Pride of Performance” next year acknowledging his outstanding contributions, Fateh Ullah Khan said at a press conference.
In addition, Chief Minister of GB, Gulbar Khan has declared that the GB government will cover Woerle’s permit fee (US$ 9,500) for Broad Peak whenever he returns to fulfill his incomplete dream. “This gesture reflects the region’s deep appreciation for Mr. Woerle’s valor and sacrifice,” said Fateh Ullah Khan.
Alfred Woerle, father and Vincent Woerle, younger brother of Lukas and Director Tourism GB Yasir Hussain were also present at the media briefing. While sharing the details of what happened over the mountains, Lukas said it was July 15, 2023 and everything was as usual. At about 7,800-metre altitude when he was on his way, rejoicing at the fact that soon he would be on the top of Broad Peak, he spotted a man lying senseless on the climbing route.
After observing the man’s condition closely, he gave up his idea to move ahead and decided to take the return journey and help him out. He took him down until he met an American climber. They helped the man all the way down. The rescued man was later found to be a porter named Murtaza associated with a mountaineering company.
By the time he reached the base camp he was so exhausted that he could not instantly resume the expedition. It took me a few days to recover, he said. “I started on the 24th of July and tried to summit on the 27th where I reached 7,700m but unfortunately I could not make it to the top. Afterwards I flew from 7,000m altitude,” he said. My dream remains but I regret nothing, he said. This is the second time Lukas is in Pakistan. Earlier he was here to scale and fly from the top ofGasherbrum II (G-II).
Then he was stuck there in a snow storm. Speaking on the occasion, Yasir Hussain said the story of Lukas Woerle was another addition to the beautiful stories of mountains. Pakistani mountains are full of such stories of sharing and caring. We see warmth of friendship and passion at its peak in these cold mountains and need to tell the world these stories so that mountaineers from all over the world could come and scale them.
