K7 east face: the objective for Matteo Della Bordella, Luca Ducoli, Mirco Grasso, Giacomo Mauri

Matteo Della Bordella, Luca Ducoli, Mirco Grasso and Giacomo Mauri left Italy for Pakistan two days ago. Their goal: to open a new route on the east pillar of K7 Main (6,934m). The expedition, supported by the Italian Mountaineering Club (CAI), will keep the four climbers engaged until the 15 of July.

After landing in Islamabad and transferring to Skardu, the team will make its way to the Charakusa Valley. From there, a three-day trek will bring them to base camp, where they will spend roughly 35–40 days alternating between acclimatisation and attempts on the wall.

K7 is a mountain that, in many ways, symbolises modern exploratory alpinism. The main summit reaches 6,934 metres and combines high technical difficulties on rock, ice and mixed terrain. Its history is intertwined with some of the most significant climbs of recent decades: the Japanese first ascent in 1984, Steve House's solo alpine-style ascent in 2004, and the route opened on the east face in 2012 by Hayden Kennedy, Kyle Dempster and Urban Novak.

For Della Bordella, this is a project he has been imagining for several years, and he has prepared for it through a long series of technical climbs over recent months. These include the first ascent of Mutante (M8, 6c, AI4+, 520m) on the south face of the Petites Jorasses, together with Mirco Grasso and Giacomo Mauri. Also noteworthy is the first repeat of Elios & Super Elios on the south-east face of the Tour des Jorasses, which Della Bordella climbed with Tommaso Vection. And more recently, the enchainment of Divine Providence and the Central Pillar of Frêney, accomplished by Grasso, Ducoli and Mauri.

"Opening a new route on a great Himalayan mountain of nearly 7,000 metres is a dream I've been chasing for a long time," says Della Bordella. "When Luca Maspes sent me some photos – including one of K7 – this mountain immediately caught my attention. It's a complex face, made of snow, ice and rock, and extremely difficult. When I mentioned it to the others, everyone immediately got excited about the expedition."

"K7 is an emblematic mountain of the new style of alpinism. Steve House climbed it solo; Hayden Kennedy and Kyle Dempster left an important mark here. This face has been attempted by the best climbers in the world. It's a goal that perfectly represents contemporary exploratory alpinism.

"Over the last few months we have prepared intensively, opening new routes and taking on challenging climbs in order to be ready for this expedition. We know it's a very ambitious project, but we can't wait to lay our hands on this mountain."