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Need to know ~ Places
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2021-02-07
On January 16, 2021, a group of 10 climbers from Nepal made mountaineering history: they reached the top of K2 – Earth’s second highest peak after Mt. Everest – in the winter. The climbers faced punishing conditions, including temperatures of -85 degrees F (-65 degrees C) and hurricane-strength winds. Even though K2 is not as high as Mt. Everest, it is considered more difficult to climb.
Nine of the climbers who made the unprecedented winter ascent are Sherpas, meaning they are members of one of the indigenous Tibetan groups native to the high mountain regions of Nepal and the Himalayas. The news of this remarkable achievement was received with a sense of national pride by many Nepalese. Mountain guides from Nepal – most often Sherpas – have been making mountaineering in the region possible for climbers from other parts of the world for decades. They carry loads of food, fix ropes, and make sure equipment is used and maintained properly. But rarely have they themselves received any of the glory associated with summiting peaks, despite their renowned valor and skill. This time, however, they were the ones setting the record. In so doing, they opened doors for other climbers from the region, who previously lacked the financial means to summit peaks on their own. Through social media and sponsorships, more and more indigenous mountaineers will be able to climb the magnificent terrain that they call home. Nimsdai Purja, one of the team leaders on January’s historic K2 climb, shattered records in 2019 by climbing all of the 14 highest mountains in the world in just six months and six days.
K2 was summited by members of different teams that had started out separately, but which ultimately decided to collaborate, unified by their wish to honor their country of Nepal by reaching the top together. Nimsdai Purja said, “We succeeded in our effort because we worked as a team.”
At Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, the climbers were welcomed back as national heroes. But their fame extends far beyond their country’s borders, as the world celebrates their extraordinary achievement.
More about K2
- The top of K2 is at 8,611 meters (28,251 feet). It is the second highest peak in the world; Mt. Everest is 237 m (778 ft) higher.
- K2 is located on the Pakistan-China border and lies in the Karakoram mountain range, which stretches across the borders of Pakistan, India, and China.
- The name K2 comes from Thomas George Montgomerie, a British officer, who, in 1856, spotted its distinctive shape alongside another peak in the Karakoram range. He named one of the mountains K1 (“K” for “Karakoram”) and the other K2. K1 was later officially renamed “Masherbrum,” which had been its original name. K2 did not have a local name.
- K2 has a pyramidal shape.
- K2 poses a number of unique challenges to climbers. Its sheer faces and dizzying drops demand the highest levels of technical prowess. Avalanches are frequent. The mountain is often battered by violent storms. And, the air is dangerously thin above 8,000 m. Humans cannot function at such elevations without extra oxygen. The last 600 meters leading to K2’s summit are called “the death zone.”
- While some 5,000 people have reached the top of Mt. Everest, fewer than 400 have summited K2 – and none of those in winter, until now. In fact, it is the last among the world’s 14 tallest peaks to be summited in the winter.
- George Bell, the famed American climber who attempted (but failed) to climb to the top of K2, called it the “Savage Mountain,” a nickname that stuck. Bell said of K2, “It’s a savage mountain that tries to kill you.”
- In 1902, a group of climbers spent 68 days on the mountain but failed to reach the top.
- The first successful summit of K2 was on July 31, 1954 by an Italian team.
- In 1977, a second group comprised of Japanese and Pakistani climbers reached the top.
- On June 23, 1986, the first woman – Polish mountaineer Wanda Rutkiewicz – made it to the summit.
- The oldest person to climb to the top of K2 was 65-year-old Carlos Soria Fontán, in 2004.
- Many have perished while attempting to conquer K2. The most tragic climbing season was in 1986, when 13 climbers died on the mountain within just 2 weeks. The deadliest single day on the mountain came in 2008 when 11 people died after an ice avalanche wiped out ropes that had been secured on the mountainside.
- The immense challenges presented by K2 make the success of the 10 Nepalese climbers all the more admirable.
Source: Wilkinson, Freddie, National Geographic, “Nepali mountaineers achieve historic winter first on K2,” https://www.nationalgeographic.com/k2, January 16, 2021; Planetmountain.com, “K2: Nepalese mountaineers claim historic first winter ascent,” https://www.planetmountain.com/k2, January 16, 2021; Atlas and Boots, “22 Interesting Facts About K2,” https://www.atlasandboots.com/about-k2/, November 20, 2019; Aljazeera, “‘Bigger than World Cup:’ Nepal climber on first K2 winter ascent,” https://www.aljazeera.com/k2-winter-ascent, January 27, 2021.