K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth (after Mount Everest). Although the summit of Everest is at a higher altitude, K2 is a much more difficult and dangerous climb. Due to its terrible weather and comparatively greater height above surrounding terrain and a peak elevation of 8,611 meters. K2 is part of the Karakoram segment of the Himalayan range, and is located in the northern Areas of Pakistan, on the border between Pakistan’s northern territories, and County of Xinjiang, China. K2 is known as the Savage Mountain due to the difficulty of ascent and the fact that for every four people who reach the summit, one dies trying. Among the” Eight-thousanders”, K2 has the third highest climbing mortality rate.
The mountain was first discovered in 1856 by the Western world and it took another 100 years before the first men reached the summit in July 1954, an Italian expedition succeeded in ascending the summit. The first woman to reach the summit was Wanda Rutkiewicz, of Poland 1986. The next four women to reach the summit were all killed in climbing incidents. Three of them died descending from K2 itself, among them feted British mountaineer Alison Hargreaves in 1995, and Rutkiewicz herself died on Kanchenjunga in 1992. This led to the legend that K2 carried a “curse on women”. However, the “curse” was broken in 2004 when Edurne Pasaban reached the summit and descended successfully, and again in 2006 when Nives Meroi of Italy and Yuka Komatsu of Japan became, respectively, the seventh and eighth women to summit K2, both descending successfully.In August 2008 25 climbers reached the summit but nine died on descent after the avalanche swept away their ropes. Even though it is very dangerous, K2 seems to call to the mountaineers for the challenge of the life time. It is considered mountaineering’s greatest challenge!! Even though people face the risk of death, they will risk it to show the athletic ability, endurance and cheer strength of will to say that they have climb the most difficult mountain on planet earth!! The people who have accomplish this tasks their name will be recorded in history for all time. Do you want to try?
