K2

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K2

K2 is the second highest mountain on Earth, located in the Karakoram segment of the Himalayan range. Standing at 8,611 metres (28,251 feet), K2 is second only to Mount Everest in terms of height above sea level.

The summit of K2 is on the border between the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China, and the Gilgit-Baltistan region in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. This region is disputed, and is claimed by India to be an integral part of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir

The Chinese authorities officially refer to K2 as Qogir; Chinese: 乔戈里峰, Pinyin: Qiáogēlǐ Fēng; other names include Mount Godwin-Austen, Lambha Pahar (Tall Mountain in Urdu), Chogori, Kechu and Dapsang. __NOTOC__

History

The mountain was first surveyed by a European survey team in 1856 headed by Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen. Thomas Montgomerie was the member of the team who designated it "K2" for the second peak of the Karakoram range. The other peaks were originally named K1, K3, K4 and K5, but were eventually renamed Masherbrum, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II and Gasherbrum I respectively.

Although the summit of Everest is at a higher altitude, the summit of K2 is considered a more difficult climb, due in part to its comparatively greater height above surrounding terrain. The climb is believed by many to be the world's most difficult and dangerous. As of July 2000, only 189 people have completed the ascent, compared with almost 1,900 individuals who have ascended the more popular target of Everest. 49 people have died attempting the climb; 13 climbers from several expeditions died in 1986 in the K2 Tragedy during a severe storm.

The first professional attempt to climb it was organized and undertaken in 1902 by Oscar Eckenstein and Aleister Crowley, but after five serious and costly attempts, no member of the team actually reached the summit, probably due to a combination of questionable physical training, personality conflicts, and poor weather conditions—of 68 days spent on K2 (the then-record for longest time spent at such an altitude) only eight provided clear weather.

An Italian expedition finally succeeded in ascending to the summit of K2 on July 31, 1954. The expedition was led by Ardito Desio, although the two climbers who actually reached the top were Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni. The team included a Pakistani member, Colonel Muhammad Ata-ullah. He had been a part of an earlier 1953 American expedition which failed to make the summit because of a storm which killed a key climber, Art Gilkey.

In 1977, 23 years after the Italian expedition, Ichiro Yoshizawa led the second successful ascent to the top. The Japanese expedition ascended through the Abruzzi Spur route traced by the Italians, and used more than 1500 porters to achieve the goal.

Legend says that K2 "carries a curse" on women. The first woman to reach the summit was Wanda Rutkiewicz in 1986. The next five women to reach the summit are all deceased—three of them died on the way down. Rutkiewicz herself died on Kangchenjunga in 1992.

The fame of K2 spread to a huge American and English audience when the blockbuster Vertical Limit was filmed there.

Prominence

K2 is not ranked higher than 22nd by prominence because it is part of the same range as Everest, in that it is possible to draw a curve from K2 to Everest that goes no lower than 4,594 m (at Mustang Lo).

Books about K2

Ascent of K2 Second Highest Peak in the World by Ardito Desio
K2: Triumph and Tragedy by Jim Curran, ISBN 0395485908
K2: The Story of the Savage Mountain by Jim Curran, ISBN 0898866839
K2: The Savage Mountain by Charles Houston, ISBN 1885283016
K2: Quest of the Gods by Ralph Ellis, ISBN 0932813992
The Last Step: The American Ascent of K2 by Rick Ridgeway, ISBN 0898866324
K2: One Woman's Quest for the Summit by Heidi Hawkins, ISBN 0792279964
The Endless Knot: K2, Mountain of Dreams and Destiny by Kurt Diemberger, ISBN 0898863007
K2 Kahani by Mustansar Hussain Tarrad, In Urdu
Savage Summit : The True Stories of the First Five Women Who Climbed K2 by Jennifer Jordan, ISBN 0060587156

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History

Prominence

See also

Books about K2

Movies about K2

External links

References