K2, Major Mountains

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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 takes second place only to Mount Everest.

The summit of K2 forms part of the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China, and borders the Northern Areas of Pakistan.

The Chinese authorities officially refer to K2 as Qogir; Chinese: 乔戈里峰, Pinyin: Qiáog�"lǐ F�"ng; other names include Mount Godwin-Austen, Lambha Pahar, Chogori, Kechu and Dapsang.

Location

The general area of K2 lies in the region of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan.

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. As of June 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 Eckerstein and Aleister Crowley, but after five serious and costly attempts, no member of the team actually reached the summit, probably due to questionable physical training.

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.

Related

• Gasherbrum i
• Chongra peak
• Chogolisa i
• Gasherbrum iii
• Thui ii
• Urdukas i
• Rimo iii
• Chikar zom
• Kunyang chhish
• Link sar

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