K2

K2 8611 meters (28,251ft), the second highest peak after Mount Everest, 8850 meters above sea level. It is the highest peak in Karakoram Range and is the head of the Godwin Austin Glacier. K2 is located in Shigar, Gilgit Baltistan region of Pakistan, and partially in a Chinese-administered Kashmir region enclave within the Uygur of Xinjiang in China. It is more hazardous to reach k2 from the Chinese side thus it is mostly climbed from the Baltistan division of Pakistan. K2 peak is known as Qogir Feng in Chinese, locally as Dapsang, Chogori, and Godwin Austen. Mount Godwin Austen is named after the peak’s first surveyor, Col. H.H. Godwin Austen, a 19th-century English geographer. The British temporarily named Godwin Austin, but it was eventually dropped, and K-2 remained. It is considered by many mountaineers to be more technically and difficult than mount Everest, even after being the second highest has been summited ten times less than Mount Everest. According to Reinhold Messner," k2 is Mountain of the Mountains" after his ascent of K-2 in 1979. jack adds: Many climbers consider K2 the most difficult of all 8000-meter peaks.

Reputation

Since 1950, K2 has been known as Savage Mountain for its deadly reputation. It is the second highest, yet more dangerous than Mount Everest, especially in the winter. As of Feb 2021, not more than 377 people have completed the ascent to k2. There have been 91 deaths during attempted climbs. That makes the ratio of deaths to summit K2 almost 1 to 6. Eighty-five percent of fatalities happen on descent … because climbers use all their energy for the summit bid and leave no reserves.

In contrast, Mount Everest’s balance is about one to 34. Nevertheless, Everest has been climbed more than 9,000 times, while approximately 300 have died on the mountain. This is because winters on K2 are so much more dangerous. Winter winds can howl at 200 kilometers (124 miles per hour), and temperatures can hit minus 60 Celsius. Eight summits have been attempted in winter out of those; only one succeeded when 10 Nepalese climbers reached the summit on January 16, 2021.

History

The first attempt to summit K2 was made by the anglo Swiss expedition in 1902 that ascended to 5670 meters, followed by an Italian tour in 1909, which reached a height of 6100 meters. Then three American travelers tried their luck in 1938, 1939, and 1953, but were unsuccessful. Finally, in 1954 Italian journey consisting of 5 scientists, a doctor, a photographer, and 12 others, including a Pakistani, submitted K2 through Abruzzi Ridge at 6 PM on 31 July 1954. Unfortunately, Mario Puchoz, one of the guides, died of pneumonia during the ascent.

Guide to climb

C1 6050 m (20000 ft)

C1 is safe and secure.

C2 6700 m (22000 ft)

C2 consists of large vertical and near-vertical rocks which makes the section between C2 and C3 the most technical section of the climb and it lasts up to 400 meters, this region is known as the black pyramid.

C3 7200 m (23500 ft)

C3 is traditionally placed on the Shoulder and is on top of the black pyramid. Even though it is mostly horizontal terrain but the deathly wind and collapse of a large area of the shoulder make it complicated.

C4 7600 m (25000 ft)
C4, which is from 7600 to 7900 meters on the Shoulder, is still 16-22 hours from the summit.

Summit 8611 m (28250ft)
For the summit, most of the climbers choose from morningto mid-dayy Considering the suitable time to cross the bottleneck (the death zone) when the lack of oxygen slowly shut down our body. which is a 100-meter narrow couloir at 8300 meters the temperature here is mostly between -80 to -90 degrees with extremely cold winds.
According to Gavyan "No matter who you are, no matter your experience, no matter how fit you are this is our biological limit.

Routes

There are 8 main routes to climb up to the top.

North East Ridge.
South-South-East Spur
South West Pillar (The "Magic Line")
South Face (The "Polish Route")
West Ridge
The Chinese side
North Ridge
North West Face

Reasons for being Deathly

The main reasons K2 is more brutal to climb are the need for fixed ropes. Unfortunately, there are no fixed ropes and no “short-roped” clients. Therefore, every team member must contribute to the success of the team and must be an experienced and skilled mountaineer. The routes on K2 it’s a highly technical trek, with a mix of glacial ice, snow, and rock that’s incredibly technical to climb and potentially dangerous. The unpredictable weather of K2 made climbing even worse—the immediate steepness of the climb and the logistics of the rise and trek. The last reported deaths of the k2 are Ali Sadpara of Pakistan, Jon Snorri of Iceland, and Juan Pablu Mohar of chile.

Bottleneck, a combination of the elevation and slope, makes the Bottleneck the most dangerous part of the world’s deadliest mountain.

K2 has been referred to as Savage Mountain since 1950 due to its terrible reputation. Despite being higher than Mount Everest, it is riskier, particularly during the winter. There have only been 377 persons who have successfully reached their peak as of February 2021. Ninety-one people have lost their lives while climbing. As a result, the ddeath-to-increaseratio on K2 is almost one to six. On Mount Everest, by contrast, the balance is roughly one to 34.

Cost

A K2 climbing permit cost is only 11,000 US dollars -- which often covers the other four "eight-thousander" peaks nearby -- which are comparatively low compared to different Mount Everest; as a result, many independent climbers gather every summer. Two thousand twenty-three onward expeditions to K2 will pay 12,000 US dollars for seven members and will add 3000 US dollars for each additional member.

The total cost to climb K2 is between $15,000 to $45,000. Experienced mountaineers can get away by spending up to $12,000, while those looking for a more comprehensive guided experience may need to spend as high as $70,000.

The fixed cost per team is as follows

One peak fee of $7,200

Two permits for $12,000

Three environmental fees of $68

Four service fees of $300

Besides these, a High Altitude Porter costs around $4,000 to $5,000, including his equipment money and daily wages.

Is it a good idea to climb k2?

To climb k2 you need both luck and skills.

It is impossible to survive k2 without being caught encountering dangerous weather and situations. Climbers need to do all the work by themselves as it is hard to employ high-altitude porters.

You must try the difficult mission only if you have the strength to face life-threatening challenges and are brave enough to risk your life in the process.