What is k2 mountain

It has long been referred to as "the savage mountain", a name that stuck after US mountaineer George Bell said of his own attempt in "It is a savage mountain that tries to kill you. Among the most treacherous sections is the notorious "bottleneck", a couloir liable to icefalls. Eleven climbers were killed there in an avalanche in The Nepali climbers were initially spread across three of four competing teams - in all, totalling 60 people.

But the 10 Nepalis later formed into a single group to claim the historic achievement in Nepal's name. Mountaineer Nirmal Purja - a former member of the UK's Special Boat Service - shared an image of the group celebrating their achievement, which was confirmed by expedition organiser Seven Summit Treks.

Since the first attempt in , just a handful of winter expeditions have been attempted on K2. Until now, none has reached higher than 7, metres. Nepali guides, usually ethnic Sherpas, are considered the backbone of the climbing industry around the Himalayas, and regularly help foreign mountaineers on expeditions.

News of the group's success on Saturday has been praised on social media and sparked joy within the Nepalese climbing community - often left out of the spotlight.

The group of 10 Nepalis was the only successful team so far among dozens currently attempting to scale the mountain. Athletes from Canada, Russia, India and the US performed elaborate figure skating routines as part of a Nepal tourism initiative. Published On 10 Feb In winter, the odds are even worse. Only have successfully reached the summit, Haidri said. Only eight expeditions have attempted a winter ascent, Haidri said. The sheer length alone would seem indomitable, but there is more.

More from News. El Salvador orders army into the streets after spike in killings. Water scarcity reaches crisis point in northern Syria. Both Nepali teams have a long history of working together on 8,meter peaks, most notably in , when Purja succeeded in climbing all 14 8,meter peaks in a record 6 months, 6 days—shaving more than seven years off the previous fastest time.

Nims was greatly aided in that effort by a small band of Sherpa friends, who took turns partnering with him on different mountains and have joined him now for K2. For the Nepali climbers, the most difficult part of the climb may prove to be the descent, executed in a state of oxygen-starved exhaustion, achieved by rappelling several miles of fixed rope to reach true safety on the glacier at the foot of the mountain.

For every three climbers who reach the summit of K2, approximately one dies somewhere on the mountain—and many of those fatalities occur while going down. As of 10 p. In remote Nepal, new roads bring opportunity—and conflict. Underscoring the risk, reports are circulating of the death of a Catalan—Spanish climber low on the mountain. While armchair mountaineers around the world await news that all 10 Nepalis are safely down, dozens of mountaineers still in base camp are left to consider their options.

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