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A team of climbers have made history by becoming the first to climb Pakistan’s K2 summit, the second highest peak in the world, during winter.
The 10 Nepalese Sherpas, including Nirmal Purja, a former member of the Gurkha and UK special forces who had previously scaled the world’s 14 8,000-meter peaks in just over six months, successfully completed the attempt just before 5 pm local time on Saturday.
They had stopped 70 meters from the 8,611-meter peak to wait for each other and cross the threshold together. Once at the top, they sang the national anthem of Nepal before descending.
K2, located on the border between Pakistan and China, is the most prominent on the Pakistani side of the Himalayas and had been the only mountain above 8,000 meters that had not been crowned in winter.
This is largely due to the fact that winter winds at the infamous peak can blow at over 200 kilometers per hour and temperatures drop to -60 ° C. The 10 Nepalese were lucky with the weather conditions as they left their High camp at 1am for a summit attempt via Abruzzi Spur in temperatures as cold as -40 ° C but with little wind and bright sunshine, reportedly.
In addition to Mr. Purja, the group included Gelje Sherpa, Mingma David Sherpa, Mingma G, Sona Sherpa, Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, Pem Chhiri Sherpa, Dawa Temba Sherpa, Kili Pemba Sherpa, and Dawa Tenjing Sherpa.
In a statement, Purja described the achievement as “a journey” and said he was “honored to say that as a team we have reached the top of magnificent K2 in extreme winter conditions.”
“We set out to make the impossible possible and we are honored to share this moment, not only with the Nepalese climbing community but with communities around the world,” he said.
“Mother Nature always has more important things to say and standing at the top, witnessing the strength of her limbs, we are proud to have been part of human history and to demonstrate that collaboration, teamwork and a Positive mental attitude can push limits to what we think might be possible. ”
Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said on Saturday that four international climbing teams had arrived late last year to try to climb K2. Of these roughly 48 people, the group of 10 Nepalese was so far the only successful team, he told Reuters.
However, the team’s celebrations were overshadowed by the death at K2 of renowned Spanish climber Sergio Mingote, who, according to Haidri, fell through a crevasse in the mountain while trying to reach Base Camp.
“Shocked by the news of the accident that has ended the life of a magnificent athlete,” Spain’s Health Minister Salvador Illa wrote on Twitter, adding that Mingote was “a personal friend.”
Mingote, 49, attracted international attention after climbing seven mountains of more than 8,000 meters without supplemental oxygen in less than two years.
The K2 was first climbed in 1954 by Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli, and quickly became famous for its slopes and high winds. There had been six previous winter attempts on the mountain, when its surface turned to “slippery ice,” but none were successful.
The Pakistani army is regularly called in to rescue K2 climbers using helicopters. According to official figures, of the 367 people who completed their promotion in 2018, 86 died.
People around the world have reacted enthusiastically to the news of the Nepalese team’s feat. A well-known climber and photographer, Steve Razzetti, tweeted his “respect” for the group.
“The history of mountaineering is being made when I post this,” he wrote minutes before the group officially achieved the first of all time.
