Ten Nepali climbers set a new world record by becoming the first to reach the summit of the world’s second-highest mountain- K2 in winter. According to mountaineer Nimsdai Purja, a member of the group, they reached the peak at 17:00 local time.
The climbers were initially separated across three to four competing teams, in all totalling 60 people. However, later the 10 Nepalis formed a single group to claim the historic achievement in Nepal’s name.
Ever since the first attempt in 1987-88, only a handful of winter expeditions have been attempted on K2. Until now, no one had reached higher than 7,650 metres.
Congratulations
Finally, K2 has been climbed in winter and history is made by Nepali Sherpa community.January 16, 2021, will be remembered as the glorious day of mountaineering history with the successful completion of the first winter ascent of K2. #K2winter2021 pic.twitter.com/Ik7tJmWqPW
— Nauman Munawar (@Nauman4440) January 17, 2021
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This winter, dozens of climbers have attempted to climb the 8,611 m (28,251ft) mountain in the hope to achieve the same feat. However, just this weekend a Spanish mountaineer died after suffering a fall while descending.
K2, though 200 m shorter than the Everest is one of the only 14 mountains higher than 8,000m and is widely considered one of the most demanding of all in winter seasons. K2 is a part of the Karakoram Range which straddles the Pakistan-China border.
The treacherous section of “Bottleneck” which is a couloir is notorious for its icefalls. It claimed the lives of 11 climbers in an avalanche in 2008.