Nepali team becomes 1st to reach summit of Pakistan's K2 in winter
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Mountaineers and Sherpas at base camp after a group of 10 Nepali climbers became the first to reach the summit of Pakistan's K2 in wintertime on Saturday. K2 is the second-highest mountain in the world - at 8,611m - and is dubbed "Savage Mountain" for the punishing conditions there.
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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ISLAMABAD • A team of Nepali climbers made history last Saturday, becoming the first to summit Pakistan's K2 in winter, singing their country's national anthem as they reached the top.
Dozens of mountaineers have been competing over the past few weeks to summit the world's second-highest mountain, the last peak above 8,000m to be topped in wintertime.
"WE DID IT," tweeted Seven Summit Treks, a trekking company leading one of the expeditions.
"The Karakoram's 'Savage Mountain' (has) been summited in most dangerous season: Winter. Nepalese climbers finally reached the summit of Mt K2 this afternoon at 17:00 local time."
The name "Savage Mountain" comes from the punishing conditions there - winds can blow at more than 200kmh and temperatures can drop to minus 60 deg C.
Just a handful of winter expeditions have been tried on the 8,611m-high peak in the Karakoram range along China's border.
None had got higher than 7,650m until Saturday, when the good conditions allowed the climbers to push ahead.
The 10 Nepali climbers had earlier been spread across different teams, but formed a new group to claim the feat in Nepal's name.
Despite the Nepalese being famed for their climbing expertise, there has never before been a Nepali climber on the first winter ascent of a peak over 8,000m.
One of the triumphant climbers, Mr Nirmal Purja, described it as a very special moment.
"The whole team waited 10m below the summit to form a group, then stepped onto the summit together whilst singing our Nepalese national anthem," wrote Mr Purja in a social media post.
"We are proud to have been a part of history for humankind and to show that collaboration, teamwork and a positive mental attitude can push limits to what we feel might be possible."
The news sparked joy throughout Nepal.
"For decades, the Nepalese have assisted foreigners to reach the summits of the Himalayas, but we've not been getting the recognition we deserve," said renowned Nepali climber Kami Rita Sherpa, who has climbed Everest a record 24 times.
"The spotlight has always been on foreign climbers. It is wonderful that today on K2, 10 Nepalese have made history and shown our bravery and strength."
Nepali guides, usually ethnic Sherpas from the valleys around Everest, are considered the backbone of the climbing industry in the Himalayas for bearing huge risks to carry equipment and food, fix ropes and repair ladders.
Mr Ang Tshering Sherpa, former president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, warned, however: "Reaching the summit is only the first half. We hope now that they can all make it back down safely."
Lockdowns and travel bans sparked by the coronavirus pandemic meant the summer climbing season last year was a bust in most of the popular climbing destinations in the region, such as Nepal.
This winter, with Pakistan's borders open and few other places to go, an unprecedented four teams totalling around 60 climbers converged on the mountain, more than all previous expeditions put together.
Unlike Mount Everest, which has been topped by thousands of climbers young and old, K2 is a much lonelier place.
Northern Pakistan is home to some of the world's tallest mountains, including K2 in the territory of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Nestled between the western end of the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush mountains and the Karakoram range, Gilgit-Baltistan has 18 of the world's 50 highest peaks.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
