K2 Mountain is one of the tallest mountains in the world. It is the second tallest mountain after the Mt. Everest. People worldwide have cherished the mountain even though it is less popular than Mt. Everest. The mountain stands tall at 8,849 meters (29,032 ft). A lot of people have wondered where K2 Mountain is. For many from China and Kashmir, this has been debated.
And there have been many attempts to climb Mt. K2 to this day. In the past 2 decades, attempts to climb the mountain were made in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022. Likewise, winter expeditions were made in 1987/1988, 2002/2003, 2011/2012, 2017/2018, and 2021. In this article, we will discuss where K2 mountain is and how many people have successfully climbed it.
Where is the K2 Mountain Located?
The K2 mountain is in Pakistan. Whatsoever, a part of the mountain touches China. Many people are confused to this day as to where the mountain is exactly located. It is a very proud thing for everyone in South Asia that the tallest mountains in the world are located in Asia.
Mt. K2 is the highest point in Karakoram Range and Pakistan. The confusion for many is whether the mountain is in China. To clear this, the mountain lies in the enclave of Kashmir under the Chinese administration located in China’s Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang. A part of it lies in the Pakistani-run Gilgit-Baltistan region of Kashmir.
While the mountain is K2 for the rest of the world, the Chinese call it Qogir Feng. Likewise, it is also famously known as Mount Godwin Austen. On the other hand, the locals have an entirely different name for the mountain, as they call it Dapsang or Chogori.
Is K2 Located in Nepal?
No, K2 is not located in Nepal. However, it is a portion of the same vast uplift zone as Mount Everest, including the Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau, and Karakoram. Mountaineers can follow the path of Mt. Everest from Mt. K2. It is no lower than 4,594 meters (15,072 ft) in the Mustang Lo at the Kora La border crossing between Nepal and China.
Who Found Mt. K2?
In 1856, Col. T.G. Montgomerie of the Survey of India found the mountain. Since the mountain lies in the Karakoram range and was the second peak measured then, it was named K2.
An English geographer Col. H.H. Godwin Austen surveyed this mountain for the first time in the 19th century. Hence, the mountain’s other name, Mount Godwin Austen, came in prevalence.
He was titled as “Greatest mountaineer of his day” by Geographer Kenneth and he played a significant role as an investigator of the terrestrial molluscs in the Indian Sub-Continent.
Is K2 more difficult than Everest?
Mount K2 is one of the most difficult mountains to climb. Many who attempted to make an expedition to the K2 have massively failed or been afraid for their life even if they have succeeded in reaching the peak. An American climber, George Bell, in 1953, named K2 “the savage mountain.” This is because anyone who tries to climb the mountain, the peak, will try to kill the travelers with its cruelty. Moreover, the frequency of storms in the mountain lead to higher chances of getting into accidents or getting injured on the way.
The climb to K2 is quite challenging for anyone up 8000 feet in mountain climbing. It would not be wrong to say that K2 is more difficult to climb than Everest because it is not possible to walk to K2. The peak is steep, and it is impossible to go any further after a certain point in this expedition.
Besides this, it is not just the weather that has led to people’s death in K2. People have been killed in an avalanche in the area. Furthermore, avalanches happen a lot of times in the K2.
Txikon is a mountaineer who was one of the first winter ascents, besides Simone Moro of Italy and Ali Sadpara of Pakistan of Nanga Parbat (8,126 meters). He says, “You cannot compare K2 with Nanga Parbat,”. Mountaineers have attempted to climb the Nanga Parbat 30 times before Txikon has. Despite the hardships of climbing the Nanga Parbat, the mountaineer who has succeeded shares his opinions on how 1,600 vertical feet of terrain remain after climbing the Parbat. The expedition to K2 is “quite complicated,” according to him.
It is mostly during the winters that even the best mountaineers cannot consider going to the K2. The mountain is very cruel to one, and almost no one can exceed to go beyond 25,100 feet during this time. The rest of the walk is the biggest challenge for many people. Many mountaineers have returned from the travel hoping to save themselves from the mountain.
Blieki has called the mountain the worst place on earth. This proves how difficult it possibly would be to go up the heights. The number of climbers of Mt. Everest is significantly higher than the number of climbers of K2. However, one of the more comforting facts about the peak is that it has fewer deaths than the people killed on Everest.
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Mt. K2 Climbing Routes
The famous climbing routes to Mt. K2 are Abruzzi Spur, North Ridge, Northeast Ridge, West Ridge, Southwest Pillar or “Magic Line,” South Face or “Polish Line” or “Central Rib,” Northwest Face, Northwest Ridge, South-southeast Spur or “Cesen route” or “Basque route,” and West Face.
Mt. K2 Death Zone
When mountaineers ascend beyond 8000 meters, it becomes tough for them to go any further without suffering. Anywhere above and beyond 8000 meters is known as the Death Zone. When travelers are in the death zone, many consider it impossible to make it alive. Mountaineers carry supplemental oxygen along with them to aid them from the hardships that come with climbing the K2.
Many mountaineers did not use supplemental oxygen for the expedition until 2004. This was the year where there was a record of 28 of 47 summiteers having carried the fake oxygen to survive. After this year, a lot has been carrying along supplemental oxygen in the fear of death.
