K2 Winter Ascent 2021

K2 the world’s second-highest peak conquered by the Nepali mountaineering team for the first time in winter on 16th January 2021. Below is the full detail about the K2 winter ascent 2021.

The most difficult mountaineering challenge in history was completed on Saturday, January 16, 2021, for the first time in history when a team of ten Nepali climbers managed to climb the world’s second-highest mountain, K2, on January 16, 2021. 

Nimsdai and his friends, along with team Mingma G and one mountaineer from team SST, officially became the first mountaineers to ever climb K2 in the winter at 1700 local time.

For the Nepalese climbing community and humanity, this marks a huge achievement, as this demonstrates the strength of true collaboration; no ego is only a shared vision. Nimsdai said in a statement from the summit:

“What a road. I’m humbled to say that, as a team, in harsh winter weather, we have reached the magnificent K2. We set out to make the impossible possible, and we are proud to share this moment with communities all over the world, not just with the Nepalese climbing community.

Mother nature still has bigger things to say and standing on the summit, seeing the sheer strength of her extremities, we are honored to have been a part of human history and to demonstrate that cooperation, teamwork and a positive mental attitude will push boundaries to what we believe might be possible.

There are numerous explanations why K2 remained the only unclimbed mountain during the winter season for so many years. K2 rapidly gained a reputation as ‘Savage Mountain’ even in the most ideal summer climbing conditions.

Winter brings a whole new level of risk and difficulty with it. Since 1987/88, various teams have tried, but all have fallen short. Not only does the sheerness of the slopes and overall visibility create a technically difficult ascent, but the weather on K2 is also always the strong opponent throughout the year

Summit winds reach hurricane force; still-air temperatures are far below 65 degrees and the low barometric pressure of the winter means even less oxygen-so the error margins are almost non-existent, the slightest error may have disastrous effects and until now why many believed it an impossible task.

Name of the K2 Winter Ascent 2021 team

• Nimsdai Purja (Team Nimsdai)
• Mingma David Sherpa (Team Nimsdai)
• Mingma Tenzi Sherpa (Team Nimsdai)
• Geljen Sherpa (Team Nimsdai)
• Pem Chiri Sherpa (Team Nimsdai)
• Dawa Temba Sherpa (Team Nimsdai)
• Mingma G (Team Mingma G)
• Dawa Tenzing Sherpa (Team Mingma G)
• Kilu Pemba Sherpa (Team Mingma G)
• Sona Sherpa (Team SST)

K2 Winter Ascent 2021 update

On Saturday, 16th January 2021, at about approximately 1665 hours, the 10 Nepalese climbers from three different expedition teams climbed on the top of K2.

A phenomenal joint effort between Nepalese climbers associated with different teams was the result of the accomplishment: one led by Nirmal Purja and the other by Mingma Gyalje Sherpa. The two groups’ cumulative forces in the days preceding last night’s summit push.

Ten Nepali climbers from three different teams started their journey at 1 pm and reached a peak of K2 at an altitude of 8,611 meters at around 5 pm on Saturday 16th January 2021.

Seven Summit Tracks, of which Sona Sherpa, a climber, is part of the team, confirmed the feat by tweeting on the occasion. On the other hand, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan, Sergei Mangot, an assistant leader of Seven Summit Tracks from Spain, was killed on his way from Camp One to Base Camp.

These awards will go to our country and adventurers around the globe

Speaking on the occasion, Alpine Club of Pakistan Secretary Karar Haideri said that the campaign to conquer K2 in winter, which started in mid-December, has come to a successful end.

According to Karar Haideri, around 3 pm on January 16, world-renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, along with three others, was waiting for his other seven companions, about 70 meters from the top of K2, a few meters away, Were on.

All ten Nepali climbers wanted to reach the top of K2 together during the K2 winter ascent in 2021

According to Karar Haideri, Nirmal Purja said on the occasion that we will get this award not for ourselves but for our nation and climbers all over the world.

Karar Haideri told the BBC about Nirmal Purja’s statement “I have always dreamed of heading to K2 in the winter with my other Nepali colleagues.”  No one can imagine how happy it was to turn this dream into a reality.

Nirmal Praja was getting very emotional on this occasion when they were close to the summit

“We are only 200 meters away,” said Mangma Galje, another Nepali climber, in a Facebook post before the official announcement of K2’s victory in the winter.  We will receive this award for Nepal and Adventurers.

“We will make our nation proud,” Mangma Galje, who arrived at K2, said in a Facebook message after breaking the 7,000-meter record in the winter.  “We will conquer K2 for the first time in winter and it will be for our nation.”

K2 winter ascent 2021: It took a century to complete

It is located on the very northern bank of the Karakoram at the Pakistan-China border, and in fact, there is no clear border between Pakistan and China.  About 125 miles from Skardu is located at a distance of 200 km or 104 km by air.  Its longitude is 35.52 and latitude is 76.30.

The K2 route passes through the town of Skardu through the Shigar Valley and ends at the last village, Ashkoli, where the trek begins. The journey takes over the Baltoro Glacier and ends in eight to ten days, reaching K2 on the shores of the Goodwin Austin Glacier.

K2: Second Highest peak 

K2 Peak is the second-highest peak in the world with a height of 8611 meters which is known as ‘Sewage Mountain’. The reason for the name K2 is that the word ‘K’ is taken from the first letter of Karakoram and 2 means the top 2 of Karakoram.

This is because when a campaign led by George Montgomery first came to the region in 1856-57, he climbed a high peak.  Named the One (K-1), which later became known as the Mushroom 7821. Henry Havresham Godwin Austen, a member of the survey team, named another peak K2 in further research.

For some time, it has also been called the American Mountain because of a British researcher. After Godwin Austen’s research, it was called Godwin Austen Mountain and after the completion of the survey, it was officially called K2.

Attempts were made to head the K2 for a century and many paths were taken but no one was successful. Dozens of climbers lost their lives and snow fell in this icy world until the year 1954 began and it was Saturday, July 31, 1954.

It was six o’clock in the evening when the first human footsteps reached the summit of K2 and the lucky climbers were two Italians, 29-year-old Leno Lacidli and 40-year-old Achille Komagnoni.

Thus began the journey of discovery, exploration and mountaineering of K2, which began almost a century ago. This historical story was later published in book form by the head of the campaign, Professor Daisy, under the name Victory over K-2.

More than six decades of waiting in the cold weather

As of 2014, about 345 climbers have climbed K2, including 18 women and about 86 climbers have lost their lives. One in four climbers heading to K2 has lost his life on the way back, the record for most deaths on any mountain.

2012 was the year when more than 30 climbers climbed the K2 in a single year. However, the confirmed and final number, no one knows how many climbers managed to conquer the peak. However, the confirmed and final number, no one knows how many climbers managed to conquer the peak.

Nepali Sherpa’s and the K2 Winter Ascent 2021

The sun is setting on the evening of January 16 and the temperature at the top of K2 is minus 45 degrees Celsius and the wind speed is 15 km per hour. Ten climbers ten meters from the summit are singing Nepal’s national anthem.

Shortly afterward, these Nepalese climbers together reached an altitude of 8611 meters (28251 feet) and accomplished what is considered to be the ‘Final Frontier’ of mountaineering history.

Sona Sherpa, one of the climbers, said that he had some nervousness and anxiety in his heart before the expedition, but said that the mountain itself helped him to achieve the feat.

“We were very lucky. The great thing about this success is that K2 gave us the opportunity and respite to head ourselves, that’s a big deal. ” Fellow climber Gyalje Sherpa said that reaching K2 and seeing the other 8,000-meter peaks in the Concordia region was the most fascinating sight for him.

“My eyes started to swell with snow and we wanted to go down early because it was evening. But it was very memorable to see the other 8000 meters peaks of Karakoram from K2 and I wanted to capture the entire view at that time.

He and Sona Sherpa said that they have climbed Everest many times but the view from the Karakoram was amazing. “As the sun went down, the view of Broad Peak, Gasherbrum-1 and Gasherbrum-2 was beautiful, but we had to get out of there immediately or it would be dark.”

K2 is such a difficult mountain that while the number of people who have successfully climbed Mount Everest is over four thousand, there are less than four hundred such lucky people on K2. Since 1987, seven different teams of climbers have tried to climb the K2 in the winter months, but each time they failed.

The first attempt to conquer it in the winter was made in 1986

The difficulties did not abate even after the journey began.  Mountaineering camp number two was destroyed when avalanches and strong winds hit.  But the heroes did not give up and continued their journey.

A glimmer of hope was born on January 14th and 15th when a team of Nepali climbers set up their temporary camp at an altitude of more than 7,000 meters in the winter. Earlier, no other expedition had succeeded in reaching an altitude of more than 7,000 meters.

On January 14 and 15, when Nepali climbers crossed the 7,000-meter mark, experts began to predict the success of the Nepalese climbers.

K2: The King of Karakoram mountains

K2 the in Balti language (Chogori) is located in the Karakoram mountain range in Baltistan Pakistan. It is 8611 meters or 28251 feet tall. It is the world’s second-highest mountain. Due to its geographic location, For most climbers, climbing K2 is harder than climbing Mount Everest.

The K2 can be summited from China and Pakistan. In Pakistan, it can be reached via Askoli Shigar valley while in China it can be accessed via Shaksgam valley.

Thomas Montgomerie first used the name K2 during the first Karakoram Great Trigonometric Survey survey of British India. Local names have been replaced by the ‘K’ suffix. While observing from Mount Harmukh some 210 km south, they sketched and named the two most prominent peaks K1 and K2.

Read Also: Hlticks plateau: the unexplored land of lakes and minerals

K2 the (Chogori)

Although K1 as Masherbrum and K2 as Chhoghori were used by the local Balti people since ancient times. Masherbrum was used in official records some years back. Due to its second-highest position in the world, the name K2 arrived.

In the old period, Balti people used to travel to Kashghar through Muztagh Pass. This was one of the oldest trading routes used by the Yughurs and Balti peoples. Several Baltis have resided in Kashghar. A Pakistani researcher, Salman Rashid, has published a book about the “Apricot Road to China” track. He went to Kashghar and met few more Balti communities who had relocated here already.

Balti Peoples and K2

Their ancestors used to travel via the Muztagh pass to Baltistan. The people of Balti named numerous glaciers, mountains and hills even inside China. They called Chogholisa (Great hunting place), Trango (vertical peak), Gasherbrum (beautiful massif) and Biafo glacier.

With a British team, Martin Convoy approached the K2 base camp via the Concordia Baltoro glacier. Jules Jacot-Guillarmod Oscar Eckenstein, A, Heinrich Pfannl, Guy Knowles Victor Wessely, and Leister Crowley through the Northeast Ridge carried out the first serious attempt in 1902. After some serious efforts, the team reached 6225 meters.

In 1909, on the Southeastern Spur, a team led by the Duke of the Abruzzi and Prince Luigi Amedeo reached 6,250 meters (20,510 ft). It is now known as the Spur of the Abruzzi.

Askoli Village to K2 base camp

On the way to Baltoro Central Karakoram, a jeep road connects Skardu town with Askoli Village, the last village to the K2 base camp. Hiking begins from the village of Askoli.

It takes one week for the base camp to be reached. Trekkers typically prefer to stay at various camping locations for a night stay. There are several special camps in the local language, named (Parao) High altitude porters

to take your trekking suits, tents and food, porters are required over there. If you are an international climber or trekker, you will need a licensed guide and a visa for trekking. You will enter the meeting place of Godwin Austin Glacier and Baltoro Glacier at Concordia after a long trip.

Documentaries and Movies 

A lot of K2 documentaries and horror movies have been produced. Two super successful Hollywood movies were also filmed, “K2” 1991 and “Vertical Limit” 2000. Other movies include Summit 2012, K2 Himalayan Siren 2012 and K2 and Invisible Footman 2015.

Chogori  

K2 is also known as CHOGORI, meaning the King of Mountains, which is the Balti language. K2 has been described as “amazing”, ” Killer” and “Savage” Mountain in various ways. This is because of the massiveness of its scale and the inability of several expedition parties to make attempts on it.

K2 is a rocky mountain up to 6000-M, above which an ocean of snow forms. K2, 8611-M is located in the mighty Karakorams on the Pakistan-China border.

The traditional route to its base camp goes from Skardu Baltistan, which is connected both by the Karakoram Highway and by air to Islamabad. The route from Skardu goes up to Concordia over the Baltoro Glacier via Shigar-Dassu-Askole.