Pakistani climber makes historic winter summit of K2

ISLAMABAD: Renowned Pakistani climber Muhammad Ali Sadpara, accompanied by Iceland’s John Snorri and Jp Mohr Prieto from Chile, summited K2, the world’s second highest peak, on Friday.

The adventurers' first attempt to ascend K2 without oxygen had failed in January owing to harsh weather conditions. The journey started on February 3.

Muhammad Ali Sadpara had also tweeted about the climb. He had asked everyone to keep the mountaineers in their prayers. He continued to give updates on the climb, with the last one given on Friday evening.

Meanwhile, another mountaineer, Atlantas Georgie Skatov, lost his life in an avalanche. Reportedly, the climber disappeared into an avalanche after the team's rope broke when they were on their way back from camp three.

Condoling his death, the Foreign Office (FO) said that they admired the courage of the fallen climber, Atlantas Georgie Skatov, and added that their thoughts and prayers are with his family.

K2 is set amongst some of the most breathtaking landscapes the world has to offer — and some of the most dangerous.

A team of climbers from Nepal became the first mountaineers to successfully complete a winter attempt on the summit of K2 last month. The group comprised Nirmal Purja, 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.

Located on the Pakistan-China border, K2 is the only mountain over 8,000 metres that had not been summitted in the winter earlier. The group of Sherpas had paused at a point 70 metres short of the 8,611 metres (28,251 foot) peak to wait for each other before climbing into the world’s history books together at 4:56 pm.

The team's success was marred by the death on the mountain of renowned Spanish climber Sergio Mingote, who fell down a crevasse as he attempted to make his way down to Base Camp, Alpine Club of Pakistan Secretary Karrar Haidri had said.

Mingote, 49, had climbed seven mountains over 8,000 meters without supplemental oxygen in less than two years.

First climbed in 1954 by Italian Achille Compagnoni, K2 is notorious for its steep slopes and high winds, and in winter its surface becomes slick ice.

Of the 367 people that had completed its ascent by 2018, 86 had died. The Pakistani military is regularly called in to rescue climbers using helicopters, but the weather often makes that difficult.

The previous highest altitude achieved on K2 in winter was 7,750 meters by Denis Urubko and Marcin Kaczkan, set nearly two decades ago.