Although Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the global, K2 is widely considered the most dangerous to climb and it has even earned the nickname ‘Killer Mountain’.
Shocking figures from 2021 display that almost one in six ascents tragically result in death – however that doesn't seem to be putting off rich Westerners who are turning to K2 amid a post-pandemic surge of thrill-seeking.
Permits to climb K2 price around £9,500 as well as to all the costs of travelling to Nepal and hiring guides and Sherpas.
But some K2 journeys for the ultra-rich are to be had for £54,700 – the place climbers have get right of entry to to WiFi, sizzling showers and heating at base camp, while they are fed Western food because ‘the food to be had in Pakistan isn't the easiest for foreigners’.
The price does now not seem to be striking Westerners off despite the fact that, as a record-breaking 207 allows to climb K2 were bought ultimate year. Last August, video taken by a Sherpa showed main overcrowding in a slim passage of ice as eager mountaineers shaped a perilous site visitors jam on their bid to reach the top.
British climber Adriana Brownlee, 21, who reached the summit a few days after the video emerged, instructed MailOnline that K2 has develop into the ‘new undertaking not possible’, adding: ‘Everest has at all times been the absolute best mountain in the global however K2 is much more dangerous which attracts so much of folks.’
Ms Brownlee prior to now said that they were enjoying ‘Russian roulette’ with falling rocks on their ascent and warned that K2 ‘shouldn’t be seen as a tourist attraction’.
Whether it’s flying to area, making an attempt to reach the Titanic wreckage 12,500ft below sea stage or mountaineering to the summits of the world’s most difficult peaks, wealthy daredevils are going above and beyond to get their adrenaline rush.
K2 made headlines once more this week after mountaineers were blasted for allegedly stepping over a dying helper whilst attempting to complete an international checklist
Some K2 journeys for the extremely rich are to be had for £54,700 – the place climbers have access to WiFi, sizzling showers and heating at base camp. They are led by way of US mountaineer Garrett Madison. Here, a group are pictured at base camp in June closing year
This symbol, used broadly in Pakistan media news reports, is believed to show Mohammed Hassan
Norwegian climber Kristin Harila (pictured) mentioned that she and her workforce did the entirety they could to lend a hand Hassan however the prerequisites on K2 had been too dangerous to transfer him
As Mohammad Hassan lay significantly injured, 1,300ft from the summit of K2, dozens of fellow climbers carefully edged in opposition to him, risking their lives as they clung to the facet of the narrow ledge.
They then clambered round the troubled 27-year-old who had slipped off a narrow ledge and were given tangled in ropes as they left him to die while proceeding their very own personal bid for glory.
Renowned Norwegian mountaineer Kristin Harila, 37, was additionally accused of protecting a celebration shortly after clinching the list that noticed her climb 14 of the world’s very best peaks in simply over three months. She has denied her workforce stepped over Hassan.
US mountain information Garrett Madison, who not too long ago achieved the rare Everest region triple crown’ by climbing Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse in one season, leads the £54,Seven hundred expeditions and is preparing to release any other in 2024.
On his web page, an outline of the trip – the place climbers must put a £20,000 deposit down – says: ‘Unfortunately, the meals available in Pakistan isn't the absolute best for foreigners, so we now have advanced a meal plan that encompasses the whole trek and climb.
‘Most of this meals is brought from the USA, and we've a Nepalese prepare dinner who now we have worked with for a few years who (along with his group of workers) meticulously prepares each and every meal for our staff.’
It adds: ‘It is essential to differentiate ourselves from different operators in that we've got a very nice base camp, with massive commonplace tents with heating for eating and communications, and relaxed personal tents for each and every member.
K2 has claimed the lives of many, together with Scottish climber Rick Allen who died in 2021
Tom Ballard (right as a kid), 30, the son of mountaineer Alison Hargreaves (C) who died on K2 in 1995, and Italian Daniele Nardi went missing in 2019 and their bodies have been found a couple of weeks later
Norwegian mountaineer Rolf Bae (pictured) was amongst 11 climbers who had been killed on K2 in 2008
‘Being right here for almost 2 months, it is vital for our team to have a relaxed camp, in addition to to have get admission to to the internet by means of a satellite modem (this price is loose to all participants).
‘We have common access to hot showers, sinks for laundry more than one times daily, one sanitary bathroom tent for males and one for women, in addition to ample cupboard space your individual equipment securely.’
Standing tall at 28,251ft, the treacherous K2 mountain – which is vulnerable to avalanches and rock falls – has claimed a number of lives over the years, including Brits.
Just two years in the past, a Scottish climber died in an avalanche on K2 as he attempted to take a new path to the summit.
Rick Allen, from Aberdeen, had been making an attempt to climb the mountain to lift money for the Partners Relief And Development charity.
Mr Allen used to be understood to were caught up in the avalanche on the mountain’s south-east face. It used to be reported at the time of his death, in July 2021, that he could be buried at the foot of the mountain.
Partners Relief and Development mentioned at the time that ‘Rick died doing what he liked the most and lived his existence with the courage of his convictions’.
On ‘Savage Mountain’, winds gust at hurricane speed and the temperature can fall to -65c.
The identify caught after US mountaineer George Bell mentioned of his own try in 1953: ‘It is a savage mountain that tries to kill you.’
No one had ever summited K2 in wintry weather till a group of ten Nepali climbers reached the height in January 2021. To attempt to accomplish that had been described as ‘the final nice mountain climbing problem’.
Later that yr, a British climber whose mom died on infamous K2 additionally fell victim to ‘killer mountain’.
K2 – pictured from overlooking the city Askole in the Gilgit–Baltistan area of Pakistan – won notoriety as the ‘Savage Mountain’ after American mountaineer George Bell descended from the height in 1953
Overcrowding at K2: Climbers say that K2 has change into the ‘new undertaking not possible’ with thrill-seekers choosing it over Everest
Permits to climb K2 price round £9,500 as well as to all the prices of travelling to Nepal and hiring guides and Sherpas
Tom Ballard, 30, the son of mountaineer Alison Hargreaves who died on K2 in 1995, and Italian Daniele Nardi went missing in 2019 and their bodies were discovered a couple of weeks later.
Just ultimate yr, an Australian and a Canadian climber had been discovered dead on K2. Matthew Eakin and Richard Cartier had long past lacking as they made their descent from Camp 2 to Camp 1. Their bodies had been later found.
In 2008, an Italian climber was once miraculously seen stumbling down K2 simply days after Eleven fellow climbers were killed.
A frostbitten Marco Confortola was noticed slowly hiking down to a top where he could be reached by way of a rescue helicopter.
Catastrophe struck on August 1, when a chunk of falling ice tore fixed strains from a dangerous steep gully known as the Bottleneck high on the peak, stranding climbers in the ‘Death Zone’, the place our bodies begin degenerating as a result of of lack of oxygen.
The dead integrated three Koreans; two Nepalis; two Pakistani high altitude porters; French, Serbian, and Norwegian climbers; and an Irishman Gerard McDonnell.
After Mohammad Hassan turned into the latest individual to die on K2, fellow mountaineers reignited fury about how Sherpas are treated as ‘second-class human beings’ and mentioned a Western climber would not have been left to die in the similar example.
Norwegian climber Harila, who ultimate month scaled her 14th easiest height in simply over 3 months, has insisted that she and her staff did everything they might to help Hassan however the conditions on K2 had been too dangerous to move him.
But mountaineer Philip Flämig, an Austrian who used to be mountain climbing with Wilhelm Steindl, mentioned photos the two recorded the usage of a drone shows a trail of climbers walking over the body as an alternative of helping Hassan.
‘He is being treated via one individual while everybody else is pushing against the summit,’ he informed Austria’s Standard newspaper, referencing the drone photos.
‘The reality is that there was once no organised rescue operation despite the fact that there have been Sherpas and mountain guides on website online who could have taken motion.’ Harila and her crew individuals had been amongst the ones climbers, The Telegraph reported.
He known as the loss of life a ‘disgrace’ and mentioned ‘the sort of thing would be unthinkable in the Alps’ – referencing the ongoing debate about how Sherpas are used in the Himalayas.
‘If he had been a Westerner, he would had been rescued instantly. No one felt answerable for him,’ he advised the Austrian newsletter.
‘A dwelling human used to be left mendacity so that records could be set.’
Harila defended her actions and alternatives on K2 final month to The Telegraph, announcing ‘we did all shall we for him’.
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