So, you’re planning on embarking on a trek to the K2 Base Camp. Congratulations – you’ve got an amazing adventure ahead! But apart from the fact that it’s the second highest mountain on Earth (after Everest) what do you really know about K2?

These are our favourite facts about this megalith of a mountain.

Ten Interesting Facts About K2

K2 was named thus because of the way in which it was discovered

No matter which way you look at it, K2 has to be among the world’s least romantic place names. No more inspiring than the M25. But it was named because it was the second peak of over 200m in Karakoram, when it was ‘discovered’ by an office worker for the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India. One Englishman, Thomas George Montgomerie.

K2 has more than one name

According to where you are and who you are talking to, K2 might be called Mount Godwin Austen, Qogir Feng, Dapsang, or Chogori. The last two are names used by the people local to the area, so must be considered the most authentic. The literal translation of Chogori is ‘big mountain’. And you can’t fault the logic.

K2 is an ‘eight-thousander’

Only 14 mountains in the world are higher than eight thousand metres. K2 is 8,611m (28,251ft). The others are Everest (8,848m), Nanga Parbat, Shishapangma, Kangchenjunga, Cho You, Manaslu, Lhotse, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, Broad Peak, Makalu, Annapurna I East, Lhotse Shar.

Around 22% of all K2 climbers have died on their way to or from the summit

The stress here is ‘summit’. K2 is one of the most difficult mountains to climb once you pass beyond the base camp. Which has gained it the nickname, ‘the savage mountain’. And you can kind of see why. In comparison, the death rate amongst Everest summiteers is only 3%.

K2 was climbed in winter for the very first time in 2021

Until that point, it had been considered too dangerous to attempt an ascent in winter. The historic expedition was made by 10 Nepali climbers led by Nimsdai Purja.

The summit of K2 was first reached in 1954

Despite a number of attempts in the early 1900s, it wasn’t until July 1954 that the first team made it to the summit of K2. This team was led by Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni. And it would be another 23 years before anyone else would be able to replicate the feat.

K2 is growing in popularity as a climbing destination

As of February 2021, only 377 people were believed to have completed the ascent to K2’s summit. Although it is estimated that another 200 people will have done so by the end of 2022.

The first woman to reach the summit of K2 did so in 1986

She was a Polish climber called Wanda Rutkiewicz. Sadly, she died six years later, while climbing Kangchenjunga. She had dreamed of being the first woman to climb all of the eight-thousanders. She managed to reach the summit of eight of them before her death.

The oldest person ever to climb K2 was 65

Carlos Soria Fontán is a legendary Spanish mountaineer, and he completed the feat in 2004. He too, has the ambition of summiting all 14 of the eight-thousanders. Astonishingly, he completed number 13 (Dhaulagiri) in May 2022. At the age of 83!

K2 perfectly straddles two countries

The summit of K2 is directly on top of the China-Pakistan border. China is to the north, Pakistan is to the south. Most climbing attempts are made from the Pakistan side, where you will find the K2 Base Camp at the end of your Choose a Challenge expedition.

 So, there you go, our top ten K2 facts!

If you are feeling inspired and haven’t yet committed to a K2 Base Camp trek, you can find out more on the Choose a Challenge website, or contact us for more information.  

CALL: 0203 773 4140    

EMAIL:  team@chooseachallenge.com