Team of Sherpas reaches top of Pakistan peak – becoming first to summit world’s second highest mountain in winter
A team of Sherpas has achieved one of the most coveted achievements in mountaineering, the first winter ascent of K2, the world’s second tallest mountain, and the only one of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 metres high never to have been climbed during the winter season.
Ten Sherpas, prominent among them Nirmal Purja, a former Gurkha and UK special forces member, who had previously climbed all 14 8,000-metre-plus peaks in just over six months, summited K2 in Pakistan on Saturday after leaving their high camp at 1am for their summit attempt via the Abruzzi Spur in temperatures as cold as -40C but with low wind and in brilliant sunshine.
