The triumphant team of Nepali climbers who made history when they became the first to summit Pakistan’s K2 in winter arrived safely back at base camp on Jan. 17, officials said.
On the previous day, the 10 climbers had reached the top of the world’s second-highest mountain, the last peak above 8,000 meters to be conquered in wintertime.
“All the 10 Nepali climbers arrived in the base camp this afternoon. They are in good health and relaxing,” Faizullah Firaq, a spokesperson for the Gilgit Baltistan government, said.
One of the successful climbers, Nirmal Purja, who is also known as Nimsdai, posted on social media: “The full team are now back … All safe and sound … It has been an overwhelming journey.”
Unlike Mount Everest, which has been topped by thousands of climbers young and old, K2 is a much lonelier place. But this winter, dozens of adventurers converged on the mountain hoping to take the record.
At 8,611 meters, K2 is known as the “Savage Mountain” because of its punishing conditions: Winds can blow at more than 200 kilometers per hour, and temperatures can drop to minus 60 degrees Celsius.
The descent can be just as dangerous as going up.
The 10 Nepali climbers had been spread across different expeditions at the start, but formed a new group in order to claim the summit in Nepal’s name, singing the national anthem as they reached the top. (AFP-Jiji)
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