K2
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- For other uses, see K2 (disambiguation).
K2 is the second highest mountain in the world. At 8,611 metres, it is only surpassed by the Qomolangma (Mount Everest).
It is located in the Karakoram part of the Himalayan range.
The summit is in theTaxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China. It borders Northern Areas of Pakistan.
Technical information
K2's official name in China is Qogir; Chinese: 乔戈里峰, Pinyin: Qiáogēlǐ Fēng; also known as Mount Godwin-Austen, Lambha Pahar, Chogori, Kechu or Dapsang)
Location
The region K2 is located within the disputed territory of Kashmir. The territory became divided between India and Pakistan after the partition of the two nations in 1947. In 1963, Pakistan ceeded a portion of Kashmir under its control to China; K2's peak is now on the dividing line between Pakistani-controlled and Chinese-controlled Kashmir. India does not recognize either nation's claim to any part of Kashmir, and considers K2 to be Indian territory.
History and naming
The mountain was first surveyed by a European survey team in 1856 headed by Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen. T.G. Montgomery was a member of the team who designated it "K2" for the second peak of the Karakoram. The other peaks were originally named K1, K3, K4 and K5, but they were eventually renamed Masherbrum, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II and Gasherbrum I respectively.
K2 is considered a much tougher climb than Mount Everest. As of June 2000, 189 people have made it -- compared with the almost 1,500 who have ascended Everest. 49 people have died attempting the climb; 13 died in 1986 alone. The first professional attempt to climb it was in 1902, but after five serious and costly attempts, no one reached the summit.
An Italian expedition finally succeeded on July 31, 1954. The expedition was led by Ardito Desio; the two climbers who actually reached the top were Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni. The team included a Pakistani member, Col. Muhammad Ata-ullah. He had been a part of an earlier 1953 American expedition which failed to make the summit because of a storm; it had killed a key climber, Art Gilkey.
Legend says that "K2 carries a curse" on women. The first woman to reach the summit was Wanda Rutkiewicz in 1986. The next five women to reach the summit are all dead now -- 3 of them died on the way down.
Books about K2
- Ascent of K2 Second Highest Peak in the World by Ardito Desio
- K2: Triumph and Tragedy by Jim Curran, ISBN 0395485908
- K2: The Story of the Savage Mountain by Jim Curran, ISBN 0898866839
- K2: The Savage Mountain by Charles Houston, ISBN 1885283016
- K2: Quest of the Gods by Ralph Ellis, ISBN 0932813992
- The Last Step: The American Ascent of K2 by Rick Ridgeway, ISBN 0898866324
- K2: One Woman's Quest for the Summit by Heidi Hawkins, ISBN 0792279964
Movies about K2
- Vertical Limit (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190865/)
- K2 (http://imdb.com/title/tt0102178/)
See also
External links
- How high is K2 really? (http://www.leica-geosystems.com/metrology/en/solutions/other/lgs_2704.htm) -- Measurements in 1996 gave 8614.27±0.6 m a.s.l
- k2climb.net (http://www.k2climb.net/)
- Northern Areas Development Gateway (http://www.northernareas.org.pk)
- The Mountain Areas Conservancy Project (http://www.macp-pk.org/home.asp)
- the climbing history of K2 (http://www.jerberyd.com/climbing/stories/k2/index.htm) from the first attempt in 1902 until the Italian success in 1954.
- China Peak Exploration Team to challange Mt. Qogir (http://www.tibet.cn/english/news/2004-5-2/News0200452141408.htm)
| Eight-thousander series | |
| Everest | K2 | Kanchenjunga | Lhotse | Makalu | Cho Oyu | Dhaulagiri | Manaslu | |
| Nanga Parbat | Annapurna | Gasherbrum I | Broad Peak | Gasherbrum II | Shishapangma |
es:Plantilla:Ochomilesde:K2 es:K2 fr:K2 it:K2 he:K2 nl:K2 ja:K2 no:K2 pl:K2 pt:K2 fi:K2 sv:K2