K2

Where is K2? The Himalayan mountain range in Pakistan

How Tall is K2? At 8611 metres, it is the second tallest mountain in the world, first summitted in 1954. But it is harder to summit than Mount Everest…up until the end of last year there had been only 284 successful attempts on K2. 66 people have died on the mountain, almost all on the way down Climbers regard it as the ultimate achievement in mountaineering

Technically Difficult https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PLXau70cPc K2 consists of steep icy cliffs and rock faces

Weather The weather on K2 is almost always bad because it is so much higher than surrounding peaks. It suffers from storms with hurricane winds and freezing conditions of -40oC There are only a few days a year that K2 has weather safe enough for climbers to summit and survive.

At 6pm on August 13th, 1995, climber Alison Hargreaves, a Derbyshire mother of two small children, stood on the summit of K2. Happy with her achievement, she began her descent. An hour or so later, she was dead - blown from the lofty summit ridge by a sudden, unexpected hurricane.

Avalanches Huge blocks of snow can collapse from the mountain and cause deadly avalanches

Death Zone At very high altitudes people slowly die due to lack of oxygen Typical symptoms in this Death Zone: Extreme difficulty breathing Very rapid breathing rate Exhaustion Hallucinations Severe headache Vomiting Constant coughing Gurgling sounds coming from chest Frostbite

Summit of K2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzFRvWq1RWQ