ISLAMABAD: A team of Nepali climbers made history on Saturday after becoming the first to summit Pakistan’s K2 in winter, singing their country’s national anthem as they reached the top.
Dozens of mountaineers have been competing over the past few weeks to summit the world’s second highest mountain, the last peak above 8,000 metres (26,000 feet) to be topped in wintertime.
"WE DID IT," tweeted Seven Summit Treks, a trekking company leading one of the expeditions.
"The Karakorum’s ‘Savage Mountain’ been summited in most dangerous season: winter. Nepalese climbers finally reached the summit of Mt K2 this afternoon at 17:00 local time."
The name "Savage Mountain" comes from the punishing conditions there -- winds can blow at more than 200 kilometres per hour (125 miles per hour) and temperatures can drop to minus 60 degrees Celsius (minus 76 Fahrenheit).
Since the maiden attempt in 1987-1988, just a handful of winter expeditions have been tried on the storied 8,611-metre (28,250-foot) peak in the Karakoram range along the Chinese border. None had got higher than 7,650 metres until Saturday, when the good conditions allowed the climbers to push ahead.
The 10 Nepali climbers had earlier been spread across different teams, but formed a new group in order to claim the feat in Nepal’s name.
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