K2 ( Chogori ) 8611-M - Saltoro Summits

K2 8611-M is the second highest peak in the world and the highest peak in Pakistan. K2 also known as CHOGORI which in Balti language means the king of mountains.K2 has variously be described as "awesome", " Killer " and "Savage Mountain. This is because of the massiveness of its size and unsuccessful attempts made on it by various expedition parties.K2 is a rocky mountain up to 6000-M, beyond which it becomes an ocean of snow. K2 8611-M is situated on the Pakistan China border in the mighty Karakorams. The traditional route to its base camp goes from Skardu Baltistan which is linked with Islamabad by Karakoram Highway as well as by air. From Skardu, the route goes via Shigar-Dassu-Askole up to Concordia over the Baltoro Glacier. It was in 1856, when the British were enforcing their control over India provoking the 1857 war of Independence, that a young Lieutenant of the Royal Engineers, T.G.Montgomerie, was quietly busy in surveying the mountains of Kashmir he saw this tallest mountain towards the Karakoram and named it K2. The name K2 however still stands. In 1860 Captain Henry Haversham Godwin Austen of the Survey of India went to the Baltistan area and surveyed the famous Shigar and Saltoro valleys. He was considered as one of the greatest mountaineer of day, had great power of endurance and was immensely brave. It is a myth that the K2 peak which is erroneously called Godwin- Austen peak was discovered by him. It is, however, a fact that he explored the gateway to K2 i-e Baltoro Glacier along with famous glaciers including Godwin Austen glacier. It was probably for the first time in 1902 that an organized expedition of Oscar J.L Eckenstein traveled to K2 from Baltoro glacier. The expedition was without any guide. Its aim was to explore approaches to the mountain and possibly have a try on the peak. The party collected useful information about the upper Godwin Austen glacier which was used as a stepping stone by an expedition in later years. Two members of the expedition one Swiss Dr.Jules Jacot-Guillarmot and other an Austrian by the name of Dr. V.Wesseley succeeded in reaching 6523-M on the northeastern ridge of K2. In 1909 a big Italian expedition under the leadership of resolute Luigi Amadeo Giuseppe (Duke of Abruzzi) the grandson of King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, reconnoitred K2 peak. Its members produced a very good account of the expedition with photographs and accurate maps of the Baltoro area. Two famous British mountaineers Harold William Tilman and Eric Earle Shipton explored and surveyed the north face of K2 and its subsidiary glaciers in 1937. In 1938 the American Alpine Club sponsored a reconnaissance party for a visit to the K2 area. The party reached a height of 7925-M after setting up eight camps. Famous American mountaineers like Dr. Charles Houston and Robert Bates were in this party. Next year another American expedition tried to climb K2 led by Fritz Hermann Ernst Wiessner a German- American chemist and mountaineer. The expedition along with Nine Sherpas made very good progress on the already identified southeast ridge. Wiessner along with one sherpa went up to approximately 8382-M. In this expedition, Wolfe and three sherpas died on K2. Another American expedition attempt on the K2 8611-M was made in 1953. The expedition leader was Dr. Charles Houstton who had also led the 1938 American expedition on this peak. Dr.Houston's medical professor noted for his contribution to research on the effects of high altitude on the human body and diseases originating from such effects. One Pakistani Late Colonel Mr.Ataullah also accompanied the party. In 1954 an Italian expedition came to Pakistan to try its luck on K2. It consisted of twelve climber and four scientists and was led by veteran mountaineer Professor Ardito Desio, who had come to these mountains with Italian expeditions before the World war II. This expedition made very good progress and set up camp II. It was at this camp that one of its members Mario Puchoz a 36-year-old guide died of pneumonia on the 21st of June 1954. The party established six more camps on the southeast ridge Camp IX was bivouac. On the 31st July Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagononi started from the bivouac. They exhausted their oxygen supply 500 feet short of the summit but could not resist the temptation to be the first to climb the mighty K2 peak. They, therefore, continued their assault and reached the summit at six in the evening. After staying for a while they started descending and reached Camp VIII round about eleven at night. In this way, the saga of K2 ended.

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