K2, the Second Highest Peak in the world

With an altitude of 8,611 meters, K2 ranks as the second highest peak in the world at Mt. Everest at 8,850meters. K2,also known as Chhogori/Qogir, Ketu/Kechu, and Mount Godwin-Austen, is a mountain in the Karakoram, part of the Himalayas range, on the border between China and the Northern Areas of Pakistan.

K2

The mountain was first surveyed by a European in 1856. T.G. Montgomery, in the survey team headed by Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen, designated it "K2" (for "Karakoram 2").

Mt. Everes

K2 is considered a much tougher climb than Mount Everest. As of June 2000, 189 people have made it, compared to almost 1500 who have ascended Everest. 49 people have died attempting the climb, 13 of these in 1986. The first professional attempt to climb it was in 1902 but despite five serious and costly attempts, the summit was not attained until an Italian expedition reached the summit on July 31, 1954. The expedition was led by Ardito Desio and the two climbers who actually reached the top were Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni.

The first woman to reach the summit was Wanda Rutkiewicz in 1986. The first five women to reach the summit are all dead (3 of them on the way back). This lead to a belief that K2 carries a curse for women.