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Polish winter expedition to K2, 2002/3 (8611m) led by Krzysztof Wielicki, Poland’s most accomplished Himalayan climber and conqueror of 14 “eight-thousanders”.The expedition has broken the altitude record that man has ever achieved in winter on K2 (Chogori)During the expedition as a base camp tent was used Marabut’s tent – K2
K2 is considered the ultimate climb. It is located in Karakoram, on the border of China and Pakistan near the Silk Route. The history of its exploration is long and dramatic. Until today only almost 200 people reached the summit, but none of them in wintertime. Poles achieved much in the struggle with this mountain during summer. Our climbers led or marked out four routes there. The first Pole, and at the same time the first woman to climb the K2 summit was Wanda Rutkiewicz.
K2 will be climbed from the northern side. The current leader of the expedition Krzysztof Wielicki successfully ascented the mountain in the summer of 1996.
Only 8 out of 14 highest peaks over 8000m were climbed in the winter. Poles were the first to climb them all and are still continuing the idea of the Polish Program of Winter Exploration of the Himalayas and Karakoram. Himalaism still remains a high-class sports challenge.
The current expedition is a tribute to Andrzej Zawada, a creator of the idea of climbing the highest mountains in the winter.
The leader of the expedition Krzysztof Wielicki is the fifth person to climb all 14 highest mountains in the world. Three of them (including Mount Everest) he climbed first, alone and taking new routes and in the winter.
K2, otherwise known as Chogori, is the world’s second highest peak after Mount Everest, extending to a height of 8611 m above sea level. It is located in the Baltoro Mustagh Range situated within the Karakoram Region that lies along the border between China and India. K2 is perceived as the world’s most difficult mountain to climb.
The vast Baltoro Glacier slowly flows down its slopes. An Italian team was the first to ascend to the peak of K2, doing so on July 31, 1954. Since then, no more than 200 climbers have reached the acme. One out of every seven of them have perished on the mountain’s slopes.
The first woman to stand atop K2 was Wanda Rutkiewicz. No one has yet succeeded in scaling the peak in winter. Extreme weather conditions reign in the region around K2. In winter the temperature descends to negative 45 degrees Celsius, while wind speeds reach as much as 200 kilometers per hour.
The last attempt at conquering the peak in winter, undertaken by a team lead by Krzysztof Wielicki, also ended in failure. The expedition began on December 16, 2002 and ended on February 28, 2003. Immediately after his return to Poland on March 18, 2003, Krzysztof Wielicki stated, “The mission of ascending the peak has not ended, but rather been suspended. I will not give any dates, but I assure you that I will return to K2. One does not combat a mountain, one struggles against adversities. These adversities include snow, hurricane winds, and exhaustion.”The Polish expedition arrived at an altitude of 7700 meters before suspending the ascent.
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