The Savage Mountain – K2: The Cemetery of Bravehearts

Among the world’s highest and most dangerous peaks, K2 stands as a symbol of courage, determination, and deadly peril. Due to its ruthless nature, unpredictable snowstorms, and relentless winds, it is famously known as “The Savage Mountain.” It lies in the Karakoram range, partially in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. Climbing K2 is not just an adventure; it’s a battle for survival. While approximately 800 climbers have successfully reached its summit, 96 climbers have lost their lives. For every 8 climbers who attempt to summit, one never returns.

Why is it called K2?

There are 14 peaks in the world that rise above 8,000 meters, five of which are located in Pakistan, eight in Nepal, and one in China. In 1856, during a British Trigonometric Survey, The mountain was first surveyed by a British team. Team member Thomas Montgomerie designated the mountain “K2” for being the second peak of the Karakoram range. The other peaks were originally named K1, K2, K3, K4, and K5. Among them, K2 stands as the second-highest and the most dangerous mountain in the world. K2’s height given on maps and encyclopedias is 8,611 metres (28,251 ft). It has earned this reputation due to the significantly higher number of fatalities compared to Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak. K2 gained worldwide fame “The Savage Mountain” for its brutal nature and the extreme challenges it presents to climbers.

Origin of “The Savage Mountain” Title

In 1953, American climber George Bell attempted to scale K2 but failed. After his harrowing experience, he remarked:

“It’s a savage mountain that tries to kill you.”
This statement forever branded K2 as “The Savage Mountain.”

Major Expeditions and Attempts to Conquer K2

• 1902: Victor Wesley‘s Team: The first serious attempt to climb K2 was undertaken in 1902 by Oscar Eckenstein, Aleister Crowley, Jules Jacot-Guillarmod, Heinrich Pfannl, Victor Wessely, and Guy Knowles via the Northeast Ridge. In the early 1900s, modern transportation did not exist in the region: it took “fourteen days just to reach the foot of the mountain, They spent 68 days on the mountain but only reached 6,525 meters before being forced to turn back.
• 1909: Prince Luigi Amedeo Duke of Abruzzi mapped the famous Abruzzi Spur route, which is still used by modern climbers.
• 1939: Dudley Wolfe and his team reached 8,000 meters, but tragedy struck. Several climbers went missing, and Wolfe himself was caught in a deadly storm.
• 1953: Charles Houston and George Bell attempted to summit, but a powerful storm forced them to retreat. During this attempt, George Bell suffered severe frostbite, resulting in the amputation of one of his legs. The attempt failed after a storm pinned down the team for 10 days at 7,800 metres (25,590 ft), during which time climber Art Gilkey became critically ill. The Gilkey Memorial was built in his memory at the mountain’s foot. 

The First Successful Ascent of K2

• July 31, 1954: History was made when Italian climbers Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli successfully reached K2’s summit.
• Pakistani heroes Colonel Ata Muhammad and Amir Mehdi (Hunza porter) played a vital role in this mission by transporting essential supplies to 8,000 meters. Tragically, Amir Mehdi suffered from severe frostbite, leading to the amputation of his toes.

Pakistani Climbers and Their Remarkable Feats

• 1977: A Japanese team, assisted by 1,500 Pakistani porters, successfully scaled K2.
• Ashraf Aman (1977): He became the first Pakistani climber to summit K2, marking a proud moment for Pakistan.
• Muhammad Ali Sadpara (2016): A legendary Pakistani climber, known for his feat of being part of the first team to summit Nanga Parbat in winter. Nanga Parbat is the second-highest mountain in Pakistan, with its summit standing at 8,126 meters (26,660 feet) above sea level, located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan.
• In Feb 2021: Ali Sadpara had successfully summited K2 prior to his final expedition in February 2021. Throughout his career, he climbed a total of eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks, including K2. During the K2 Winter Expedition, Ali Sadpara went missing along with John Snorri and Juan Pablo Mohr.

Women Climbers and K2’s Deadly Reputation

• 1986: Wanda Rutkiewicz of Poland became the first woman to summit K2. However, her joy was short-lived. Just 8 hours after reaching the summit, she was caught in a deadly storm and tragically lost her life. This incident led to the infamous saying:

“K2 shows no mercy to women.”

Three Major Disasters on K2

K2 has witnessed many tragedies, but the three most catastrophic are known as the “Three Major Disasters”:

1. 1986 Disaster: 13 climbers were killed by storms and avalanches in a single season.
2. 1995 Disaster: 6 climbers perished during their descent after successfully reaching the summit.
3. 2008 Disaster: 11 climbers from various nations died when an ice avalanche struck, making it one of the deadliest incidents in K2’s history.

Famous Climbers and Heroes of K2 & Ali Sadpara

• Achille Compagnoni & Lino Lacedelli – The first men to summit K2 in 1954.
• Amir Mehdi – A Pakistani porter whose contribution was crucial to the Italian team’s success, but he paid the price by losing his toes to frostbite.
• Ashraf Aman – The first Pakistani climber to summit K2 in 1977.
• Ali Sadpara – (February 1976 – February 2021) Pakistan’s legendary climber, known for conquering 8 of the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters. He went missing on K2 in 2021.
• Sajid Sadpara – The son of Ali Sadpara, who also participated in the 2021 K2 winter expedition and survived, later finding the remains of his father.

The Story of Ali Sadpara

A Legendary Mountaineer

Muhammad Ali Sadpara (February 1976 – February 2021) was Pakistan’s legendary climber, renowned for his remarkable achievements in the world of mountaineering. He conquered 8 of the world’s 14 peaks that stand above 8,000 meters. Throughout his career, he gained fame as a Pakistani high-altitude mountaineer with an exceptional track record. In 2016, he was part of a historic team alongside Italian alpinist Simone Moro and Spanish alpinist Alex Txikon, which achieved the first-ever winter ascent of Nanga Parbat, one of the most challenging climbs in the world.

Ali Sadpara’s career was marked by extraordinary feats. He successfully climbed eight “eight-thousanders” and made history by ascending four of them in a single calendar year. His determination and passion for mountaineering led him to join French speed climber Marc Batard in June 2018 for a five-year program called “Beyond Mount Everest.” The goal was to summit Nanga Parbat, K2, and Mount Everest in 2019, 2021, and 2022, respectively.

The Final Ascent

During the winter season of 2020–2021, Ali Sadpara embarked on his most ambitious climb yet. Alongside his 21-year-old son Sajid Sadpara, Icelandic mountaineer John Snorri Sigurjónsson, and Chilean mountaineer Juan Pablo Mohr Prieto, they set out to conquer K2, the world’s second-highest and most treacherous peak. After acclimatizing, the team left the highest camp on the evening of February 4, 2021. Sajid Sadpara was forced to descend due to a malfunctioning oxygen regulator, leaving the remaining climbers at the K2 Bottleneck, just 400 meters below the summit.

Sadpara, Sigurjónsson, and Prieto continued their climb towards the summit but did not return as expected. On February 5, 2021, they lost communication, and their whereabouts became a mystery. A rescue mission involving two Pakistan Army helicopters was launched on February 6, 2021, but the climbers remained missing. On February 18, 2021, Pakistani authorities officially declared them presumed dead, but the search for their remains continued.

Discovery of Their Bodies

On July 26, 2021, a Madison Mountaineering Sherpa Team discovered three bodies on the slopes above Camp 4, near the infamous K2 Bottleneck. Ali Sadpara’s body was found around 300 meters (980 feet) below the Bottleneck, bringing closure to the nation that had mourned him for months. The discovery confirmed the tragic fate of Sadpara, Sigurjónsson, and Prieto, who had faced the full force of nature’s fury on the world’s most dangerous mountain.

The Bottleneck – The Death Zone

The Bottleneck is a narrow, steep, and perilous path on K2, located just 400 meters (1,300 feet) below the summit. This area is overshadowed by massive, hanging ice blocks called seracs, which pose a constant threat of collapse. Climbers must cross about 100 meters (330 feet) under these unstable ice blocks, making it one of the most hazardous parts of the climb. With an altitude of 8,200 meters (26,900 feet) and a slope of 50 to 60 degrees, it is known as the “death zone.” According to AdventureStats, 13 of the last 14 deaths on K2 occurred at or near the Bottleneck, emphasizing its deadly reputation.

A Personal Reflection

The day I was gazing at Nanga Parbat, the “King of the Mountains” and Pakistan’s second-highest peak, I was filled with awe at its grandeur. Its summit rises to 8,126 meters (26,660 feet) above sea level, located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. Little did I know that only a few days later, on February 5, 2021, the legendary Ali Sadpara would face his final challenge on K2.

As I journeyed home after witnessing the magnificent mountains, on February 18, 2021, the heartbreaking news flashed on television—Ali Sadpara had been declared dead. It was a moment of profound sorrow for me and for the entire nation. Just days earlier, I had been dancing with the mountain people to the tune of the song, “You Come Back, for the Sake of the Mountains.” But now, that very song was playing in honor of Ali Sadpara, a tribute to the brave mountaineer whose loss left the nation in grief.

A Tribute in Song

You come back, for the sake of the mountains I will wait for you, my beloved You come back, for the sake of the mountains There was no news of your return And your memories could not fade from my heart I have gone mad in the longing for you You come back, for the sake of the mountains.

“The Savage Mountain” in Media & Films

K2’s gripping tales of survival, courage, and tragedy have inspired movies and documentaries:

1. K2 (1991) – A film based on an adventure to climb K2.
2. Vertical Limit (2000) – A thrilling movie about mountaineering dangers, often inspired by K2.
3. The Summit (2012) – A documentary on the 2008 K2 Disaster in which 11 climbers lost their lives.
4. The Siren of the Himalayas (2012) – A moving documentary on the lives and struggles of mountaineers on K2.

The Ruthless Beauty of K2

With every success story on K2, there are numerous tales of loss and sacrifice. Unlike Mount Everest, which is now a commercialized summit, K2 remains a battleground for only the most daring and experienced climbers. It offers no forgiveness for mistakes. Climbers face extreme altitude, unpredictable weather, and deadly avalanches. One of its most treacherous points, the Bottleneck, has claimed the lives of many.

K2: The Final Resting Place for Bravehearts

K2 has become a cemetery for many brave climbers who dared to challenge it. The haunting stories of climbers who disappeared forever in its snow-covered abyss remind us of its unforgiving nature. Despite the risks, climbers from around the world continue to dream of conquering “The Savage Mountain.” For some, it becomes a story of glory; for others, it becomes a story of eternal rest on its icy slopes.

A Personal Dream

I dream of standing on the snowy slopes of K2, surrounded by the deep silence of the cold. I want to lose myself in its endless expanse, where the only sound is the whispers of the wind striking my body.

I wish to be carried away by the freezing cold of dry snow and quiet ice, disappearing into the pure and untouched world of nature, a place that belongs to me and no one else can see, only mine, untouched realm.

I think it is better to get lost in the cold snow of K2 than to face the coldness of love in this world. My soul aches for freedom, to touch the heights of K2, and surrender myself to its eternal cold. If I must be lost, let it be on the “Savage Mountain,” where the brave become immortal, lost in the love of unchanging nature.