India - K2 Mountain

K2 Mountain/Mountain Austin Godwin

Location :	Korakoram Range, Pakistan - China Border
Altitude :	8,611m (28,251 ft)
Imporance :	2nd Highest Mountain In The World.
Best Trek Season :	April To October

K2 peak, locally known by the name of "Chogo Ri", which means "The Great Mountain", 8,611m, is the 2nd highest mountain in the world. K2 is placed on the Pakistan - China border in the mighty Karakoram range.

With no simple routes, K2 mountain is known as the finest and most dangerous mountain in the world. This is because of the massiveness in the size of this mountain and the numerous unsuccessful attempts made on it by various expeditions, which include mostly American expeditions.

About K2 Mountain

The rocky K2 Mountain is up to 6,000m, beyond which it becomes an ocean of snow. The traditional route to K2 mountain's base camp goes from Skardu, which is linked with Islamabad by a good road. From Skardu the route goes via Shigar-Dassu-Askole up to Concordia over the Baltoro glacier.

K2 mountain was firstly discovered and measured by the Survey of India in 1856, and first named for English topographer Henry Godwin - Austen, who explored and surveyed the region.

K2 is taken from the first letter of Karakorum, and the number indicates that it was the second peak in the range to be measured. K2 mountain was firstly climbed on July,31 1954 by Italian climbers team lead by Ardito Desio and accompanying him were Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni. A March 1987 measurement of K2 indicated that it might be higher than Everest, but later that year, Everest was re-measured by a similar method and found to indeed be 778 ft (237m) taller.

The Korakoram Range

Karakorum or Karakoram, mountain range, extending 480-kms, between the Indus and Yarkant rivers, North Kashmir, South central Asia; South Easy extension of the Hindu Kush mountain range. It covers disputed territory, held by China on the north, India on the east, and Pakistan on the west. Karakorum's main range has some of the world's highest peaks, including K2 called Mt. Godwin-Austen, the second highest peak in the world.

Karakorum also has several of the world's largest glaciers. Its southern slopes are the watershed for many tributaries of the Indus River. The mountains, which are the greatest barrier between India and Central Asia, are crossed above the perpetual snow line by two natural routes. Karakorum Pass (18,290 ft/5,575 m), is the chief pass on the main Kashmir - China route. Another important pass, Khunjerab (Kunjirap) Pass (15,420 ft/4,700m), is on the Pakistan - China route.

Henry Godwin-Austin

Godwin-Austen, was a English topographer and geologist. An officer in the British army (1851-77), he was assigned to several government surveys in North India, especially among the Himalayas. He explored and surveyed the region of the Karakorum around K2, which is also known as Mt. Godwin-Austen after him.

K2 Mountain Expeditions & Attempts

It was probably for the first time in 1902 that an organized expedition of Oscar J.L. Eckenstein traveled to K-2 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. It was, however, harsh weather which prevented it from attempting the peak. 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. Two famous British mountaineers, Harold William Tilman and Eric Earle Shipton, explored and surveyed the north face of K2 Mountain and its subsidiary glaciers in 1937. In 1938, the American Alpine Club sponsored a reconnaissance party for a visit to K2 area. The party reached a height of 7925 meters after setting up eight camps. The next year saw another American expedition on K2 mountain. It was 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 south-east ridge. Another American attempt on K2 was made in 1953. The expedition leader was Dr. Charles Houston, who had also led the 1938 American expedition on this peak. In 1954, an Italian expedition came to Pakistan to try its luck on K2. It consisted of twelve climbers 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.