Wasfia 1st Bangladeshi to conquer K2

Renowned Bangladeshi mountaineer Wasfia Nazreen conquered the treacherous K2 in Pakistan, becoming the first person from Bangladesh to summit the second-tallest mountain in the world.

The 39-year-old reached the top of the 8,611-metre (28,251-foot) mountain early Thursday, AFP reported yesterday.

According to a 2019 National Geographic article, K2 is widely considered the toughest and most dangerous mountain to climb.

Nicknaming K2 the “Savage Mountain”, the article said, “Unlike Everest, it is not possible to ‘walk’ to the top; all sides of K2 are extremely steep and see frequent rockfalls and avalanches.”

Wasfia also climbed Everest, the world’s highest peak, in 2012.

On her Facebook page, the mountaineer on Sunday sought thoughts and prayers from her fans and well-wishers saying she was heading out to summit K2 that night with the strongest team.

“If all goes well, good news will come in a week,” she wrote.

Wasfia is best known for being the only Bangladeshi to climb the Seven Summits — the highest mountains of every continent.

Her expedition consisted of some of the strongest and most renowned climbers in the world — Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, Mingma David Sherpa, and Nirmal Purja.

K2 is deemed notorious for its harsh conditions — winds can blow at more than 200 kilometres per hour and temperatures can drop to negative 60 degrees Celsius. It has only been scaled by 425 people since 1954 — including around 20 women.

According to the 2019 National Geographic article, “Of the 14 mountains that rise at least 8,000 metres (26,246 feet), K2 remains the only peak unclimbed during winter.”

Located in the Karakorum Range in northern Pakistan near the country’s border with China, K2 is thought to be the world’s most dangerous mountain.

Pakistan is home to five of the world’s 14 mountains higher than 8,000 metres, and climbing them all is considered the ultimate achievement of any mountaineer.