K2, Mountain peak in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, China

The summit rises to 8,611 meters (28,251 feet) above sea level, forming the second-highest point on Earth within the Karakoram range along the Pakistan-China border. Steep ice faces and rock walls characterize every approach to this massive peak.

British surveyors catalogued the peak as K2 during the Great Trigonometrical Survey in 1856, with K denoting Karakoram. Italian mountaineers Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli reached the summit on July 31, 1954, via the Abruzzi Spur as the first humans to stand on top.

Balti herders and local guides regard the mountain with deep respect, weaving it into oral stories passed through generations. Expedition teams work closely with regional porters who use traditional methods to carry gear across steep paths.

Expeditions demand at least two months of preparation with acclimatization at lower camps, and the climbing season runs from June through August. Access typically begins from the Pakistani side through Skardu, requiring a multi-day trek to base camp at 5,150 meters (16,900 feet).

As of August 2023, an estimated 800 people had summited K2, with 96 deaths during attempts. The mountain's eastern face remains unclimbed, partly because of unstable ice and snow formations. The name K2 comes from a survey notation, and the peak has no widely used local name.