K2 (also known as Savage Mountain, Mountaineer's Mountain, Mount Godwin-Austen, Balti: Chogori and Sarikoli: Mount Qogir) is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest. With a peak elevation of 8,611 m (28,251 feet), K2 is part of the Karakoram Range, and is located on the border between Baltistan, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, and the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China. It is more hazardous to reach K2 from the Chinese side; thus, it is mostly climbed from the Pakistani side.
K2 is known as the Savage Mountain due to the difficulty of ascent and the second-highest fatality rate among the "eight thousanders" for those who climb it. For every four people who have reached the summit, one has died trying. Unlike Annapurna, the mountain with the highest fatality rate, K2 has never been climbed in winter.
There are a number of routes on K2, of somewhat different character, but they all share some key difficulties. First, is the extreme high altitude and resulting lack of oxygen: there is only one-third as much oxygen available to a climber on the summit of K2 as there is at sea level. Second is the propensity of the mountain to experience extreme storms of several days' duration, which have resulted in many of the deaths on the peak. Third is the steep, exposed, and committing nature of all routes on the mountain, which makes retreat more difficult, especially during a storm. Despite many attempts there have been no successful winter ascents. All major climbing routes lie on the Pakistani side, which is also where the base camp is located.
The standard route of ascent, used far more than any other route, is the Abruzzi Spur, located on the Pakistani side, first attempted by Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi in 1909. This is the southeast ridge of the peak, rising above the Godwin Austen Glacier. The spur proper begins at an altitude of 5,400 metres (17,700 ft), where Advanced Base Camp is usually placed. The route follows an alternating series of rock ribs, snow/ice fields, and some technical rock climbing on two famous features, "House's Chimney" and the "Black Pyramid." Above the Black Pyramid, dangerously exposed and difficult to navigate slopes lead to the easily visible "Shoulder", and thence to the summit. The last major obstacle is a narrow couloir known as the "Bottleneck", which places climbers dangerously close to a wall of seracs which form an ice cliff to the east of the summit. It was partly due to the collapse of one of these seracs around 2001 that no climbers summitted the peak in 2002 and 2003.
On 1 August 2008, a number of climbers went missing when a serac in the Bottleneck snapped and broke their ropes.] Survivors were seen from a helicopter, but rescue efforts were impeded by the high altitude. Eleven were never found, and presumed dead.
ITINERARY :
DAY 01
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Arrive Islamabad, transfer to hotel.
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DAY 02
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Islamabad- briefing at Ministry of Tourism.
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DAY 03
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Drive to Chilas, transfer to hotel for overnight.
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DAY 04
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Drive to Skardu, overnight at hotel.
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DAY 05
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Skardu- preparations.
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DAY 06
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Drive to Thongal/Askole, overnight camp
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DAY 07
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Trek to Korofong, overnight camp
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DAY 08
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Trek to Chobraqk, overnight camp
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DAY 09
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Trek to Paiju, overnight camp
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DAY 10
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Trek to Urdukas, overnight camp
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DAY 11
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Trek to Goro, overnight camp
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DAY 12
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Trek to Concordia, overnight camp
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DAY 13
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Trek to base camp
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DAY 14-49
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RESERVED FOR CLIMBING
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DAY 50
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Trek back to Concordia. Overnight camp
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DAY 51
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Trek to Ali Camp. Overnight camp
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DAY 52
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Trek to Low Camp via the Gondogoro Pass
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DAY 53
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Trek to Dalsanga Pa. Overnight camp
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DAY 54
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Trek to Hushe. Overnight camping
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DAY 55
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Drive to Skardu. Overnight at hotel
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DAY 56
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Skardu- relax at Skardu
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DAY 57
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Drive to Chilas. Overnight at hotel
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DAY 58
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Drive to Islamabad. Overnight at hotel
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DAY 59
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Islamabad – debriefing at Ministry of Tourism.
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DAY 60
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Fly to onward destination
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