Samina, Naila create history by scaling world’s second highest peak K2

KARACHI: Two Pakistani female mountaineers Samina Baig and Naila Kiani created history on Friday by achieving what no other woman from the country has ever done reach the top of the second highest peak in the world, the 8,611mhigh K2.

At 7:42am Pakistan Standard Time, Samina Baig summited the mighty K2 along with her team members and became the first-ever Pakistani woman to scale the K2. Less than three hours after Samina’s summit, at around 10:20am, Naila Kiani reached on top, becoming the 2nd.

Several other climbers from various countries, including female climbers from Oman, Lebanon, Iran, Taiwan and Bangladesh summited the peak on Friday morning. Around a dozen Pakistani climbers also scaled the 2nd highest peak in the world on Friday.

The exact number of successful summits on Friday is not known yet but Karrar Haidri of Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed that 22nd July 2022 was the busiest day on K2 in history as around 100 climbers in different groups reached the summit. The summit push started late Thursday night as soon the rope fixing teams completed their jobs. 31-year-old climber Samina Baig’s team confirmed that she, along with other members of her team, summited at 7:42am PST on Friday.

“We are extremely proud to announce that Samina Baig with her strong Pakistani team, successfully summited the world’s most fascinating & dangerous mountain known as the savage mountain, the world’s second and Pakistan’s tallest mountain K2 8,611 meters this morning at 7:42am,” said the statement by Samina’s team. “Grateful and blessed that K2 allowed her to stand atop this incredible mountain,” the statement added. Shimshal-based Samina is also the first Pakistani woman to scale the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest. She achieved that feat in 2013.

The mountaineers who scaled K2 with Samina on Friday included Eid Muhammad, Bulbul Karim, Ahmed Baig, Rizwan Dad, Waqar Ali and Akber Hussain Sadpara. Less than three hours after Samina’s feat, Pakistan’s other climber Naila Kiani reached the top of K2. “Yes, Allhamdolillah,” Naila texted this correspondent via satellite device confirming her summit. Pakistan’s Sohail Sakhi and Sirbaz Ali Khan also summited the K2 along with Naila.

Later in the evening, Naila confirmed to this correspondent that she had descended back to lower camp 4 and will return to base camp on Saturday. Among the climbers who summited K2 on Friday morning is Norway’s Kristin Harlia, who reached the top of K2 between 2:30am to 4:00am and has returned to a safe camp.

Kristin Harilia is aiming to summit all 14 8000ers in six months. This was her 8th such summit in less than 3 months. If she gets success, she will be the first woman in the world to summit all top peaks in one season.

Harlia was joined by USA’s Kristin A. Bennett, Norway’s Frank Loke Canada’s Liliya Ianovskia, Pakistan’s Fida Ali and Nepal’s Pema Chhiring Sherpa, Dawa Ongju Sherpa, Pemba Tasi Sherpa, Dawa Dorchi Sherpa, Dawa Wongju Sherpa and Pemba Dorchee Sherpa.

She started her quest to become the quickest woman to summit all 14 8-thousanders in the last week of April when she reached on top of Annapurna on April 28. She then climbed Dhaulagiri on 8th May and Kanchenjunga on 14th before summiting Mount Everest and Lhotse within 12 hours on 22nd May. Before coming to Pakistan, Harila also summited Makalu on the 27th of May. In Pakistan, she reached atop Nanga Parbat on 1st July and now on 22nd July, she has summited K2. According to her team, she will now head to Broad Peak in Pakistan.

In another development, 29-year-old Tseng Ko-Erh, who is also known as Grace Tseng, summited the mountain without using supplementary oxygen and has become the youngest female in the world to do so. She is now also the 1st Taiwanese ever to have stood atop K2.

Her expedition organizers announced that their 3-member team has just made it to the top of the world’s 2nd highest mountain. They reached the summit of Mount K2 (8,611m) at 7:35am Pakistani time. Two other members of the team were Nima Gyalzen Sherpa and Ningma Dorje Tamang of Nepal.

Iran’s Afsane Hesamifard, Bangladesh’s Wasifia Nazreen and Oman’s Nadhira Alharthy became the first-ever female climbers from their respective countries to summit the K2. Nelly Attar, an Arab-Lebanese climber, also became the first of her nation to reach the K2 top.

Afsane and Nadhira were part of the seven summits treks team and reached on top just a few hours after the rope fixing. The team also included a Chinese female climber, He Jing, who summited the mountain without supplementary oxygen.

According to a statement by seven summits, Poland’s Monika Witkowska, Russia’s Vladimir Kotlyar and Nepal’s Mingtemba Sherpa, Pasang Sherpa, Fura Tshering Sherpa and Ngima Sherpa also summited the K2 early Friday morning.

Another group to summit K2 on Friday morning, Nelly Attar — an Arab Lebanese woman — successfully scaled the K2. She was accompanied by America’s Terray Ellington Sylvester, Argentina’s Claudio Cocho Javier and Estonia’s Krisli Melesk.

Along with them, Pakistan’s Inayat Ali also climbed the K2. Nepali Aang Phurba Sherpa, Siddhi Bahadur Tamang, Dorji Gyljen Sherpa, Kamdorji Sherpa, Lakhpa Wongchu Sherpa, Mingdongji Sherpa, Lakpa Bhote, Rinji Sherpa, Temba Sherpa and Lakpa Sherpa also summited K2 early morning.

Meanwhile, Andorra’s Stefi Troguet has also reached the top of K2. She summited the 2nd highest peak without supplementary oxygen. She sent a text via satellite to confirm her summit at 10:45am. “I can’t believe it. I’m on top of K2 without no O2. The hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she said.

“This summit is for Sergi, Ali and Antonios,” the climber said while dedicating the summit to the late Ali Sadpara, Antonio Atanas and Sergi Mingote — the fallen heroes of the K2 winter expedition.

Pakistan’s Wajidullah Nagri was also among the mountaineers who summited the K2 on Friday morning.

Another team of four foreign climbers from Great Britain, South Africa, US and Japan led by Mingma Dorchi Sherpa summited the savage mountain. This was Mingma’s 4th summit of K2.

A statement by his organization, Pioneer Expeditions, said this K2 feat is not only teamwork but also a result of a strong desire to surpass the challenges put forth by valiant climbers. “A dream of passionate climbers finally came to the realization,” it said. Two French climbers Pascal Claude and Christophe Jean also summited the peak on Friday. Meanwhile, reports from 8,035m Gasherbrum II say that a Pakistani climber Ahmed Hussain reached the summit of G2 in 14 hours from the base camp.