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Table of Contents
K2, Chinese Qogir Feng, also called Mount Godwin Austen, called locally Dapsang or Chogori, is the world’s second highest peak after Mount Everest.
See the fact file below for more information on the K2 or alternatively, you can download our 26-page K2 worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
GEOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
- K2 is located in the Karakoram Range and lies partly in a Chinese-administered enclave of the Kashmir region within the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, China.
- It is also partly in the Gilgit-Baltistan portion of Kashmir under the administration of Pakistan.
- It stands over 3,000 metres (9,840 ft.) above much of the glacial valley bottoms at its base. It is a consistently steep pyramid, dropping quickly in almost all directions.
- The north side is the steepest: there it rises over 3,200 metres (10,500 ft.) above the K2 (Qogir) Glacier in only 3,000 metres (9,800 ft.) of horizontal distance.
- In most directions, it achieves over 2,800 metres (9,200 ft) of vertical relief in less than 4,000 metres (13,000 ft).
- The mountain was discovered in 1856 by Col. T.G. Montgomerie of the Survey of India, and it was given the symbol K2 because it was the second peak measured in the Karakoram Range.
- Col. H.H. Godwin Austen, a 19th-century English geographer was the peak’s first surveyor.
- K2 is known as the Savage Mountain after George Bell, a climber on the 1953 American Expedition, told reporters “It’s a savage mountain that tries to kill you.”
EARLY EXPEDITIONS
- An Anglo-Swiss expedition was the first attempt to reach the summit in 1902 by Oscar Eckenstein, Aleister Crowley, Jules Jacot-Guillarmod, Heinrich Pfannl, Victor Wessely, and Guy Knowles via the Northeast Ridge.
- The next expedition to K2, in 1909, was led by Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi. They reached around 6,250 metres (20,510 ft) on the South East Spur, now known as the Abruzzi Spur (or Abruzzi Ridge).
- The next attempt on K2 was in 1938, by the First American Karakoram expedition led by Charles Houston.
- The 1939 American Karakoram expedition led by Fritz Wiessner came within 200 metres (660 ft) of the summit but ended in disaster when Dudley Wolfe, Pasang Kikuli, Pasang Kitar, and Pintso disappeared high on the mountain.
- The 1953 American expedition ended in failure after a storm pinned down the team for 10 days at 7,800 metres (25,590 ft).
MODERN EXPEDITIONS
- The first successful expedition was led by Ardito Desio in 1954, and the two climbers who reached the summit were Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni.
- On August 9, 1977, 23 years after the Italian expedition, Japanese national Ichiro Yoshizawa led the second successful ascent, with Ashraf Aman as the first native Pakistani climber.
- The third ascent of K2 was in 1978, via a new route, the long and corniced Northeast Ridge. This ascent was made by an American team, led by James Whittaker; together with Louis Reichardt, Jim Wickwire, John Roskelley, and Rick Ridgeway.
- The first woman to summit K2 was Polish climber Wanda Rutkiewicz on 23 June 1986.
- Liliane and Maurice Barrard who had reached the summit later that day, fell during the descent; Liliane’s body was found on 19 July 1986 at the foot of the south face.
- Thirteen climbers from several expeditions died in the 1986 K2 Disaster. Another six mountaineers died on 13 August 1995, while eleven climbers died in the 2008 K2 disaster.
- In 2004, the Spanish climber Carlos Soria Fontán became the oldest person ever to summit K2, at the age of 65.
- In 2012, K2 saw a record crowd standing on its summit—28 climbers in a single day—bringing the total for the year to 30.
- On 22 July 2018, Polish mountaineer and mountain runner Andrzej Bargiel became the first person to ski down from summit to base camp.
THE K2 TRAGEDY
- The infamous 2008 K2 disaster killed 11 mountaineers from international expeditions.
- The series of deaths, over the course of the Friday ascent and Saturday descent, was the worst single accident in the history of K2.
- An ice avalanche occurring at an area known as “The Bottleneck” destroyed many of the climbers’ rope lines.
K2 Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the K2 across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use K2 worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the K2, Chinese Qogir Feng, also called Mount Godwin Austen, called locally Dapsang or Chogori, which is the world’s second highest peak after Mount Everest.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- The Giants
- The First Climbers
- The Achievers
- K2 Prep
- Do’s and Dont’s
- The Climber
- K2 vs. Everest
- Local Height
- Challenge List
- K2 Haiku
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Link will appear as K2 Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, February 24, 2020
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.