Norwegian climber Kristin Harila scaled Mount K2 (8,611m) on Friday morning, advancing her chance of achieving her mission: to climb all 14 peaks above 8000m in six months. 

According to her expedition agency, 8K Expedition, the record holding climber reached the summit of world’s second highest mountain in Pakistan at 2.30 am local time together with nine other climbers. The team reached the summit shortly after Nepali Sherpa guides cleared the way to the summit on Thursday night. 

This is her eighth peak, which she completed in 70 days. She matched the record time of legendary climber Nirmal Purja aka Nimsdai, who in 2019 summited eight peaks in a record 70 days.

“This is not a competition though. We have not calculated time as to who finishes first,” said Pemba Sherpa, one of the founders of the 8K Expedition, who is currently at the K2 base camp. 

Norwegian Frank Loke, American Kristin A. Bennett and Candian Liliya Ianovskaia were other members to summit the savage mountain. They were accompanied by Pema Chhiring Sherpa, Dawa Ongju Sherpa, Pemba Tasi Sherpa, Dawa Dorchi Sherpa, Dawa Wongju Sherpa and Pemba Dorchee Sherpa.

With this, Kristin conquered the major Pakistani mountains considered tough to climb. She climbed Nanga Parbat, the toughest mountain to climb, on July 2. “She will be heading to Broad Peak next,” said Pemba. 

Kristin summited Nepal’s six 8,000m peaks –Annapurna (8,091m), Dhaulagiri (8,167m), Kanchenjunga (8,586m), Everest (8,848.86m), Lhotse (8,516m)  and Makalu (8,485m)—in 29 days, setting a record of fastest ascent of the six peaks, two days ahead of Nimsdai’s record. 

Kristin also holds a record of the fastest woman to climb Everest and Lhotse in a record 12 hours last year.

After setting back to back records in Nepal, Kristin is in the Karakorum region to accomplish her mission. Nepali Sherpa duo Pasdawa Sherpa and Dawa Ongju Sherpa are supporting her to achieve this feat.

Taiwanese climber Tseng Ko-Erh aka Grace Tseng, also reached the summit of K2 without using supplementary oxygen. Dolma Outdoor Expedition, her expedition organizer, said that she is the youngest female climber in the world to do so. She is also the first Taiwanese ever to have stood atop K2. 

Grace had tried to summit K2 in winter last year. She was forced to retreat after two weeks waiting in the savage mountain to clear the weather. This summer, she stood atop the summit of the world’s second highest peak with the support of Nima Gyalzen Sherpa and Ningma Dorje Tamang. 

She  is in the race for summiting all 14 peaks above 8,000m. K2 was her eighth peak. 

Nine climbers of Seven Summit Treks also made it to the top of K2 this morning. The team includes Afsane Hesamifard, first Iranian woman to summit Everest this year and Nadhira Alharthy first Omani woman to summit Everest. According to the expedition organizer, Chinese climber He Jing summited the peak without using supplemental oxygen. Polish Monikia Witkowska and Nepal guides Pasang Sherpa, Fura Tshering Sherpa and Tashi Sherpa were members of the team to scale the world’s highest peak on Friday morning. 

Record holding mountaineer Mingma Dorchi Sherpa’s team of nine climbers also made it to the summit of the savage mountain this morning. British John Black, American Eva Warren Neil, South African Khai Van Nguyen and Japanese Shuhei Kanamitsu were accompanied by Nepali guides Pemba Rita Sherpa, Lakpa Gyalzen Sherpa, Pasang Sherpa, Phurtenze Sherpa, Chhangwa Sherpa and Mingma Dorchi Sherpa.

Renowned mountaineer Mingma Gyalje Sherpa aka Mingma G led-team of 23, the biggest team of all, also successfully summited the peak this morning. The entire team, which includes 12 Sherpa guides and 11 foreign climbers, reached the summit around 8 am local time, according to Imagine Nepal, the expedition organizer.

Mingma G, Dawa Gyalje Sherpa, Tamting Sherpa, Pasang Namgel Sherpa, Lakpa Tamang, Angdu Sherpa, Dawa Sherpa, Tsering Sherpa, Pemba Tenzing Sherpa, Sonam Tashi Sherpa, Nima Dorjee Sherpa, Pemba Cheri Sherpa are Nepali climbers, who guided 11 foreign climbers. 

Pakistani Shah Simshali, Chinese Wang Zhong and Gao Li, German Aleksandr Yul Gromen, American Gina Marie RZucidlo and Jennifer Lyn Drummond, Swedish Par Stefan Isgren, Canadian Jill Wheatley, Macedonian Sashko Kedev, Dutch Rene Michael Bergsma and Japanese Naoki Ishikhawa are foreign climbers. 

Jill Wheatley is a visually impaired adventure athlete, who lost sight in an accident that changed the course of her life in 2014. She climbed Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga and Makalu this past spring. She wants to summit all peaks above 8,000m in Pakistan 

Similarly, Samina Baig has become the first Pakistani woman to summit K2. Born in Gilgit-Baltistan, Baig is the only Pakistani woman to scale Everest. She had summited Mount Everest in 2013.

In less than three hours after Baig's summit, another Pakistani woman Naila Kiani also scaled the salvage mountain, becoming the second Pakistani woman to scale the world's second highest mountain. 

Asma Al Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family, also summited the peak along with 31 fellow climbers of Elite Exped, led by renowned Nirmal Purja aka Nimsdai. Asma became the first Qatari woman to summit K2.

Fahad Badar, Miguel Madrid, Spencer Pipkin, Isaac Selby, Stefi Troguet, Marie-pier Desharnais, Wasfia Nazreen, April A. Leonardo, Anne Faerovig, Hakon Asvang, Abid Asad Sadparvi and Anthony Middleton were foreign climbers, while Nimsdai Purja, Mingma David Sherpa, Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, Mingma Temba Sherpa, Lakpa tashi Sherpa, Mingma Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Dawa Temba Sherpa, Ramesh Gurung, Phur Bahadur Gurung, Tenji Sherpa, Pam Dorjee Sherpa, Pasang Tshering Sherpa, Pasang Tendi Sherpa, Mitra Tamang, Mingma Dorjee Sherpa, Suman Gurung, Pem Chiri Sherpa, Kalden Phura Sherpa and Karma Geljen Sherpa were Nepal guides leading the foreign climbers to the summit

This is the first time that female climbers from Muslim world summited 8,000ers. No woman from Pakistan, which hosts five of the 14 world's highest peak, had ever even attempted to summit K2 before.

Terray Ellington Sylvester, Claudio “Cacho” Javier Beiza, Nelly Attar from Lebanon, Krisli Melesk and Inayat Ali were members of Madison Mountaineering, who summited K2 on the same day. They were supported with Nepali staff-- Aang Phurba Sherpa, 

Siddhi Bahadur, Dorji Gyeljen Sherpa, Kamdorji Sherpa, Lhakpa Wongchu Sherpa, Mingdorji Sherpa, Lakpa Bhote, Rinji Sherpa, Temba Sherpa and Lakpa Sherpa, who also summited the peak.

Mount K2 is considered as one of the most difficult mountains to climb mainly because of unpredictable weather, difficult bottleneck journey and heavy snow. This is the reason why about 400 people have summited the peak, which equals the number of permits Nepal issues for Everest in a season. 

The mountain was unclimbed in winter until a 10-member Nepali team led by famed climbers Nimsdai and Mingma G. made it in January 2021.