A Japanese woman scaled K2 for third time on Sunday morning, setting the record for the most summits of the Savage Mountain, expedition organizer said.
According to Seven Summit Treks, Japanese climber Naoko Watanabe stood atop the world’s second highest peak at 9am local time, becoming the first woman to scale K2 in the history.
Norwegian mountaineer Kristin Harila, who scaled all 14 peaks in 91 days, was the first woman to scale K2 twice. She scaled the peak in 2022 and 2023 as part of her 14-peak project. Considered the toughest and dangerous mountain to climb, even seasoned mountaineers avoid climbing multiple times.
Nepali mountaineer Mingma Gyabu Sherpa holds the record of the most ascent of K2, who summited the peak for sixth time last year.
On Sunday, renowned climber Mingma Gyalje Sherpa aka Mingma G scaled K2 for fifth time while leading a group of climbers to the summit. He has already scaled 13 peaks above 8,000m without use of oxygen. Mingma G, who runs expedition company Imagine Nepal, led a team of climbers to the real summit of Manaslu, when it was abandoned by all mountaineers for the past 45 years.
Similarly, Mingtemba Sherpa scaled the peak for fourth time. He led the rope fixing job from bottleneck to the summit on early Sunday morning. He was a member of the expedition that opened the new route on Cho Oyu from Nepal side this spring.
Last January, he scaled Manaslu in winter, a rare feat as the mountain had never been summited in winter since 1983. Besides, he scaled Manaslu and Dhaulagiri back-to-back without using supplemental oxygen. He was a climbing partner in Kristin Harila’s 14-peak project, who has scaled 13 of the 14 eight-thousanders.
According to Imagine Nepal, Kitti Boonnitrod has become the first and only climber from Thailand to climb K2. Besides, Darren Rogers from United States, and Chinese Xiao Jing, Hu Jie, Ru Zhigang, Gao Li, Guan Kailun, and Ren Fei also made it to the top of the Savage Mountain.
Nepali guides include Nima Nuru Sherpa, Ngima Dorje Tamang, Nima Nuru Sherpa (B), Pasang Ngima Sherpa, Dipan Gurung, Lakpa Sona Sherpa, Phura Gelje Sherpa, Phinjo Dorje Sherpa and Pemba Chhiri Sherpa
