Nimsdai is proud to announce his bid for a K2 Winter 2020/21 ascent to claim one of the last remaining grand prizes in mountaineering, a feat regarded by so many, for so long as impossible.
The greatest, the hardest, the last.
There are countless reasons why K2 still remains the only 8000m peak unclimbed during the winter season. Even in the most favourable summer climbing conditions K2 quickly gained the reputation as ‘Savage Mountain’ which has clearly contributed to the mountain’s strong allure for generations of mountaineers.
Winter brings with it a whole different level of danger and challenge. Numerous teams have attempted since 1987/88, but all have fallen short. Not only do the sheerness of the slopes and overall exposure create a technically challenging climb, weather is always the great opponent on K2 all year round. Summit winds reach hurricane force, still-air temperatures are well below -65 degrees and the winter’s low barometric pressure means even less oxygen – so the margins of error are almost non-existent, the smallest mistake can have catastrophic consequences.