1. K2

2. Where is K2?
The Himalayan mountain range in Pakistan

3. How Tall is K2?
At 8611 metres, it is the second tallest mountain in the world, first summitted in 1954.
But it is harder to summit than Mount Everest…up until the end of last year there had been only 284 successful attempts on K2. 66 people have died on the mountain, almost all on the way down
Climbers regard it as the ultimate achievement in mountaineering

4. Technically Difficult
K2 consists of steep icy cliffs and rock faces

5. Weather
The weather on K2 is almost always bad because it is so much higher than surrounding peaks.
It suffers from storms with hurricane winds and freezing conditions of -40oC
There are only a few days a year that K2 has weather safe enough for climbers to summit and survive.

6. At 6pm on August 13th, 1995, climber Alison Hargreaves, a Derbyshire mother of two small children, stood on the summit of K2.
Happy with her achievement, she began her descent. An hour or so later, she was dead - blown from the lofty summit ridge by a sudden, unexpected hurricane.

7. Avalanches Huge blocks of snow can collapse from the mountain
and cause deadly avalanches

8. Death Zone
At very high altitudes people slowly die due to lack of oxygen
Typical symptoms in this Death Zone:
Extreme difficulty breathing
Very rapid breathing rate
Exhaustion
Hallucinations
Severe headache
Vomiting
Constant coughing
Gurgling sounds coming from chest
Frostbite

9. Summit of K2