ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Mt. Everest is not the hardest mountain to climb — here's what makes K2 so much worse

Mt. Everest doesn't even compare to K2 in a lot of ways.

Vanessa O'Brien is an expert mountaineer. She is the fastest woman to climb the highest peak on every continent and the first American and British woman to climb K2, the second-highest mountain in the world.

Here, we talk with her about why Mt. Everest isn't the hardest mountain in the world to climb, and why so fewer who attempt K2 ever make it to the top. You can learn more about O'Brien's adventures by following her on Facebook and Twitter. Following is a transcript of the video.

So when comparing Everest versus K2, they are very, very different.

First, you have two different countries. You have Nepal versus Pakistan so I'd say technically it's more challenging to get to Pakistan to get the visas, the logistics.

ADVERTISEMENT

You've got different tracks in, so the track into Pakistan to get to K2 base camp involves traveling over a glacier. A glacier is harder to climb, you've got mixed rock, which makes twisting an ankle very, very easy.

When you're going up to Everest Base Camp, you're just on a dirt trail so it's very, very easy.

Also, when you're traveling on K2, you're packing your whole expedition and you're building tents along the way, when you're traveling to Everest Base Camp, you're staying at teahouses so you don't have to travel in tents.

When you're on the actual climb, K2 is shaped like a triangle so it's demanding 110% day one, whereas Everest, there's twists and turns, so it's not always climbing steep.

Weather is much more unpredictable on K2 and I would say the technical climbing on K2 is hard so Everest has the Hillary step, which everyone's heard about, that's one obstacle. But for the most part it's pretty — the paths are well laid-out because a lot of people climb Everest every year where K2, there is very few expeditions that climb because there's such an unpredictability of summits.

ADVERTISEMENT

And it's more technical so, it's more of a mixed rock, ice, and alpine climb so you have places like House's Chimney and Black Pyramid, which are hard rock climbs in the middle of an alpine climb. So very, very different.

If I look statistically, there's a 40% chance of no summits in any one year so this is a really tough mountain. There's less than 400 summits overall compared to Everest's 7500 summits so just remarkably how much harder K2 is every season that presents itself.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng

Recommended articles

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT