Tag: history of k2

K2: The world's toughest mountain to climb K2 is the world's second-tallest mountain, standing at an incredible 8,611 metres (28,251 feet). The only mountain in the world to overshadow K2 is the far more well-known Mount Everest. Since humans began climbing the two mountains, K2's height, weather, and the difficult terrain it offers have made Mount Everest the most famous mountain to trek or climb on an adventure holiday. However, more and more adventure holidaymakers are looking toward the behemoth that is K2 and the challenge it offers for trekking and climbing expeditions. The history of K2 Col. T.G. Montgomerie, working for the Survey of India, discovered K2 in 1856. It was given the name “K2” due to being the second Karakoram Mountain range peak measured. While the mountain is famously known as K2, it is also known as Mount Godwin Austen. K2 was discovered while the British were working out the border between Kashmir and China. The British were afraid that the Russian Empire would extend southwards into the region.  The name K2 was given to the mountain due to its being in the Karakoram Range, which is northeast of the Himalayas. During Montgomerie’s original survey, the team gave each of the mountains a K number. The surveyor recorded the altitude of each mountain and wrote the peaks down as K1, K2, K3, and so on. Sometime later, the surveyors asked the indigenous people what the local name of the mountains was. After noting the original name, the surveyors typically renamed the peaks.  K2 is a special mountain, however. Its remote location, 120-plus kilometres from the nearest village, Askole, meant it did not have a local name for the surveyors to agree on. While many of the world’s tallest mountains have poetic names or are named after people, K2 is