This scenic snow-capped rocky mountain is located on the border of Pakistan and China. Chogori, or, in other words, K-2 (Karakorum-second) is considered the second highest peak in the world, second only to the famous Chomolungma.
Popularly, the name of this mountain is uncomplicated and ominous - it is called the mountain-killer or the mountain of death. And the point is not only that climbing it is associated with a completely understandable danger to life. It is rumored that Bigfoot Yeti and other dangers can be encountered on this mountain peak.
Despite the fact that K-2 is an order of magnitude lower than Everest, climbers believe that climbing it is much more difficult. The numbers in the statistics speak for themselves: while by 2010 the number of ascents to Everest totals more than five thousand, only 300 expeditions were able to climb Chogori.
The dangers of mountaineering alone are not easy to explain that for more than fifty years, from 1902 to 1954, no one managed to survive trying to climb. Each of the mountaineering expeditions to the top of Chogori ended in collapse and tragedy, time after time people who dared to challenge K-2 died. The first who climbed alive to the top of Chogori was the Italian Ardito Desio and his associates, at the end of July 1954.
Many gave up their attempts to climb, losing people halfway and admitting defeat. One striking example is the first American expedition to Chogori, led by professional climber Charles Houston, who made the difficult decision to abandon his goal after losing more than half of the climbers. Charles had very little to go to the summit, however, he realized that further progress could threaten the death of everyone. Houston returned to K-2 in 1953, after the success of the Italians, but this attempt to conquer the killer mountain ended in tragedy.
A year later, German climbers, led by Fritz Wissner, made the opposite decision. Wissner had about two hundred meters to the summit, the losses were also great, but the German refused to surrender. This decision cost the lives of four climbers in literally half an hour of further ascent before Wissner was forced to give the command to descend.
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There were dozens of similar stories over the next years. According to statistics, to this day, one in five extreme sportsmen who challenged Chogori does not return from its slope. But, nevertheless, the killer mountain beckons athletes with its almost mystical unattainability, and there are still daredevils who are ready to decide to climb.