The 2 K2025 season was marked by difficult conditions and long waits. For weeks, bad weather prevented a summit attempt, and many teams had already left Base Camp. On August 11, a brief, stable weather window finally opened. Around 41 climbers reached the summit of K2 (8.611 m) during this time.
Summit Push under time pressure – success for four expeditions
The successful ascent was reported by the teams from Imagine Nepal, Seven Summit Treks/14 Peaks Expedition, Elite Expeditions, and the Alpinist Climber Expedition. Many of the participants had already been at base camp for weeks, hoping for just this opportunity.
The weather is improving, we have enough ropes, and all teams are working together, so we have enough manpower
Mingma G, mountain guide »Imagine Nepal« before the summit attempt
The final stage from Camp 3 demanded everything from the climbers. Since Camp 4 couldn't be set up, 1,100 meters of elevation difference separated the teams from the summit. Many needed more than 20 hours for the final ascent.
For some women, the long wait was particularly worthwhile: Maria Danila from Romania, Gülnur Tumbat from Turkey and Lenka Polackova from Slovakia each became the first women in their country to K2 have climbed.
Just days before her victory, Polackova said: "Even if hope is fading, we are not giving up. We still believe that the weather window will come."
Weather conditions: Warmth and rockfall characterize the season
The season was not only on K2, but in the entire Karakorum The weather was characterized by unusually high temperatures. Many teams reported dry, partially snow-free route sections and unstable slopes. The heat caused the rock to become brittle, particularly between the Advanced Base Camp and Camp 1, resulting in frequent rockfalls.
The terrain below Camp 1 is unstable and rocky, and dangerous rockfalls occur regularly.
Mingma G
Two deaths near Camp 1
The joy of the successful summit ascents was quickly overshadowed by a fatal accident during the descent. Chinese mountaineer Jing Guan was fatally struck by a falling boulder between Camp 1 and Advanced Base Camp. She had already reached the summit. A rescuer attempting to rescue her was also injured by rockfall. His condition was initially unknown.
In July, a Pakistani mountaineer died in an avalanche at Camp 1.
Fear during the descent to Base Camp
While the ascent was well coordinated, the descent presented the greatest challenge for many. The section between Camp 1 and Advanced Base Camp proved particularly dangerous.
Gülnur Tumbat described the situation on her Instagram channel: "We decided to descend at night to avoid the risk of rockfall – but that was a mistake. We had to bivouac above Camp 1 when we heard over the radio that a climber had been hit by a rock and died. After waiting a few hours, we started descending again at daybreak – but conditions hadn't improved. It continued: abseil after abseil, constantly looking up to avoid falling rocks."
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Credits: Cover image Adobe Stock