The King of Mountains, K2, is the second tallest mountain in the world, with an elevation of 8,611 meters. It dwells in the heart of the Karakoram ranges of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Even though it is dwarfed by the world’s number one mountain, Mount Everest, yet, this mountain holds the record for being the most dangerous and hardest!
The ‘King of Mountains’, ‘Savage Mountain’, and ‘Mountain of Mountains’ are just some attributes given to K2, that declare the majesty of this extraordinary summit. It has a massive reputation in the mountaineers’ world and is sought by enthusiastic climbers from all around the globe.
Not just savage, but it is also the deadliest mountain that gives a tough time to every seeker. As the stats show, approximately every one of the four climbers lost their lives while summiting the K2.
Despite these stats, K2 has always been on every fanatical climber’s bucket list. With several earlier failed attempts, it was finally first conquered in 1954 by Italian expediters Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli. And since then, it has been summited by approximately 700+ eager daredevil adventurers.
But, what we are going to talk about here is not just the ordinary ascents of K2 but the fastest ascents under 24 hours!
Yes! Some superhumans have set this record to conquer the brutal mountain in less than 24 hours!
So, let’s unveil their names and see who wins this race!
Trailblazer of K2 Speed Climbing:
On July 5, 1986, an adventurous French Alpinist named Benoit Chamoux became the first person who pushed the limits of human endurance and achieved something truly remarkable. He did what others couldn’t even think of – summiting K2 in just 23 hours and 30 minutes!
This extraordinary mountaineer climbed K2’s 8,611m via the Abruzzi Spur from the Base Camp to the summit in less than 24 hours. This was a record-breaking climb because the average time taken to conquer this mighty mountain is 10-16 days (round trip).
This climb has been in the top highlights of history not just because of the astonishing ascent but because Chamoux went solo and without any bottled oxygen. This shows how strong a climber he was. And the thing that Chamoux summited K2 only some weeks after soloing Broad Peak stuns everyone more!
A New Speed Climbing Record:
Though Benoit Chamoux was the pioneer, there is a new record created recently that threatened to wear the crown next. It was on July 27, 2022, when two Nepali Sherpa, Mingma David and Chhiring Sherpa, made a rapid ascent of K2 in less than 15 hours!
This was created when Mingma David and Lakpa Dendi, another Nepali Sherpa, challenged each other for speed climbing on K2. The challenge was named ‘Speed Breaker’.
During this ‘Speed Breaker’ challenge, both adventurers shared their trackers on social media for real-time tracking. Two other climbers named Chhiring Sherpa and Vedrines also entered this race. This is how they all attempted the K2 Speed Breaker Challenge together to add their names to the history book.
K2 Fastest Ascent: Who Wins the Race?
The Speed Breaker Challenge on the world’s most dangerous mountain was never going to be easy. Yet, these superhumans didn’t step back, went ahead, fought the merciless weather, and summited the brutal mountain.
But the question is, who won the race?
What we know is that Chhiring Sherpa emerged as the winner of the race by reaching the top of K2 in just 12 hours and 20 minutes. Minmga David finished in 14 hours and 22 minutes. Lakpa’s tracker stopped working during the ascent and there are no records of Benjamin Vedrines’ time as well.
Twist that turned the Table of Records:
Although Chhiring and Minmga finished a lot quicker than Chamoux, yet, their ascent shouldn’t be compared. There is a twist that turns the table of records. It is the use of supplemental oxygen. This makes a huge difference because an ascent with the bottled O2 and without it is contrary.
Chhiring Sherpa admitted to using supplemental O2 from 6,700m, while Mingma didn’t confirm yet. While in contrast, Chamoux didn’t make use of any artificial oxygen, and thus why he still deserves the recognition.
Final Thoughts:
So, let’s put everything in its proper context. If we talk about the fastest ascent of K2 with the use of supplemental O2, it is Chhiring Sherpa’s record of 12 hours and 20 minutes. And we ask about the fastest ascent record without O2; it is Benoit Chamoux’s 23-hour and 30-minute record.
In the end, let’s appreciate the efforts of all these mountaineers who pushed the limits and achieved incredible feats. They conquered the most dangerous mountain, K2, which is enough to deserve all the praise and recognition. These superhumans have inspired a generation of climbers to follow in their footsteps!