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Canadian and American Gunning for K2 Share Updates

Ian Welsted and Graham Zimmerman are hoping to make a rare alpine-style attempt up the world's second-highest mountain at 8,611 metres

K2 climbing ascend himalayas

Big Himalayan climbing requires a lot of planning, time, money and fitness. Most of the international climbers who travel to the area rely on guides and Sherpas to establish and fix routes, but a few climbers aim for objectives that require a tad more skill and less reliance on big teams.

Canadian alpinist and Piolet d’Or recipient Ian Welsted and American high-altitude climber Graham Zimmerman are hoping to make an alpine-style attempt at the west ridge of K2 this summer. They’ve spent the past month preparing and acclimatizing.

Known as Chogori by the Balti, Kang Fang by the people to the north in what is now China, and named K2 by the British Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, it’s one of the most dangerous mountains in the world. Fellow Canadian, Don Bowie, from Ontario, is also in the area and spent some time with Welsted last week.

Thanks to recently installed cellular towers, they’ve been able to update followers on their social media with daily updates. Welsted has never been one to praise his own abilities and often uses his platform to praise others, which you can see below. Be sure to follow them if you have Instagram.

Ian Welsted’s Updates

Graham Zimmerman’s Updates

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