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Several Climbers Summit K2 Without Supplemental Oxygen

Dozens of climbers have summited or will be making a push for the top in the next few days

K2 climbing ascend himalayas

Climbers have successfully reached the summit of K2 after weeks of acclimatization and prep. Ropes were fixed to the summit yesterday as people continue to move up from camp to camp.

Of the dozens of climbers who reached the top of the world’s second highest mountain, Stefi Troguet of Andorra, Grace Tseng of Taiwan and He Jing of China have done so without using supplemental oxygen. Those who’ve summited are currently making their way back to base camp.

Tragically, one climber has died during the current summit push. Ali Akbar Sakhi of Afghanastan died as a result of high-altitude sickness at camp three. Meanwhile, on nearby Broad Peak, there have been several rescues and one death, that of Pakistan’s Sharif Sadpara.

Quebec-based climbers Richard Cartier and Justin Dubé-Fahmy are among a team of climbers hoping to climb K2. Dubé-Fahmy’s last update on July 22, read, “Tuesday we went from BC to Japanese C3 (7000m) we thought it was C2.5 but that was even higher! Richard, Matt and I were pretty tired. 16h of climbing. Then today we touched lower C4 (7600m). We are heading back to Base Camp tomorrow. It’s starting to get cold. We are pretty tired after these two big days.”

Less than 500 climbers have summited K2 since the first ascent in 1954 by Italians Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni. Over 350 permits have been issued for K2 summit attempts this season.

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