She Plans to Ski K2, a Peak Only Skied Once Before
There have been over 350 permits issued to climb K2 this year. It's going to be a busy mountain
American skier and climber Sarah Strattan is hoping to ski the world’s second highest mountain during what will be the busiest climbing season to date on K2.
Strattan is currently in base camp preparing for her attempt to become the first woman to ski K2. She knows the odds are stacked against her and said that her plan is to first climb K2 with her skis and then to sus conditions for a safe descent. She will be using bottled O2 and has a porter with her. For those wanting to follow along, the link to her Garmin inReach tracking device is here.
“I will be climbing the Abruzzi Ridge and will have my skis with me so that I can ski what and when the conditions allow,” Strattan said. “Last summer when I saw K2 tower 13,000 feet above Broad Peak base camp I was in absolute awe. It was the most amazing, imposing, and beautiful mountain I had ever seen.”
In 2021, Strattan attempted to climb Broad Peak and skied from 7,700 metres. You can read her account of the expedition here. Some of her other Himalayan ascents include Putha Hiunchuli in 2017 and Makalu in 2019.
K2 Skied
In 2018, Polish skier Andrzej Bargiel has made the first ski descent from the summit of K2. He skied it on the morning of July 22, a day after 31 climbers reached the summit. He left base camp on July 19 and joined his climbing partner Janusz Golab at camp two where they made their way up to camp five.
Bargiel’s descent route followed the Abruzzi Route, Voie Normale and sections of the Polish Route to the South Face. Watch clips from it below.
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