National Geographic - UK (2022-02)

serious frostbite. That, he knew, was a sign his

body was prioritizing blood flow to warm vital

organs, sacrificing the extremities to preserve

the core. And this was all happening before he’d

even crossed into the so-called Death Zone—the

region above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet)—where

the lack of oxygen can cause climbers to hallu-

cinate, retain fluid in their lungs, and lose their

instinct for self-preservation.

Mingma G.—as he’s known—keyed his radio,

his mind momentarily made up to turn around.

“Dawa Tenjin? Dawa Tenjin?” he called, but only

the whining wind answered. He could make out

the dim lights of several teammates trudging in

a broken line up the low-angle snow above him.

Everyone must be too focused on the tasks at

hand, or just too deep in their own suffering, to

answer, he thought.

Even in the milder summer months, K2, the

second highest peak on Earth at 28,251 feet, is

among the world’s deadliest mountains. Though

it’s more than two football fields shorter than

Mount Everest, getting to its summit requires a

much higher degree of climbing skill and almost

no margin for mistakes. American climber George

Bell, after failing to summit in 1953, declared, “It’s

a savage mountain that tries to kill you.” The nick-

name has stuck, in part because for roughly every

four climbers who make it to the top and back

down, another one dies in the attempt.

But now, almost four weeks after the winter

solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere tilts

A CLIMB FOR HISTORY 85