K-2 Golden Jubilee celebrations

K-2 is world's biggest pyramid of rock, ice and snow, with its great-serrated slopes and the most elegant mountain standing alone, dominating the surroundings, this is how world famous the only Pakistani conqueror of Mount Everest describes the shape of the peak. He also scaled K-2 in 1981 with Waseda University Alpine Club expedition.
The Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Italian conquest of the world's second highest peak standing proudly erect at 8,616 meters is already under way in Pakistan and other parts of the globe. The peak was, for the first time humbled by Italian expedition in 1954. The leader of the team was Professor Ardito Desio.
Two members of his team Achille Coumpagone and Lino Lacedilli reached the summit. Lino who is at present in Pakistan to participate in the celebrations expressed the view from the top of the peak as "dream like world".
This was indeed a historic victory for Italy and the image of Achille compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli on the summit of Mount K-2 was, and still is, one of the symbols of Italian rebirth of the post-war period. With the conquest of K-2, Italy returned to the center of world attention in a splendid initiative of absolute scientific, mountaineering and human value. In the words of Italian minister Giovanni Alemanno who has sent his congratulatory message for the occasion.
"A half century later, the memory of that expedition, which also greatly influenced my own passion for mountains and climbing, is more than ever alive and greater is the pride for the achievements of those climbers and researchers led by Professor Ardito Desio. It seems to me, therefore, right and proper, to pay homage to that enterprise on its 50th anniversary with repetition of the Abruzzi super route to the summit of K-2 and continuation of the Italian scientific tradition in that region in an intensive research program including an important scientific-mountaineering program on Mount Everest".
(Pakistan Japan Venture)
Meanwhile after the Italian victory the peak remained unclimbed for 20 years Tracing the peak's climbing history Nazir Sabir says a few abortive attempts were made between 1974 and 1976 but in 1977 new faces appeared on the Baltoro. A large Japanese-Pakistani team put seven climbers, among them Pakistani Ashraf Aman, on the top of K-2 on 31st of July 1977. The celebrated Nazir Sabir sumitted K-2 via West Ridge - a more technically challenging route with Waseda University Alpine Club on August 7, 1981. Another two Pakistanis Raja Shah and Mehrban Shah comprising a team from Holland made it in 1995. Pakistan's living mountaineering legend Nazir Sabir says since the early years of the 20th century over a 100 attempts have been made on K-2 out of which nearly one third succeeded.
A number of lives have been lost during attempts. Climbers describe K-2 as the mountaineers' mountain for the sheer skill that is vital to negotiate its technical passage up the pyramid from almost any route.
(Bibliography)
A just of the bibliography of K-2 says that the mountain's local (Balti) name is Chogori which means king of mountains. It is desirable to popularize this name which so succinctly conveys the hugeness of the mountain. The K-2 is known as a "killer" and "savage" mountain, perhaps due to the fact that many lives have lost in attempts to scale it. It is a rocky mountain up to 6,000 m, and there is ocean of snow beyond. Situated on the Pak-China border in the Karakorams, traditional route to its base camp initiates from Skardu where it goes via Shigar-Dassu-Askole up to Concordia over the Baltoro glacier. The exact height of the peak is 8,611m/28,251 ft. It was in 1856 when the British were enforcing their control over India, provoking the 1857 War of Independence. A young Lieutenant of the Royal Engineers T.G. Montgomerie was busy surveying the mountains of Kashmir and it was here he in the far distance saw a tall and conspicuous mountain in the direction of the Karakorams and immediately named it K-1 ('K' stands for Karakorams). Later on it turned out to be the beautiful mountain of Hushe valley in Khaplu area of Baltistan, called Masherbrum by the natives. He also saw another tall and dominating summit behind K-1 and named it K-2, which turned out to be Chogori.
(Discovery)
In 1860 Capt. Henry Haversham Godwin Austen of the Survey of India surveyed the famous Shigar and Soltoro valleys in Baltistan area. He also surveyed the Kajnag range in southern Kashmir and was the first to put Gulmarg on the map. Another famous explorer, Francis Young Husband who was later knighted, was soldier and thrill seeker, crossed Gobi desert from Peking (China) in 1887, entered India crossing Mustagh Pass. During this journey he became the first European to set his eyes on K-2 from the northern side. In 1909 a big Italian expedition under the leadership of Luigo Amadeo Giuseppe (Duke of Abruzzi), grandson of King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, reconnoitered K-2 peak. His party attempted the peak from the southeast ridge, which later was known as Abruzzi ridge but could not proceed beyond 5,560m. The party, however, carried out a thorough reconnaissance of K-2 from south to north-east and its members produced a comprehensive account of the expedition with photographs and accurate maps of Baltoro area. In 1937 two famous British mountaineers Harold William Tilman and Eric Earle Shipton explored and surveyed the north face of K-2 and its subsidiary glaciers. In 1939 an American expedition led by Fritz Hermann Ernst Wiessner, a German-American chemist and mountaineer made on attempt, and good progress but could not make it. Another American attempt was made in 1953. The team led by Dr Charles Houston also included a Pakistani late Col Ataullah. It was an aborted attempt. The party returned to the base camp due to bad weather. Arthur Gilkey, a member of their team had been swept away by an avalanche.
Over 100 attempts have been made on K-2 so far but only one third have met success, claiming a good number of lives. Preparations are underway by the Italians to humble the summit on the occasion of its Golden Jubilee - Let's wish them another success.
Pakistan is currently hosting the Golden Jubilee celebrations of unforgettable ascent of K-2 and 51st anniversary of memorable summiting of Nanga Parbat. President General Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Ch. Shujaat Hussain and Rais Munir Ahmad, Minister of State, have, in their messages, paid rich tributes to those pioneering expeditions who showed unmatched skills, physical fitness, perseverance and above all courage in their quest for the conquest of these magnificent peaks.
The programme includes the ascent of K-2 by the Abruzi spur on the south side, in Pakistan, and at the same time by the north ridge, on the Chinese side, to be preceded by Mount Everest from the Tibtan side via the NE ridge, in the same season.
It would be worth while to mention here that 50 years after the first successful ascent of K-2 the victorious Italians are here to celebrate that great moment etched in history by Achille compagnone, Lino Laccdetli and their team mates with their leader Ardito Desio. "K-2 2004, 50 years aims at reinterpreting the values and challenges of that unforgettable adventure with high level mountaineering and athletic performances in the framework of a traditional expedition, an ambicious scientific research programme focusing on the field of earth, sciences and medicine, an environmentally friendly expedition foreseeing use of clean technologies and materials which respect the environment, contributions to the development of solidarity and cooperation initiatives in favor of local populations. And of course there will be no end to this research adventure oriented programme.
A host of government and private organizations from both countries are organizing and celebrating the historic event in coordination with each other.
"The K-2 2004" International Scientific Committee also includes Ashraf Aman, Nazir Sabir and Prof. F. A. Shams. Pakistan's Ministry of Sports, Culture, Tourism, Ministry of Environment, Alpine clubs of Pakistan and Italy besides scores of other organizations of Italy and its embassy are participating in the celebrations.