On the 60-year summit anniversary, first Pakistani team scales K-2 – The Express Tribune

Mountaineer Rahmat Ullah Baig and Amin Ullah Baig are Ismaili Muslims from Shimshal Valley, the same village of Samina and Mirza Ali Baig.

Almost 60 years ago, when Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli became the first to ever summit K2, their team included a Pakistani member Muhammad Ata Ullah. But on Saturday, just five days shy of that anniversary, six mountaineers from Gilgit-Baltistan became the first ever Pakistani team to reach K-2′s summit (8,611m). The day, though, saw nearly 20 climbers reach the summit.

The six Pakistanis including Hassan Jan, Ali Durani, Rahmat Ullah Baig, Ghulam Mehdi, Rozi Ali and Muhammad Sadiq managed to reach summit from the Abruzzi Spur shortly after lunch on Saturday, four of them without supplemental oxygen.

They are part of a Pakistan-Italian K2 60 years later team that was attempting to mark 60 year anniversary of Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli maiden summit of the ‘savage mountain’ with a group summit by the first ever Pakistani team.

But their trail and the summit will be quite crowded with a total of 60 climbers in seven teams are currently attempting to summit K2 in two waves over 48 hours as the mountain afforded a rare extended weather window.

“Muhammad Sadiq is part of the six member team that has made it to K2,” tour operator Hasan Khan, confirmed on Saturday, soon after the conquest. They were among the first of the climbers to reach the top on Saturday.

Sadiq is a resident of Gilgit-Baltistan and younger brother of famous mountaineer Hasan Sadpara. Four of the mountaineers hail from Hushe valley of Baltistan, while one is from Shimshal of Gojal. Ali Durrani is the youngest at just 23 years of age.

via On the 60-year summit anniversary, first Pakistani team scales K-2 – The Express Tribune.