MOUNTAINEERING INFORMATION ARTICLES

K2 And Its Curse On Women

K2, the second highest mountain in the world, is part of the Karakoram Range in Pakistan and towers off to 8,611 meters. Known locally as “Chogo Ri” which translates to The Great Mountain, the name K2 was branded by Thomas Montgomerie in 1856 with K taken from the first letter of Karakoram and 2 being the second peak in the range to be measured.

Many believe that the second highest mountain in the world, the K2, have placed a curse on its women climbers. Ranking second after Annapurna in terms of climbing mortality rate, a legend claims that the mountain carried a curse on women, as with its 240 summit success stories, only five are claimed by women. There are those who question if indeed this curse is true. This is because of the first five female climbers who successfully scaled the peaks of K2, three had died in their descent from the mountain. And while the other two had survived their expedition, it seemed that the remaining survivors had been haunted by the Savage Mountain and had died in their subsequent expeditions.

The dark story of the mountain’s women mountaineers seemed to be odd, being professional climbers with their own bragging rights, skill and expertise. These five exceptional women are similar in terms of strength, endurance and ability, considering the fact that they are faced with a male-dominated sport. The first woman to ever climb the Savage Mountain is Wanda Rutkiewicz, was successful in conquering the mountain, but died in nearby Kangchenjunga. Lilliane Barrard also lost her life in her descent from the mountain together with husband Maurice. Chantal Mauduit had conquered K2 marking a remarkable career in climbing, but died in Dhaulagiri, Nepal. The unpredictable weather in the mountain had also taken the life of Alison Hargreaves shortly after summiting the peak. Julie Tullis, a British climber and film maker, had also died in the mountain due to a slip and fall on her descent.

With the increase in more female climbers desiring to conquer the Savage Mountain, the so-called curse was broken by the women climbers who followed after and bravely attempted to triumph over the dangerous peak. Although the loss of the climbing world’s greatest female climbers have been connected to the Savage Mountain, the legacy they have left remains an inspiration for those who wish to follow their footsteps.

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