K2 K2 K2 (, "Kai Ṭū"), also known as Mount Godwin-Austen or Chhogori (Balti and ), at above sea level, is the second highest mountain in the world, after Mount Everest at . It is located on the ChinaPakistan border between Baltistan in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan, and the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China. K2 is the highest point of the Karakoram range and the highest point in both Pakistan and Xinjiang. K2 is known as the "Savage Mountain" due to the extreme difficulty of ascent. It has the second-highest fatality rate among the eight thousanders, with
1953 American Karakoram expedition 1953 American Karakoram expedition The 1953 American Karakoram expedition was a mountaineering expedition to K2, at 8,611 metres the second highest mountain on Earth. It was the fifth expedition to attempt K2, and the first since the Second World War. Led by Charles Houston, a mainly American team attempted the mountain's South-East Spur (commonly known as the Abruzzi Spur) in a style which was unusually lightweight for the time. The team reached a high point of 7750 m, but were trapped by a storm in their high camp, where a team member, Art Gilkey, became seriously ill. A desperate retreat