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 in going to the assistance of fellow climbers imperilled in the mountains." The surviving members of the Third American Karakoram Expedition were among the first recipients. Schoening's action in arresting the mass fall has itself achieved iconic status, and is known in American climbing circles simply as "The Belay". Schoening himself, however, was always modest about his achievement, claiming that he was merely lucky. 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