History was made on Friday 22 July 2022 when John Black and Warren Eva became the first South Africans to reach the summit of K2, the world’s second highest mountain. Also part of the expedition party were Robby Kotejin and Allan Dickinson, however Kotejin fell victim to altitude sickness in the early stages of the climb, and Dickinson decided to return to basecamp after the team’s final acclimatisation rotation.
K2 may come second to Everest in height, but it is widely considered to be a more difficult and dangerous climb, largely due to the absolutely bonkers weather coonditions. It was described by George Bell, who was part of a famous failed summit attempt back in 1953, as “a savage mountain that tries to kill you”. This article from News24 estimates that only around 380 people have completed the ascent – a K2 summit is something quite remarkable, and even unsuccessful attempts are nothing to be sneered at.
Eva has used this opportunity to raise awareness and funds for Food 4 Hope charity, while Dickinson chose to channel his erfforts towards the SOS Charity. If you’d like to offer your help to a good cause and show your support for these adventurers, consider donating at the below BackaBuddy link.
We couldn’t be prouder of the K2 SA team – months of dedicated training and preparation went into this incredible journey, all of which has been documented on Facebook and Instgram so you can have a scroll behind the scenes of this historic acheivement. Read more about the expedition on K2 SA’s website here, and check out some of the best pics from the adventure below.
All pictures courtesy of K2 SA.
