GILGIT: A Taiwanese woman climber along with six Nepalese sherpas on Tuesday started journey for the base camp in her attempt to summit K2.

The team comprises female climber Grace Tseng and sherpas, including Nima Gyalzen, Chhiring, Dawa, Furi, Ngima Tendi, Ningma Dorje Tamang.

The team will arrive at the K2 base camp next week.

The Taiwanese Winter K2 Expedition 2021-22 has been organised by Dolma Outdoor Expedition from Nepal in collaboration with the Summit Karakoram of Pakistan.

Mr Iqbal from Summit Karakoram told Dawn that the expedition team members along with 60 local porters, two kitchen staff and two guides had left Askoli area of Shigar for the K2 base camp.

Dawa Sherpa, executive director from Dolma Outdoor Expedition, told Dawn that the expedition would last until the end of February depending on the weather situation.

He said Ms Tseng was looking forward to being the first female climber to achieve the first K2 summit in winter.

Karrar Haidri, secretary Alpine Club of Pakistan, said the Taiwanese female climber aged 28 sought to conquer world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 meters high.

The female mountaineer had successfully ascended the summit of Kanchenjunga at 8,586 metres, the world’s third-highest mountain, in October last year. Grace Tseng became not only the first Taiwanese to conquer the world’s third highest mountain, but also the first woman in the world to have done so in autumn.

Ms Tseng has also reached the summits of Mount Everest (8,848m), Lhotse (8,516m), Dhaulagiri (8,167m) and Manaslu (8,163m).

K2 is considered the most difficult peak among 8,000m mountains to climb, and the number of successful ascents to its summit is much lower than the successful attempts at Mount Everest over the years.

A Nepalese team made it to the top of K2 in January last year, marking the first time humans ever successfully reached its summit in winter.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2022