ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: A 4-member Japanese expedition reached the summit of K-2 by the Cesen Route on Monday after remaining incommunicado with the world below for almost a fortnight and having no sherpas or high-altitude porters with them.

The Japanese expeditions, known as Dosanko team and divided into groups of two each, ascended in good weather, fixing ropes for at least upto 6,300 metres as there was no high-altitude porter or sherpa with them.

The team, led by Masahide Matsumoto, had earlier lost contacts with the base-camp during the summit bid and were presumed to be missing. They also stayed in camp 4 which serves as a junction point for Abruzzi and Cesen routes.

"When we were there, the whole route was covered in snow up to 7200m, but rock was just a few inches underneath. We hit it when kicking with our crampons. It is a demanding route with sustained steepness," the expedition leader, Masahide Matsumoto, was quoted as saying in reports available here Wednesday.

The 4000-metre long Cesen route, also dubbed as the 'Basque route' or 'Spanish Route, follows a spur just on the right side of the South face which leads to a shoulder at 7800m where it joins the Abruzzi Spur route above camp 3. -APP