The Qogir or K2.

Chart shows the ratios of deaths to K2 summits.

There are totally 14 peaks on our planet exceed 8,000 meters high. All perch in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and each of them have been scaled by human being from different corners of the world. In the following days, we are going to dilate on them one by one and share the stories of them.

Qogir,death zone

Qogir or K2 is a main mountain in the Karakoram, part of the Himalayas range, on the border between China and the northern areas of Pakistan. At 8,611 metres, it ranks as the second highest in the world after the celebrated Mt.Qomolangma.

The mountain was first completely surveyed by the British Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen, in 1961.

K2 is considered a much tougher climb than Mt. Qomolangma. As of June 2000, 189 people have made it, compared to almost 1500 who have ascended the Mt.Qomolangma. 49 people have died attempting the climb. The first professional attempt to climb it was in 1902 but despite five serious and costly attempts, the summit was not attained until an Italian expedition reached the summit on July 31, 1954 after nearly 100-day's hard work.

The Qogir or K2.[Photo/www.travel.huanqiu.com]

The first woman to reach the summit was Wanda Rutkiewicz in 1986. The first five women to reach the summit are all dead (3 of them on the way back). This lead to a belief that K2 carries a curse for women.

According to statistics released in September 2003, 53 of 198 who reached summit had died with a ratios of death reaching 26.77%. The ratio before 1990 was 41%. Hence, the mountain is also known as "death zone" above 8000 meters.