The British High Commission (BHC) celebrated the success of the Nepalese climbing team that made the first winter ascent of K2.

On Saturday night, the BHC held a reception in Islamabad to recognise the incredible achievement of the 10 Nepalese climbers who became the first expedition in winter to reach the summit of Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second-highest mountain at 8,611 metres (28,251 feet). The reception was attended by senior representatives from the Pakistani government, the deputy ambassador of Nepal, the Canadian high commissioner, the European Union ambassador and the mountaineering community.

The Nepalese team made their historic ascent on Jan 16. The climbing team included Nirmal Purja MBE who had a distinguished 16-year military career, of which he spent six years as a Ghurka and 10 years with the UK Special Forces.

Speaking on the occasion, Nirmal Purja said: “The whole team is extremely happy to have succeeded to summit the hardest, last and greatest mountaineering feat. We’re very humbled that we have received such a welcoming and grand reception from everyone here in Pakistan. We’re grateful that the British High Commission reached out to join in our celebration of this successful summit.”

British High Commissioner Dr Christian Turner said: “The extraordinary achievement of the Nepalese climbers has shone a spotlight on Pakistan’s outstanding natural beauty – and how fragile it is due to climate change. The UK is a world leader in tackling climate change and as the climbers have shown, we can conquer and move mountains, if we work together.”

This year was the largest gathering of mountaineers from around the world at the base camp of K2. Climbers from Britain, Germany, Iceland, Poland and several other countries had come to Pakistan to attempt to summit K2.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2021