How Many People Have Climbed K2? Summits, Deaths and Records (2027)

About 800 people had reached the summit of K2 (8,611 m) by August 2023, and 96 people had died trying, according to Wikipedia's K2 record. That is fewer than climb Everest in a typical spring. Most of those summits came in the last few seasons, after decades in which K2 saw only a handful of ascents a year. Here is what the numbers mean, from the Skardu team that runs K2 Base Camp every summer.

How many people have climbed K2?

An estimated 800 people had summited K2 by August 2023. Some climbers have been up more than once, so the count of individual people is a little lower than the count of ascents. The Nepali guide Siddhi Bahadur Tamang reached the top for the seventh time on 11 August 2025, the most by anyone.

For most of its history K2 was climbed rarely. After the 1954 first ascent, nobody stood on top again until 1977. As late as 2018, the best season on record was 62 summits. Then the numbers jumped. Commercial teams with fixed ropes, bottled oxygen and large Nepali and Pakistani crews made 2022 the busiest year ever, with about 200 summits. 2023 was similar: around 112 people summited on 27 July, the only usable weather window that year.

Has anyone climbed K2 in winter?

Yes, once as a full team. On 16 January 2021, ten Nepali climbers reached the summit together, led by Nirmal Purja and Mingma Gyalje Sherpa. K2 was the last of the 14 eight-thousanders to be climbed in winter. The summit temperature was about −40 °C.

That winter season was also one of the deadliest. Five climbers died on the mountain, among them Ali Sadpara, the Pakistani high-altitude climber from Sadpara village near Skardu. We wrote about the winter story in our guide to winter climbing in the Karakoram.

K2 milestones at a glance

Every figure below comes from the public ascent record. Dates are summit days.

Milestone	Who	When
First ascent	Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni (Italy)	31 July 1954
Second ascent, first Pakistani on top	Japanese expedition with Ashraf Aman	9 August 1977
First woman	Wanda Rutkiewicz (Poland)	23 June 1986
Oldest summiteer	Carlos Soria (Spain), aged 65	2004
First all-Pakistani team summit	"K2 60 Years Later" expedition	26 July 2014
First ski descent, summit to base camp	Andrzej Bargiel (Poland)	22 July 2018
First winter ascent	Ten Nepali climbers	16 January 2021
Most summits in one day	145 climbers	22 July 2022
Most summits by one person	Siddhi Bahadur Tamang (Nepal), 7th ascent	11 August 2025

Who was the first person to climb K2?

Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni reached the summit on 31 July 1954, on the Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio. They climbed the Abruzzi Spur. Their success depended on two men who never reached the top: Walter Bonatti and the Hunza porter Amir Mehdi.

Bonatti and Mehdi carried the oxygen cylinders up to about 8,100 m. The summit pair had moved their tent higher than agreed, so the two men spent the night in the open above 8,000 m. Both survived. Mehdi lost his toes to frostbite. The full story was suppressed for decades and is now part of the record. For the people of Baltistan and Hunza it matters: the first ascent of K2 was carried on local backs, as almost every K2 expedition still is.

How many people have died on K2?

Ninety-six people had died on K2 by August 2023. The worst single event was on 1–2 August 2008, when 11 climbers died after serac falls in the Bottleneck cut the fixed ropes. Our K2 death rate guide breaks the numbers down decade by decade.

The ratio has improved because summits rose faster than deaths, not because the mountain became easier. The terrain above Camp 4 is the same as it was in 1954. Why it is so hard is explained in our guide to the K2 Bottleneck.

How long does it take to climb K2?

A K2 expedition takes 6 to 8 weeks. Our K2 Expedition runs 55 days from Islamabad and back. Summit day itself, from the top camp on the Shoulder to the summit and back, is one very long day and night.

Most of the time goes on things that are not the summit. There is the flight or drive to Skardu, the jeep to Askole, about a week on foot up the Baltoro Glacier to base camp, then several weeks of acclimatisation rotations between camps. After that, you wait for a weather window. Most ascents happen in July and August. The K2 expedition guide covers the route camp by camp.

Can a regular person climb K2?

No. K2 is not a first big mountain. We ask for prior 8,000-metre experience before we accept anyone on our K2 expedition, along with solid skill on steep mixed rock and ice. A fit, motivated beginner should start lower.

A sensible progression from our own team's experience: a trekking peak or a 6,000 m climb, then a 7,000 m peak such as Spantik, then an 8,000 m peak such as Broad Peak or Gasherbrum II. If you want to see K2 without climbing it, the K2 Base Camp Trek Classic takes you to its foot at about 5,150 m in 21 days.

Do climbers use oxygen on K2?

Most do now. For decades K2 was climbed mostly without bottled oxygen by small teams. That changed in the 2000s: in 2004, 28 of the 47 people who summited used oxygen. Today almost all commercial clients climb with it.

At the summit there is only about a third of the oxygen available at sea level. Climbing above 8,000 m, in what mountaineers call the death zone, without oxygen remains a feat for a small number of very experienced climbers.

What it costs to join the numbers

Prices below are our 2027 K2 Expedition tiers. Government royalty and fees are set by the Gilgit-Baltistan authorities: the DTS-GB fee table lists the K2 royalty at US$3,500 for summer.

K2 Expedition 2027 (55 days)	Price	What it means
Base Camp Service	US$9,400	Permits, royalty, liaison officer, transport, porters and full base camp. Nothing above base camp.
Full-Board Guided	US$21,500	One high-altitude porter (HAP) per climber, oxygen, four high camps, fixed rope, expedition guide, base camp medic and forecasting
Premium (2 HAP)	US$32,000	Two HAPs per climber, a larger oxygen allocation, a private base camp tent and priority evacuation arrangements

A deposit of 10% (minimum US$50) holds a place. The balance is due two weeks before arrival or on arrival in Islamabad. Expedition insurance that covers helicopter rescue is mandatory. Read our high-altitude insurance guide before you book.

Frequently asked questions

How many people have climbed K2?

About 800 people had summited K2 by August 2023, according to the public ascent record. Most of those summits came after 2018, when commercial teams with fixed ropes and oxygen made the mountain busier.

How many people have died climbing K2?

Ninety-six people had died on K2 by August 2023. Before 2021, about one climber died for every four who reached the summit. The 2008 disaster, when 11 climbers died, was the worst single event.

Has anyone climbed K2 in winter?

Yes. Ten Nepali climbers reached the summit together on 16 January 2021, the first winter ascent. K2 was the last eight-thousander to be climbed in winter.

Who was the first person to climb K2?

Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni of the Italian expedition reached the summit on 31 July 1954, by the Abruzzi Spur. Walter Bonatti and the Hunza porter Amir Mehdi carried their oxygen to about 8,100 m.

How long does it take to climb K2?

Plan on 6 to 8 weeks. Our K2 Expedition is 55 days from Islamabad, including the trek in via the Baltoro Glacier, acclimatisation rotations and time to wait for a summit weather window.

Can a beginner climb K2?

No. We require prior 8,000-metre experience for our K2 expedition. Beginners should build up through 6,000 m and 7,000 m peaks first, or trek to K2 Base Camp instead.

Who has climbed K2 the most times?

The Nepali guide Siddhi Bahadur Tamang made his seventh ascent of K2 on 11 August 2025, the most summits of the mountain by one person.

Written by Zulfiqar Ali, founder of Karakoram Venture, who has led the K2 Base Camp and Gondogoro La treks at least 26 times. Figures checked against the public ascent record in November 2026.