K2, at 8,611 metres (28,251 feet) above sea level, is the world’s second tallest peak, behind Mount Everest, which stands at 8,848 metres (29,029 ft). It is situated between Baltistan in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan and Dafdar Township in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China, on the China–Pakistan border. [4] K2 is the highest point in both Pakistan and Xinjiang, and the highest point in the Karakoram range. We must be prepared to take advantage of extremely small intervals of excellent weather on K2, unlike on Everest, because the weather and route conditions are famously changeable. On the route following K2’s Abruzzi ridge, rockfall and snow avalanches are common, making it dangerous to climb or camp (as evidenced by the 2013 tragedy), and the monolithic ice cliff that overhangs the “bottleneck” and “traverse” portions of the route on summit day sheds sheds sheds sheds sheds sheds sheds sheds sheds sheds sheds sheds sheds sheds sheds sheds sheds sheds sheds shed Because ice forms regularly (as seen by the 2008 disaster), it’s critical to take advantage of good route conditions and move fast.