K2 Tragedy Kills 'At Least Eleven Climbers'

Tragically at least 11mountaineers are believed to have died following what sounds like a serac collapse high on 8611-metre K2, which is the world's second-highest mountain, but generally accepted to be the most dangerous.

Reports suggest that a massive ice fall on the bottleneck area of the route killed and injured some climbers directly, but that it also swept away vital fixed ropes, trapping others high on the mountain. The Bottleneck, as you can deduce from the name, is a steep, narrow 100-metre couloir at around 8300 metres - just 300 metres below the summit - and at an angle of 80-90 degrees.

Speaking on BBC's Five Live this morning, Alan Hinkes gave his opinion that the peak in Pakistant is the real prize for mountaineers and pointed out that no Briton has succeeded in summiting the mountain since 1995 when he climbed it himself at the same time as Alison Hargreaves and several other climbers died in a storm.

The mountain's combination of height, technical difficulty at very high altitude and choke points on the 'normal' Abruzzi Spur route are what make it so deadly and there have been numerous tragedies on the mountain as a result.

Contrary to some of the stories appearing in the mainstream media, however, the situation on the mountain itself is very confused. Reports on the normally reliable Everestnews.com web site suggest that around 22 mountaineers were making summit attempts when the accident occurred and two of the dead may have died on the way up.

The web site also suggests that two more of the dead climbers have come from rescue efforts high on the mountains. The casualties reportedly include both western climbers and local porters and sherpas.

The latest reports say that two frostbitten Dutch climbers have been evacuated from the mountain by a Pakistani Army helicopter after being brought down from 7300 metres by rescuers.

Meanwhile in a report at www.guardian.co.uk, Sher Khan, the vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan is quoted as saying that climbers haven't learned from the group tragedies of the past and are making a mistake in combining for summit attempts:

"People are not learning from history," he's reported as saying. "Whenever small groups combine, thinking it will be easier for them to go to the summit ... in the end this is what happens."

Obviously it's a human tragedy and looks set to add to K2's reputation as the world's most dangerous mountain. You can find a description of the Abruzzi Spur route at www.k2climb.net.