Ukrainian team started an expedition to K2
Today in Pakistan for the first time during the independence of Ukraine, the Ukrainian expedition to K2, which is called among alpinists "a murderer mountain", has started. It is the second highest mountain peak after Everest with a height of 8611 meters. K2 is located on the Kashmir border with China and is part of the mountain range of Karakorum, situated west of the Himalayas.
As of 2021, only 337 alpinists climbed to the mountain top. However, there are only about 20 women among them, and Irina Galay can be the first Ukrainian woman, who climbed the most difficult and dangerous mountain in the world.
The expedition team consists of three Ukrainians:
- Irina Galay, a professional climber and a Ukrainian record holder, who became the first Ukrainian woman who conquered Everest (8848 m) in 2016, and raised the Ukrainian flag at the highest summit of Africa - Kilimanjaro in 2014. Irina also climbed Ama Dablam (6812M), Denali (6100m), Akonkagua (6980m), Elbrus (5647m), etc.
- Dmytro Semerenko is a mountaineer from Dnipro who climbed Everest in 2018. In 2017, he climbed Ibn Sina Peak (7134m), then Kilimanjaro (5895 m) - in 2018, and the highest volcano in the world - Has Del Salado (6860 m) in 2019. He is a Master of Sports of Ukraine in paintball.
- Nazariy Kryvosheiev is a famous photographer in Europe and Ukraine, who is going to record this historical expedition and shoot a film about this ascent. He was born in Kolomyia (Ukraine), and has lived the last 15 years in Germany. Over the past year, he made several climbs with Irina Galay: Ararat (5163 m), Crown Peak (4800 m) and Ama Dablam (6812 m).
Nikita Balabanov, who received the prestigious professional award "Piolet d'Or" (eng. Golden Ice Axe) for being the fifth in world history to ascend the top of Talung (7,349 m) in Nepal, will accompany and advise the group.