1954 Italian expedition to K2

In 1954, a group of climbers from Italy made history by reaching the top of K2, the world's second-highest mountain. Led by Ardito Desio, the expedition faced many challenges, including harsh weather and difficult conditions. On July 31, 1954, Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli became the first people to stand on the summit of K2, which stands at 8,611 metres (28,251 ft).

K2 is known for being even harder to climb than Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, which was first climbed by a British team in 1953. Before the Italian team attempted the climb, three American teams had tried and failed but had found a good route up the mountain’s south-east ridge. The Italians followed this route, but their progress was slowed by storms, and one team member died suddenly.

Even though Compagnoni and Lacedelli reached the top, the expedition was later filled with disagreements. After many years of debate, a new official story published in 2007 supported claims made by another climber, Walter Bonatti, who had been disputing the original account for over fifty years.

Background

K2

K2 is located on the border between China and Pakistan, which had just become independent in 1954. Standing at 8,611 metres (28,251 ft), it is the tallest mountain in the Karakoram range and the second-highest mountain in the world. People first saw K2 in 1856 during a survey, and by 1861, a climber named Henry Godwin-Austen had gotten close enough to see it clearly from another mountain called Masherbrum.

The first serious try to climb K2 happened in 1902, led by a group that included Aleister Crowley. They looked at paths from both the north and south but had to stop before reaching the top. Since then, K2 has been known as a harder climb than Mount Everest. This is because K2 is farther north, making it colder, and it traps more ice and snow.

Previous Italian expeditions in the Baltoro Muztagh Karakoram

In 1890, an explorer named Roberto Lerco went to the area near K2 but did not climb very high.

In 1909, another group led by the Duke of the Abruzzi tried to climb K2 and reached about 6,250 metres (20,510 ft) before deciding it was too hard. The path they took later became known as the Abruzzi Ridge, which is now the most common way to reach the top.

In 1929, a group led by Aimone di Savoia-Aosta explored the area around K2. The geologist on that trip was Ardito Desio, who later led the successful climb in 1954. Plans for the 1954 climb were delayed by World War II and other issues, but finally, Desio got permission to try in 1954 after discovering that another group had taken the permit for 1953.

Preparation for 1954 expedition

In 1953, before the expedition, leader Ardito Desio met with Charlie Houston, who had tried to climb K2 before. Houston shared his knowledge and photos with Desio, even though they were rivals.

Desio planned a big expedition, costing about 100 million lira (like US$1.9 million today). It was supported by important Italian groups and became a point of pride for Italy. The team included eleven Italian climbers, none of whom had climbed in the Himalayas before, and ten Pakistani high-altitude porters. The climbers prepared special ropes and oxygen equipment for their journey. The expedition left Italy in April 1954, with supplies arriving in Karachi before traveling to Rawalpindi.

Official published accounts of the climb

Further information: 1954 Italian Karakoram expedition controversy

Ardito Desio wrote the official story of the climb in his 1954 book, but this story was later questioned by some climbers. There was debate about how much help Compagnoni and Lacedelli had from others, how they treated their teammates, and whether Desio’s book told the whole truth. The debate continued for many years and drew a lot of attention.

In 2004, experts were asked to look into the matter, and their report was finally published in 2007. This section uses that report for its facts, but it does not cover all the details of the long debate or the scientific parts of the climb.

Approach to K2

After waiting because of bad weather, on April 27 the team flew in a DC-3 from Rawalpindi to Skardu. The leader, Desio, used the flight to check the mountains and snow, which looked much like photos from the year before. The mountains were too high for the plane, so they had to fly around K2. Five hundred local Balti porters carried over 12 metric tons of supplies, including oxygen tanks, from Askole and Concordia to the Base Camp on the Godwin-Austen Glacier.

The trip from Skardu to Askole was faster because new bridges had been built. But after Askole, they could not buy food for the porters, so they had to hire more people just to carry flour. The porters had very little gear—just food, blankets, and tarpaulins for tents—and no special clothes for the cold and snow. Bad weather with snow and heavy rain made things worse. At one point, many porters refused to go on, and some turned back. Later, the sun caused snow blindness for the porters because many of their snow goggles had been left behind to save weight. By the time they finally set up Base Camp on May 28, they were fifteen days behind schedule.

Line of ascent of K2

The route to reach the top of K2 was the same path used by earlier American teams, with camps set up in similar spots along the way.

The Abruzzi Ridge is a challenging path from the base camp to the higher camps. It can be climbed quickly in good weather, but it is also very dangerous. Between Camp IV and Camp VII, the ridge becomes sharp, steep, and very exposed. Falling rocks can be a problem in the lower part, and strong winds often make climbing difficult. While K2 shelters some of the world’s tallest mountains from the south, it itself faces many harsh storms.

Progress on the mountain

By mid-June, the climbers had set up Camp IV and were getting ready to move higher. There were some problems, like language barriers and health issues, but they kept going.

On July 31, Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli reached the top of K2, becoming the first people to do so. They faced tough conditions, including steep slopes and bad weather, but they made it to the summit and then started their way back down. Everyone returned safely to the base camp by early August.

Return home

After reaching the top, the climbers returned home and their success was celebrated in Italy. The news of their climb was kept secret at first, but later the names of the climbers who reached the summit were announced.

Some of the climbers needed medical care after their journey. One climber, Mahdi, said he had been close to the top but was not allowed to go higher by his companions. This caused some discussion, but it did not create big problems.

The next time someone climbed K2 was in 1977, and this time a large group from Japan made the climb.