K2 Climbing Team Reaches Camp 2

The Madison Mountaineering K2 Team has reached Camp 2 after navigating treacherous House's Chimney.

House's Chimney on K2 / Terray Sylvester - Madison Mountaineering

Progress on K2

The Madison Mountaineering K2 climbing team is making steady progress on their summit push up the second highest mountain in the world. K2, standing 28,251 ft., is also the deadliest peak in the world, where approximately one person dies on the mountain for every four who reach the summit. The Madison Mountaineering team is tackling the famed Abruzzi Spur route to the summit, named after the Duke of Abruzzi who attempted the climb in 1909. The Abruzzi Spur’s base camp sits at approximately 16,896 ft., and ascends through four higher camps. The team just made it to Camp 2 after approximately 2,000 ft. of difficult and technical climbing from Camp 1.

The Abruzzi Spur Route

• Camp 1 (20,013 ft.): The first 2,000 ft. of climbing passes through mixed terrain with rock, ice, and snow.
• Camp 2 (21,982 ft.): On this segment, climbers navigate the House’s Chimney, an extremely steep rock section that requires technical climbing skills.
• Camp 3 (23,950 ft.): This camp sits on a precarious narrow ledge, subject to rockfall and avalanches.
• Camp 4 (24,934 ft.): The final camp before the summit bid is located at the base of the Bottleneck, a narrow couloir with dangerous seracs hanging overhead.

K2 / Terray Sylvester - Madison Mountaineering

Team Leader Garrett Madison reported on the team’s progress: “The team ascended above Camp 1 today, climbing through mixed-terrain on their way to Camp 2 where they have settled in for the night. House’s Chimney, a famous ~100-foot section of technical rock that separates Camp 1 from Camp 2, is another challenging section for climbers at 20,000 ft. above sea level. The team is moving well, and remains in good spirits on their ascent of the world’s second highest peak!”

House's Chimney

K2 was first successfully climbed in 1954 by an Italian expedition, comprised of Ardito Desio, Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli.  That team made history, in part, because of the pioneering navigation of the 1938 American K2 Expedition led by Charles Houston. During that expedition, Bill House successfully climbed the steep and harrowing section between Camp 1 and Camp 2 – now known as House’s Chimney. House's Chimney is located at approximately 21,650 ft. The steep chute is a vertical rock gully, approximately 100 ft. high, that requires precision and elite technical climbing skills. The rock in the Chimney is loose and unstable, and the gully is pounded by falling debris. The Chimney’s narrow confines limit movement, requiring patience, and careful and deliberate climbing. The video below illustrates the brutal terrain up House's Chimney.

The 1938 team proved the feasibility of the Abruzzi Spur Route via House’s Chimney, solidifying the Abruzzi Spur's status as the primary route up K2. The 1938 expedition's phenomenal efforts marked a significant milestone in K2's climbing history. Despite not reaching the summit, the team's courage and work, particularly House's ascent of the Chimney, provided valuable navigation insights for future climbing expeditions.

Madison Mountaineering

Madison Mountaineering is a world-class mountain guiding company led by Garret Madison. Garrett is among the most accomplished and premiere mountain climbers in the world. Among his numerous mountaineering feats, Garrett has reached the summit of Mt. Everest 14 times. Madison’s K2 teams successfully summited the world’s second highest peak, and arguably the most treacherous, in 2014, 2018, and 2021. After reaching Camp 2, the 2024 Madison Mountaineering K2 team is less than 7,000 ft. from the summit.