French climber Benjamin Vedrines has just accomplished an unbelievable feat by summiting the 8611-meter K2 peak in record time. His team shared the exciting news with AFP on Monday expressive that Vedrines reached the top of the worlds second highest mountain in just under 11 hours.
At 32 years old Vedrines is famed for his high speed ascents which he accomplishes without the aid of additional oxygen. He embarked on his climb from K2s base camp shortly after midnight on Saturday and reached the summit in exactly 10 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds.
This victory is particularly sweet for Vedrines, who attempted the K2 summit in 2022 but was forced to turn back due to hypoxia—a dangerous condition caused by a lack of oxygen at high altitudes.
“I took my revenge on this mountain,” Vedrines shared in a voice message with AFP. But above all, I wanted to reconcile with it by approaching the climb with greater maturity.
He continued, “This climb was very symbolic for me because I was retracing my steps to a place where I had such unique experiences. Seeing the same sections again, but this time with a clear mind and a sense of peace, was truly enjoyable.”
On Saturday two Japanese climbers went missing while trying to scale K2 and one of the most terrifying mountains in the world. Army aviation helicopters conducted an suspended search and spotted the climbers but there was no sign of movement from them and raising firms about their safety.
Earlier this month, progress on K2 had been hampered by harsh weather conditions, affecting both alpine-style and commercial expeditions. Despite these challenges French climber Benjamin Vedrines managed to paraglide from just below Camp 3 after multiple attempts and making it back to Base Camp safely.
K2 standing at 8611 meters on the Pakistan-China border and is 238 meters shorter than Mount Everest but is
shady for being more technically challenging. This difficulty has earned it the threatening nickname “Savage Mountain.”
Vedrines is recognized as one of France’s most elite climbers. He made headlines in 2022 by setting a speed record on Pakistans Broad Peak reaching the 8051-meter summit in an startling seven hours and 28 minutes before descending by paraglider. His recent feat on K2 further cements his reputation in the mountaineering world.
