French climber Benjamin Bedrines reached the top of Pakistan’s K2 in record time on Sunday, his team told AFP, reaching the summit of the world’s second-highest mountain in just under 11 hours.
The 32-year-old, an expert in high-speed mountain climbing without the aid of oxygen, left K2 base camp just after midnight on Saturday and reached the summit after 10 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds.
Vedrin…
French climber Benjamin Bedrines summited Pakistan’s K2 in record time on Sunday, his team told AFP, reaching the summit of the world’s second-highest mountain in just under 11 hours.
The 32-year-old, an expert in high-speed mountain climbing without the aid of oxygen, left K2 base camp just after midnight on Saturday and reached the summit after 10 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds.
Vedrines attempted to summit in 2022 but was forced to turn back after suffering from hypoxia, a condition caused by a lack of oxygen in the blood due to the thin air at high altitude.
“I took revenge on this mountain,” Bedrines said in an audio message shared with AFP, “but above all, I wanted to make peace with it by acting maturely.”
“For me it was very symbolic, going back to the place where I experienced that very unique moment,” he said. “It was really fun to see the same parts again, but this time with clearer eyes.”
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At 8,611 metres (28,251 feet), K2, on the border between Pakistan and China, is 238 metres shorter than Everest but is considered more technically difficult, earning it the nickname “the barbaric mountain”.
Védrines is considered one of France’s leading mountaineers and set a new speed record by summiting Pakistan’s Broad Peak in 2022 and descending by paragliding.
He reached the 8,051m summit, close to K2, in 7 hours and 28 minutes.
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