The Savage Mountain
K2, they call it–The Savage Mountain. This isn't a peak that grants victories; it often claims lives. But on July 22, 2022, Wasfia Nazreen summited K2, the world’s second-highest peak. Nazreen joined a team of mountaineers, Elite Exped, including climbing legends like Mingma Tenzi, Mingma David Sherpa, and Nirmal Purja. She started her ascent on July 17. Five days later, she stood at 8,611 meters (28,251 feet), becoming the first Bangladeshi to ever do it.
K2 isn’t just a mountain–it’s a death trap. At 8,611 meters (28,251 feet), it’s only 237 meters (780 feet) shy of Everest but much more difficult to climb. K2 is known for its steep and sustained slopes, often with angles reaching 50-60 degrees, requiring challenging rock and ice climbing. Exposure to wind, cold, avalanche, and rockfall, the smallest mistake could prove fatal. And on top of that, the lack of oxygen at such a high altitude makes it hard to breathe. For every four climbers who reach the summit, one never makes it back down.
"K2 is a savage mountain that tries to kill you." American climber George Bell said after the 1953 expedition, giving the mountain its nickname–"The Savage Mountain". And Nazreen agrees. “Even when you’re sleeping, rocks fall on your tent,” she said. They had to wear helmets, even while sleeping. One rock even tore into her tent at midnight and went past her teammate’s head.
So, why does she do it? Because for Nazreen, mountains aren’t trophies–they’re sacred. “It’s a pilgrimage,” she said. “We go with reverence, not to conquer it.”
Picture: Collected.
Bangladesh on Seven Summits
Nazreen’s no stranger to epic challenges. Back in 2011, she launched the “Bangladesh on Seven Summits” campaign to celebrate 40 years of Bangladesh’s independence. She took a mission to climb the highest peak on each continent to honor Bangladeshi women’s progress. By November 18, 2015, she’d summited all seven, becoming the first Bangladeshi and Bengali to do so. Everest, Aconcagua, Denali, Elbrus, Vinson Massif, Carstensz Pyramid–she stood on top of them all.
Her Everest climb in 2012 was a battle. She started her ascent on March 26, 2012, Bangladesh’s Independence Day, and she faced a nightmare when the weather crushed her Camp 3 on the Lhotse face. She had to descend, haul everything back up, climbing the death zone–above 8,000 meters (26,246 feet), where lack of oxygen shuts down the human body–four times before reaching the summit at 6:26 A.M. She watched the sunrise from the top of the world. “I was just crying,” she later said.
Wasfia Nazreen redefined what’s possible for Bangladeshi mountaineers. She conquered the deadly K2, completed the Seven Summits, and honored her nation’s spirit. Only the mountains know what’s next for this fearless climber.
