5 women who climbed the k2 with Wasfia Nazreen

K2, the second-highest mountain on earth, has only been ascended by 425 people since 1954. 

Some 250 metres shorter than Mount Everest, K2 straddles the Pakistan-China border. Difficult weather conditions and sharp vertical slopes make climbing K2 deadly for even the hardiest mountaineers.

More people have been to space than have successfully climbed K2, according to an article by The New York Times. 

But this summer, the climbing season was busy and around 20 women reached the top of the mountain in the Karakoram range. Nirmal Purja (Nimsdai) led the Elite Exped team of 12 mountaineers – six of whom were women – to the peak.

The six women on the Elite Exped climb were:

WASFIA NAZREEN

On Jul 22, 2022, Wasfia Nazreen became the first Bangladeshi to scale K2.

She is also the first-ever Bangladeshi to climb the Seven Summits – the highest mountains on each of the seven traditional continents. 

Her team consisted of some of the world's most famous mountaineers, including Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, Mingma David Sherpa and Nirmal Purja.

In addition to her mountaineering, Wasfia is also an activist, environmentalist, social worker and writer. 

On her recent visit to Dhaka, she announced that she is currently working on her comic book, which is expected to be published next year during the Ekushey Book Fair. She has dedicated her ascent to Bangladesh in honour of its 50 years of independence. 

SHEIKHA ASMA AL THANI

Over the past couple of years, Asma Al Thani has conquered many firsts for the Arabs on Everest, Kanchenjunga, Manaslu and the Karakoram range. 

From being the first Arab woman to scale six of the seven summits to being the first person from Qatar to ski to the North Pole, her accomplishments are an inspiration to many. 

Having ascended the mighty K2, she has yet again proven that adventure seekers should not bend to gender stereotypes. 

STEFI TROGUET

Stefi Troguet hails from the small European nation of Andorra and is one of the very few people to have climbed up mountains over 8,000 metres like Manasalu without any supplemental oxygen. 

This year she was among the list of women who successfully climbed K2 without bottled oxygen.  

MARIE-PIER DESHARNAIS

Marie-pier Desharnais is a mountaineer from Victoriaville, Quebec. On Jul 22, the 35-year-old became the first woman from Canada to climb the 8,611-metre mountain alongside the rest of the Elite Exped team.

She is currently working on her Apex Woman Project to leave her footprints on the most perilous mountain ranges known to man.  

ANE FÆRØVIG

A woman of adventure, Ane Færøvig spends most of her time climbing mountains. Hailing from Norway, Ane became the third Norwegian to climb the notorious K2. 

Her fellow Norwegians, Hakon Asvang and Kristin Harila were also a part of the same expedition. 

Currently, she is on an expedition with Nirmal Purja in Nepal. She has been sharing updates on the Manasalu expedition on social media. 

APRIL A LEONARDO

Dr April A Leonardo is a mountaineer, traveller and physician. 

She is a family practice specialist from Quincy, California and is one of the over 600 women who have climbed Mount Everest. Her goal is to reach the highest peaks of each of the seven continents.  

Reporter's Age: 14 District: Dhaka