K2 is the second-highest mountain above sea level, with an officially recognized elevation of 8,611 metres. It stands in the Karakoram range on the Pakistan–China border. The mountain is also known as Mount Godwin-Austen and has the survey designation K2, reflecting its place in an early British survey of the Karakoram.
K2 was first climbed successfully on 31 July 1954 by an Italian expedition. Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli reached the summit, following a difficult route through steep rock, snow, and ice. K2 is often considered more technically demanding than Mount Everest because of its severe weather, steep terrain, and limited opportunities for safe ascent.
The name “Savage Mountain” is sometimes used in mountaineering writing, but it is not the mountain’s official name. Kangchenjunga is the third-highest mountain, while Lhotse is fourth. K2’s summit lies entirely above 8,000 metres, in the zone climbers commonly call the death zone because the human body cannot acclimatize indefinitely there.