K2, the savage mountain lives up to its reputation, as Sergi Mingote (50), the Spanish alpinist fell to his death on his way back to K2 Base Camp. While descending from around Camp 1, he fell all the way down to Advanced Base Camp. His GPS tracker showing unnatural movements alerted the climbers at the Base Camp and at Advanced Base Camp. Few climbers from ABC hurried up to the accident site and a medical team also rushed up from the Base Camp, but they failed to resuscitate Sergi. K2, the savage mountain lived up to its reputation, even on the historic Winter summit day.
Eight months ago, in a standstill world, dealing with a raging pandemic, Sergi discussed his earlier ascent on K2 with Dream Wanderlust,
"There I had survived one of the hardest circumstances of my life. On K2, it was not clear whether I could go down alive."
Sergi on K2 Summit , July, 2018
16th January, 2021 - the historic day that finally witnessed a Winter summit on K2 after 33 years, is also to be remembered as the day that snatched away the Spaniard's life.
During a handful of interactions Dream Wanderlust had with Sergi, he portrayed a great deal of optimism through his course of ultra-resistance athleticism. Be it his quest for the fastest oxygen-less summit on all 14 8000ers or multiple records of speed-climb; namely the double-header on K2 and Broad Peak in a week without bottled oxygen in 2018.
In 2019, he made six oxygen-less ascents (Gasherbrum II, Nanga Parbat, Lhotse, Manaslu, Broad Peak, K2) within a span of 367 days, whereas, Nanga Parbat and Gasherbrum II in just 15 days in July 2019.
His last target - "14x1000 Catalonia Project - Pirineus Barcelona 2030" to climb the remaining seven 8000ers within 1000 days was disrupted by the raging pandemic last year. Yet displaying the spirit of ultra-endurance alpinism, he told Dream Wanderlust,
"The hope of knowing that in a short time we will return to share exciting moments in the highest mountains again."
The moments he spent on the mountains were until today, worse luck.
