A climber has been left “sad and heartbroken” after discovering a mountain of rubbish on the world’s second-tallest mountain.
Tenzi Sherpa scaled K2 on 27 July for the first time.
But instead of feeling excited by the accomplishment, he was horrified by what he was greeted by at the site.
Arriving at camp 2 – having climbed 6,700m of the 8,611m stretch by that point – Tenzi discovered abandoned gear and litter everywhere, from water bottles and pans to tents and rope.
“It was my first time on this mountain, I didn’t expect it to be this bad,” the 25-year-old climber from Kathmandu, Nepal, told Need To Know.
“I felt so bad and heartbroken at the same time.
“Nobody cares, they’re just leaving their things on the mountain.
“We were on camp 2 of K2 at the time.”
K2 is located in Asia, 817 miles from Mount Everest, which is the world’s tallest mountain at 8,849m.
Tenzi shared a video of the chaos on Instagram, gathering 13,900 views and 650 likes.
Victoria said: “This is so sad. Anything that is taken up, should be brought back down.”
Randy commented: “Close the mountain!”
Ben wrote: “We care mate, keep fighting for her.”
Tammy added: “Horrific to see. Such disrespect for the mountain.”
Sabine said: “So sad that people leave their trash everywhere.”
Harrison commented: “Looks like my local dump during the winter.”
Shasha wrote: “No words! Human being totally suck!”
Jes added: “That is disgusting.”
Another renowned climber, Naila Kiani, recently introduced a K-2 clean-up campaign to address environmental challenges in the Karakoram Range.
The mission aims to clean up K2 and Broad Peak, along with base camps among other mountains.
This isn’t the first time Tenzi has come across trash while climbing.
In May 2023, the sherpa went viral after sharing shocking photos from Mount Everest covered in rubbish.
Tenzi added: “The Pakistan government and the Karakoram National Park Department should be more concerned about this.
“I would like to request the government punish the companies who leave their trash on the mountain as it’s a huge problem we are facing.”
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