Polish mountaineers pose for a team photo prior their departure for the expedition to scale K2 in the winter, at an airport in Warsaw, Poland December 29, 2017. (Reuters)
A Polish-Russian mountaineer, who was attempting to become the first person to climb K2 by himself in the winter, aborted his mission on Sunday over safety concerns.
Denis Urubko had hopes of ascending the deadly mountain before the winter season ended and decided to embark alone on the trek after an argument with his expedition, Michal Leksinski, a spokesperson for his Polish expedition told the BBC.
He left without a radio on Sunday, and did not discuss his plans with expedition management, Leksinski said.
K2, also known as Savage Mountain, is 28,251 feet and unforgiving, according to BBC. The mountain has a higher fatality-to-summit rate than Everest.
Leksinski said the mountaineer likely changed his mind after experiencing the extreme weather conditions when he spent a night at roughly 23,600 feet.
Urubko, who climbed 14 of the world's tallest mountains, returned to base camp 2, located at 21,982 feet, Asghar Ali Porik, chief of Jasmine tours which organized logistics for the Polish K2 expedition, said.
Fellow climber from Pakistan, Mirza Ali Baig, called the mission “completely suicidal,” while a friend of Urubko said the decision was uncharacteristic of the climber, BBC reported.
"He is known as the 'Himalayan expert' among the mountaineering community. But his decision is not correct and does not suit someone of his stature," Karim Shah, said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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