A Tough Call at 8320m: Choosing Safety Over Summit Glory on K2
Alessandra Pepper • August 22, 2024
At 8320m on K2 I had a decision to make. I had been climbing without oxygen from 7350m and I was cooked. I knew that it would take me around 6-8 hours to reach the summit at the pace I was going. That meant summiting at 4pm to 6pm which was dangerously late. The summit is only half way.
I made the decision to use the spare bottle of oxygen Mikel was carrying to safely summit and return to camp. I could have chosen to just turn around and not use oxygen at all. I was disappointed to not achieve my goal of a no o2 summit. However I don’t regret the choice I made. I now know the rest of the route to the top for next time. Mikel added another K2 summit to his resume! We had an awesome view and we got to celebrate the summit together. Oh and we got fireworks when we arrived back at Base Camp! ~ AP
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On 24 May 2025 at 6:26am (NPT), Australian mountaineer Allie Pepper reached the summit of Kanchenjunga (8,586m) - the third-highest mountain in the world - alongside her partner, Mikel Sherpa. The summit was achieved in extreme weather and under immense physical strain, making it one of the most intense and emotional climbs of her career. Just two days later, on 26 May, Allie flew out of Base Camp - marking the end of the expedition and the celebration of a deeply personal milestone: her 50th birthday. A Fierce Mountain With No Easy Path Kanchenjunga is known for its remoteness, technical difficulty, and unpredictable weather. After reaching Camp 3 (6,850m) on 15 May, Allie and Mikel climbed to Lower Camp 4 (7,180m) the next day to acclimatise before descending all the way to Base Camp. The return was gruelling — with heavy packs, steep terrain, and a final climb that left Allie physically exhausted. At Base Camp, the waiting game began. While several teams rushed for a brief weather window around 18 May, Allie held back for a clearer opportunity. By 20 May, conditions aligned for a summit push. The team moved to Camp 2 on 21 May, then Camp 4 on 23 May, arriving late in the day with only two hours of rest before beginning their final ascent. A Battle on the Summit Ridge The final climb was punishing. Temperatures dropped, the wind picked up, and both Allie’s camera and inReach froze in the cold. Oxygen became essential - a necessary tool to ensure safe passage to the top. At 6:26am on 24 May, after hours of climbing through the night, Allie and Mikel reached the summit of Kanchenjunga. Their time at the top was short, but the moment was powerful - the culmination of weeks of effort, patience, and resolve. They returned to Base Camp on 25 May, physically drained but safe. As Allie later shared: “I love the mountain… but Kanchenjunga was a brutal one. If it’s possible for an entire expedition to be type 2 fun, this was it.” A Birthday and a Milestone On 26 May, Allie marked her 50th birthday by flying out of Base Camp - a quiet but powerful celebration after one of the hardest climbs of her life. She also reached 50,000 followers on Instagram, a goal she’d quietly set before the expedition. Follow along as the journey continues.
Allie has successfully reached Camp 3 (6,850m) on Kanchenjunga. Her journey thus far has been anything but easy. After falling ill with gastroenteritis and a sinus infection at Base Camp, Allie showed remarkable resilience by continuing her ascent. Despite a physically draining start, she powered through the first rotation and reached Camp 2 (6,228m) — a tough climb in itself while recovering. From there, she made the challenging ascent to Camp 3, navigating steep terrain and deep crevasses, all under clear skies and calm weather. “Climbing while sick is brutal,” Allie shared. “But the higher I went, the better I felt. We were literally above the clouds.” Currently, Allie is resting at Camp 3, assessing conditions for the next push. Weather permitting, she and her climbing partner will continue to higher altitudes to position themselves for a summit attempt. Thank you to everyone sending messages of support and positive energy - it means the world to the team on the mountain.
After days of trekking through some of the most remote and challenging terrain I’ve ever experienced, I’m so proud to share that we’ve made it to Base Camp on Kanchenjunga. At 8,586 metres, it’s the third-highest mountain in the world, and this section of the expedition has tested us in every possible way — physically, mentally, and emotionally. We left Ramje at 4:00am. The stars were still overhead, and the morning was cold but calm. We were grateful for clear skies and stable weather — navigating what was ahead in bad conditions would’ve made things even more difficult. For the first hour or so, we followed a solid track leading to the trekkers' viewpoint of Kanchenjunga. As the sun rose, the mountain appeared in the distance, bathed in early light. It was a breathtaking moment of beauty and stillness — and then the real work began. We descended onto the Yalung Glacier, a massive stretch of ice hidden beneath a chaos of rocks and boulders. There’s no defined trail, just small rock cairns that mark the way. For hours we navigated this terrain, weaving up and down, side to side. The glacier felt never-ending. Every step required concentration and effort. To our surprise and delight, two of the amazing kitchen staff came out to meet us partway with drinks and snacks. Their kindness lifted our spirits. They then continued down to help the porters who were following behind with the gear. That kind of teamwork and support is what makes these expeditions possible. After leaving the glacier, the trail led steeply upward, and we entered a section with falling boulders. It was intense and required all of our focus. The climb continued through a cliff face, where we used fixed ropes for safety. Finally, after nearly 11 hours on our feet, we reached the first Base Camp. We had a quick drink, then pushed on another 20 minutes to reach our own camp higher up. We arrived at 4:30pm, completely exhausted. It was a long day: 15.1 kilometres, 1545 metres of ascent, and 585 metres of descent. On paper, it may not look like a huge distance, but out here — on rough glacier terrain, high altitude, and with heavy packs — it was enormous. Our porters and the rest of the kitchen crew arrived safely an hour later. I’d been quite worried about them on that final, steep, snowy stretch. Seeing them walk in was a big relief. We ended the day with a lovely dinner shared with friends. I didn’t sleep very well — not unusual at this altitude — but I managed a shower and am now resting and recovering. This journey is a powerful reminder that growth and progress rarely come easily. It’s in these tough, uncertain, and often uncomfortable moments that we learn the most — about ourselves, about each other, and about the world around us. Thank you to everyone who continues to support and encourage this climb. I feel your energy all the way up here. With love from Base Camp,Allie x
