First US woman to summit K-2 in Pakistan says she’s ‘proud’

American mountaineer Vanessa O'Brien talks about her experience in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 11, 2017. The prominent mountaineer, who became the first U.S. woman to summit the world's second highest mountain in Pakistan's north, says it was a "proud moment" for her when she hoisted American and Pakistani flags at the 28,251 feet high K-2 mountain to promote people-to-people contacts between the two countries. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash) American mountaineer Vanessa O'Brien talks about her experience in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 11, 2017. The prominent mountaineer, who became the first U.S. woman to summit the world's second highest mountain in Pakistan's north, says it was a "proud moment" for her when she hoisted American and Pakistani flags at the 28,251 feet high K-2 mountain to promote people-to-people contacts between the two countries. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

By Associated Press August 11, 2017 2 min read

ISLAMABAD (AP) – The first American woman to scale the world’s second-highest mountain – Pakistan’s dangerous K-2 summit – said on Friday that it was a “proud moment” when she hoisted the U.S. and Pakistani flags at the top of the mountain, long been considered “savage” for all climbers.

The 52-year-old Vanessa O’Brien, along with an international team of 12 climbers, summited K-2’s 28,251 feet or 8,610 meters on July 28 despite bad weather.

For climbers, K-2 is also considered particularly difficult, after Mount Everest. O’Brien, who conquered Everest in 2010, said she thinks her ascent and decent at K-2 was more challenging.

July was O’Brien’s third try at conquering K2, after being unsuccessful in 2015 and 2016 when an avalanche buried all of her equipment and strong winds forced her team to return to base camp.

“K-2 is a different mountain,” O’Brien told The Associated Press. This time they were lucky – no brutal avalanches and they found several places to rest before ascending higher.