‘I learned my power’: Turkish woman sets sights on all 14 world giants after K2 summit

ISTANBUL- Anadolu Agency

“I learned my power,” said Esin Handal, one of the first Turkish women to summit K2, while her climb of the world’s second-highest peak – and among the most dangerous – marks a notable achievement in Turkish mountaineering.

K2 rises to 8,611 meters (28,251 feet) in the Karakoram range on the Pakistan-China border. Nicknamed the “savage mountain,” it is notorious for steep, avalanche-prone slopes and a narrow passage near the top called the Bottleneck Couloir.

Handal, a veteran climber with 25 years of experience, spent two months on the mountain in a season defined by brutal weather, dangerous terrain and tragedy.

“We were just 15 climbers and two of them died. And I saw them on the way. It was not a good experience,” she said in an interview with Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency.

Unlike typical 8,000-meter expeditions that last about a month, this season’s climb dragged on for two months, pushing climbers to their limits. “It was too long,” she said.

On Aug. 11, Handal became the fourth Turkish climber – and the second Turkish woman – to summit K2, arriving at the top around 15 minutes after Gülnur Tumbat, recognized as the first Turkish woman to achieve the feat.

The prolonged wait was mentally exhausting, as many climbers dropped out amid high risk of avalanche and rockfall, she said.

“Before, we were 18 climbers at the base camp, but nobody wanted to wait. Lots of people canceled their expedition,” Handal said.

Compared to Mount Everest’s 2 percent death rate among over 6,000 summits by 2024, K2’s historic 23 percent fatality rate makes it far more deadly. While over 7,000 people have climbed Everest, just over 800 have summited K2.

Even for the strongest teams, the Bottleneck – a narrow and steep, ice-filled gully just below the summit – and sudden weather shifts can turn progress into peril within minutes.

In 2019, Handal became the first Turkish woman to earn the Snow Leopard title – awarded to climbers who summit five peaks over 7,000 meters in the Pamir and Tien Shan ranges – becoming the third Turkish climber to achieve the honor.

Handal has ambitious plans to scale all 14 peaks over 8,000 meters – an elite goal only a small number of climbers worldwide have completed.

“I did just one of them, but the most dangerous of them,” she said.

Handal also expressed interest in climbing Everest but stressed that she would need a strong team and adequate sponsorship before attempting the world’s tallest mountain.