View of the snow ridge
View of the snow ridge
View down from the rocky step towards the snow ridge.
German mountaineer Ralf Dujmovits and his Austrian wife Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner plus a small international team wanted to climb K2 at the end of June 2011, taking the technically demanding north route, seldom followed to date. Dujmovits is already the only German to have stood on the summits of every 8000-metre mountain; for Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, this would be the last 8000-metre peak remaining unclimbed in her mountaineering career. DLR researchers supported the International K2 North Pillar Expedition 2011 expedition with a highly accurate 3D model of mountain. Thanks to the ability to explore the planned route virtually in advance, the mountaineers had a relatively clear idea of which route they would be taking. On 23 August 2011 Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner reached the summit of K2 together with three other climbers from the team, making her the first woman to climb all 8000-metre peaks without an oxygen bottle.
