1954 - The legendary conquest of K2

With the conquest of the Everest on that 29 May1953, many explorers probably thought they wereat the end of a great dream that involved the whole mankind since the dawn of time.

Yet, it was only the beginning.

That was only the spark that lit the biggest race for glory and prestige the world of mountaineering have never seen before. A real hunt to write the history before than anyone else.

The object of desire were now the other unattainable houses of the gods, and before all,the second highest peak in the world: the K2, the so-called “Savage Mountain”.

While lower than Everest, K2 is more difficult to climb, and it’s one of the deadliest peaks ever. In the past years numerous attempts tried to reach its deadly peak but no one made it.

All conditions that didn’t bode well, but the craving and desire were too strong, and history was about to be written by a legendary Italian expedition.

1954. The Italian scientist Ardito Desio, after running rigorous tests, selected a dream team composed by 11 of the finest Italian alpinists of the time, with the brave intent of climbing that deadly peak. The government, institutions and many mountain equipment manufacturers sustained his dream, among which Dolomite, which equipped the whole expedition with its handcrafted mountain boots.

The ascent was beset by many difficulties and unexpected tragedies. But the destiny for these men had not foreseen any failure, and, at the end of July, taking advantage of a rare favorable weather, the group, driven by courage and hope, decided for a last attempt.

31 st JULY 1954, around 6 pm, aftera long and heartbreaking ascent, exhausting and gasping for breath, alpinists Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli finally reached the summit.

It was an incredible success, the expedition journey up the mountain became an epic of tenacity and determination, a tale written by brave men who, thanks to their will power and respect for the mountains, wrote their name inthe history.

A legendary story that has been handed down from generations, and still today continues to inspire people.