KUALA LUMPUR: Mohd Khafiz Bachok has become the second Malaysian mountain climber to conquer Mount K2, the second highest mountain in the world after Mount Everest. After a 25-year journey, Mohd Khafiz, 45, from Pontian, Johor, reached the peak of the mountain, which is located in Pakistan, at 11.52 am local time (2.52 pm Malaysian time) on Thursday (July 27). Climbing Mount K2 is considered the most dangerous and difficult climb in the world.
The manager of the ZEROTO8000 mission, Rozaimi Mohd Said, said that Mohd Khafiz started his ascent from Skardu and took eight days to reach the Base Camp. However, due to adverse weather conditions, the process of acclimatization to high altitude rotations only started on July 12. “The rotation process of acclimatization to Camp 2 was done before returning to Base Camp, and the actual climb began on July 22. He reached Camp 3, situated at a height of 7,254m, on Tuesday (July 25),” explained Rozaimi.
“The climb to the peak started on Wednesday (July 26) at 5.40 pm local time. The climb is part of the ZEROTO8000 mission, which was initiated by Mohd Khafiz to foster self-confidence and independence among Malaysians,” added Rozaimi.
According to Rozaimi, ZEROTO8000 represents Mohd Khafiz’s mission, starting from Tanjung Piai, Johor, at 0m and heading to Mount K2, which is situated at a height of 8,000m and above. This mission has become a symbol for Mohd Khafiz’s personal efforts and has been adopted by his family.
Rozaimi mentioned that Mohd Khafiz managed to raise the required funds of RM500,000 for the mission. He sold his house, ZEROTO8000 products, and organized mountain climbing expeditions to other countries.
This achievement comes after Mohd Khafiz climbed Mount Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain at 8,163m, with another ZEROTO8000 team member RJ Nagarajan last year. Mount K2 is the second mountain he has climbed at an altitude of over 8,000m. In addition to Mount K2, Mohd Khafiz has also conquered Mount Aconcagua (6,961m) in Argentina (2016), Kilimanjaro (5,895m) in Tanzania, Cartens Pyramid (4,884m) in Papua, and other high peaks in Taiwan, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
In July 2022, T. Ravichandran, also known as Ravi Everest, made history as the first Malaysian to conquer Mount K2. – Bernama
Credit: The Star : News Feed
