‘Not a chance. It’s just too dangerous … I just can’t take that risk,’ said Adrian Ballinger on climbing K2 a second time.
The last time we checked in with mountain guide Adrian Ballinger, he provided plenty of insights on what it’s like to climb Mt. Everest without the use of bottled oxygen. He also discussed safety concerns over climbing the world’s highest peak, a conversation that proved prescient after 11 people died during the 2019 season.
Fast forward a year-and-a-half, and we’ve caught up with Ballinger once again. Coming off a busy summer climbing season in the Karakoram, where he summited K2 without supplemental oxygen, he once again had plenty of thoughts to share.
Ballinger told us why he doesn’t remember anything about his Everest summit, his impressions of record-setting climber Nirmal “Nims” Purja — and why he’ll never go back to K2 again.
Adrian Ballinger Interview: After K2
GearJunkie: Hi, Adrian! Great to chat with you again and welcome back from the Karakoram. Was this your first time climbing in Pakistan?
Ballinger: Yes, it was my first trip to Pakistan, the Karakoram, and K2. It has always been a dream of mine to climb that mountain, but with busy climbing seasons in the Himalaya in both the spring and fall, it never felt like it was the right time to go.