Co.Down man reaches summit of K2 - world's most dangerous peak
He's become the first climber from Northern Ireland to reach the 27,600ft high peak
After a grueling two month trek, Dromara-based climber Noel Hannah has reached the summit of K2, the world’s second highest and most dangerous mountain.
Alongside fellow mountaineer Jason Black from Co.Donegal, the pair both scaled the 27,600 feet high mountain within hours of each other over the weekend — to become the first Irish climbers to achieve the feat.
His wife of 12 years, Lynne, who has summited Everest with him took to Facebook to share the news.
Located near the China-Pakistan border, less than 350 people have ever reached the summit of K2, which is widely regarded as the ‘world's most dangerous peak' because of the extreme difficulty of its treacherous ascent. Around one in four people die while attempting to reach the summit.
Irish Seven Summits, a project aiming to climb the highest peaks on all seven continents, tweeted: "It is rather incredible that two climbers from Ireland have reached the summit of K2 in the past 24 hours. Surely one of the greatest days in Irish mountaineering. Well done Jason Black & Noel Hanna."
He’s on his descent from the summit and is expected to arrive back at base camp later today.
Noel now has plans to climb Mont Blanc in the Apls and Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.