Paragliders Tom de Dorlod (Belgium) and Horacio Llorens (Spain) made history by flying over K2, the second highest mountain in the world.
The word ‘impossible’ never existed for an outstanding paraglider Tom de Dorlod (Belgium) and Horacio Llorens (Spain) this time making history by combining their “super powers” with undisputed talent.
it all depends on the project “Fly among giants” despite adversity, astounding the world with the image they left behind, a dream that came true: Paragliding Overflight to K2 the second highest mountain in the world, and although it was never fully climbed, it was able to climb to an impressive and dizzying height of 7,577 meters.
To achieve this, Red Bull athletes have come to Pakistan with the aim of performing one of the most spectacular high-altitude flights ever recorded in the Karakorum region. The 7-hour journey they called the ‘Grand Slam’ After passing Trango Tower, Muztagh Tower, K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum, etc.
The project began with an arduous journey to Paju Base Camp, through Skardu and Askole, the last vestiges of civilization, and into the Baltoro Glacier, where they stayed for a month. They have made several pioneering flights from Paju to K2 and faced major difficulties such as the Karakoram flight, which can fly over 100km in a day without a safe option to land, and no one has ever tried. I explored new routes that I had never explored before. Pre-flight planning and weather management required meticulous attention to detail.
The two also traveled with an additional 20 kg of GPS, cameras, supplemental oxygen, a radio system and a satellite tracking device for added security. We were able to fly over the big K2: “The mountains are so big. It’s so wild. On K2 he climbed to 7,500 m and could see all the way to China and Nanga Parbat 185 km away. I could see the Siachen glacier and mountains as far as the eye could see. It was really special,” commented De Dorrod.
Had they reached the summit of K2, they would have broken the world paragliding altitude record of 8,407 meters held by Frenchman Antoine Girard, although it would have required winds of 35-45 km. , they had perfect conditions of blue skies, but the nil wind made it impossible.: “It’s a reminder that we don’t always decide. nature decides. We have to come back and try to break the world altitude record,” added Llorens. Either way, his flight was truly spectacular and footage of it quickly went viral around the world.
Source: Biobiochile
