In a groundbreaking achievement, four French pilots have successfully completed the first-ever paragliding descent from K2, the world’s second-highest mountain.

The historic feat was marked by record-breaking climbs and daring flights, with all pilots reaching the summit without the aid of supplementary oxygen. One of the pilots, Benjamin Vedrines, set a new record for the fastest ascent.

Standing at 8,611 metres along the Pakistan-China border in the Karakoram Range, K2 is renowned for its extreme steepness, technical challenges, avalanche hazards, and rapidly changing weather conditions.

According to Cross Country, a UK-based free-flying magazine, the expedition was led by Vedrines, a mountain guide from Briançon, who accomplished an astonishing 11-hour ascent on July 28—shattering the previous record by 12 hours. He launched his 17-metre single-skin paraglider at midday, using a custom Skywalk Pace that weighs less than 1.05 kg.

“It was many years of experience that were expressed on July 28,” he posted. “Combining high-altitude rapid mountaineering with paragliding mastery. It once again gave me indescribable sensations and emotions that day.”

Following Vedrines’ lead, Jean-Yves Fredriksen took off two hours later, after a challenging solo ascent and a 90-minute wait for favourable wind conditions for paragliding. Despite facing nearly no wind, Fredriksen successfully launched his Niviuk single-skin paraglider.

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At the summit, former world climbing champion Liv Sansoz and pilot Zeb Roche also embarked on a tandem paragliding flight with a Niviuk single-skin prototype. They had summited via the Abruzzi route in 14 hours and, despite battling exhaustion and similar wind challenges, managed to launch paragliding after a few steps.

Vedrines, Sansoz and Roche descended to base camp at 5,100 metres, while Fredriksen, known as “Blutch,” flew to his last high camp at 6,600 metres before hiking down with a 25-kg rucksack.

In a newsletter sent to his followers on Monday, August 12, Fredriksen shared: “Satisfaction level before the summit push: 100/100. Satisfaction level during: 100/100. Satisfaction level after: 100/100.”

Sansoz also expressed her excitement about their achievement, telling Cross Country: “We are thrilled with our success. Four of us set off from the summit on the same day because the weather was perfect. When we landed, we realised we had accomplished it, and we were overjoyed. It was such a relief to fly down instead of hiking down.”

The pilots opted to keep their paragliding achievement under wraps until they returned to France, citing permit issues. In the magazine’s digital edition, they expressed their excitement and relief at having successfully completed the flight. “We were thrilled to succeed and avoid the hike down,” Sansoz was quoted as saying.

Fredriksen defended their decision to fly without permits, emphasising his commitment to realising his dream. While he expressed respect for local regulations, he stood firm on his choice to proceed.

This daring feat comes in the wake of the tragic death of Brazilian pilot Rodrigo Raineri, underscoring the risks associated with paragliding in such regions without proper permits.