Because K2 looks taller. Imagine two skyscrapers. One sits on flat ground. The other sits on a giant hill. Which one seems bigger? Exactly.
Everest’s base camp is at 5,364 meters. That’s already high. But K2’s base camp sits at 4,700 meters. You start lower, so you climb more vertical gain.
The result? K2’s actual relief—the rise from base to summit—is 3,911 meters. Everest’s? Only about 2,900 meters. So K2 feels taller when you’re standing at the bottom.
