K2: Lothse game

K2: Lhotse
Will you choose the unbeaten wall or the calm pass?
Lhotse, Tibetan for “South Peak,” is the world’s fourth highest mountain, located south of Mount Everest and part of the same massif. Named by Charles Howard-Bury, captain of the first British expedition to these unexplored regions.
The south face of Lhotse is over 3000 meters of very steep and dangerous ascent. Many great climbers have been defeated by it; some, like the famous Polish alpinist Jerzy Kukuczka, lost their lives. Even Reinhold Messner, the first to climb all 8000-meter peaks, retreated from high-altitude climbing after attempting Lhotse’s south face. Probably only one team has succeeded in climbing Lhotse from the south: Sergei Bershov and Vladimir Karataev in 1990.
K2: Lhotse is an expansion for the base game K2, where players manage a team of two climbers to reach as close to the summit as possible. The expansion includes an alternative double-sided board and new weather tiles. It introduces a new mechanic—fixed rope tokens that allow creating custom routes.
With K2: Lhotse, you can play two different scenarios using the double-sided board.
The first scenario is a demanding strategic race against time and weather. The south face board is divided vertically into three sectors: east, central, and west. The new weather tiles indicate different conditions per sector. Players also get fixed rope tokens to establish new routes between known paths, enabling quicker escape from bad weather or deadly avalanches.
The second scenario is a fast race to Lhotse’s summit via the safer southern pass, also the easiest route to Everest. Players start with fewer cards, discarding three at the beginning. The better the discarded cards, the more bonus points they earn at the end. Time is crucial: the climb lasts only 15 days, so players must hurry.
Note: This is not a standalone game! The base game K2 (new edition) is required.