Is the first winter ascent of K2 a turning point for Sherpa mountaineers?

It’s not very often that the ascent of an 8,000m peak makes international news headlines, but earlier this month something rather special happened.

At 5pm Pakistan time on 16 January 2021, a team of 10 climbers stood on the summit of K2 (8,611m), the world’s second highest mountain, believed by many to be the hardest of the world’s fourteen 8,000m peaks.

There were a number of reasons this climb was special (notwithstanding the fact that it had been accomplished amidst a global pandemic).

Nims P...