Scouts volunteer becomes first Scottish woman to summit K2
On 11 August 2025, inspirational mountaineer and Scouts volunteer, Kirsty Mack, became the first Scottish woman known to summit K2, the second highest mountain in the world.
At 8,611 metres (just 240 metres below Everest), K2 is considered the toughest as well as the second highest. The climb came with extra challenges for Kirsty, who’s originally from Menstrie, Clackmannanshire, and now lives in Bridge of Allan, Scotland.
A skiing accident in 2021 left her without use of her dominant arm. Now, following rehabilitation and several operations, her ‘Surgery to Summit’ project set out to show that injury doesn’t end ambition.
A personal challenge
Kirsty’s achievement carried extra personal meaning: she climbed in memory of her father, Thomas Angus Mack MBE (Royal Air Force), a long serving Scout volunteer of 70 years himself and recipient of the Silver Wolf Award, and grandfather, Reuben Marshall Rogers (Royal Corps of Signals). Both were cared for by Erskine Veterans Charity, and Kirsty is fundraising for Erskine in their honour.
Waiting weeks for a safe weather window, Kirsty finally reached the summit on 11 August at 15:32 local time – one of the few August ascents in history, with the last notable one in 2011. Kirsty joins Scots Bruce Normand (2007) and Alasdair McKenzie (2023) in summiting K2, but she’s the first Scottish woman known to do so, verified against public expedition records.
‘This summit was for my dad, my grampa, and every veteran who reminds us that courage isn’t about never falling – it’s about always getting back up. K2 has been my dream since childhood. My dad used to bring home posters of British mountaineers from the Dundee Mountain Film Festival. Those images lit a fire in me and K2 was always the ultimate challenge.
Kirsty Mack
K2 is the fourth 8,000-metre peak Kirsty has climbed, adding to an extraordinary list that includes six of the Seven Summits and 25 Alpine 4,000 metre peaks. Yet she admits: ‘My heart is still in the Scottish hills. That’s where my love for the outdoors began.’
20 years of volunteering for Scouts
Kirsty is a Scout volunteer of 20 years. She was awarded the long-service honour last year, as well as a Commendation Award. She hopes her journey will inspire young people to persevere through life’s challenges.
But for now, Kirsty sights are set firmly on home. In terms of what’s next, Kirsty says ‘I’ll spend time back in the Scottish hills with my beloved dog, Morar – the place where it all began for me.’