The first serious attempt to climb the mountain was in 1902 by a party including Aleister Crowley, later to become notorious as the Wickedest Man in the World. The expedition examined ascent routes both north and south of the mountain and made best progress up the north-east ridge before they were forced to abandon their efforts. Since that time K2 has developed the reputation of being a more difficult mountain to climb than Mount Everest - every route to the summit is tough. K2 is further north than the Himalayan mountains so the climate is colder; the Karakoram range is wider than the Himalayan so more ice and snow is trapped there.