K2

Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain

By: Ed Viesturs, David Roberts

Narrated by: Fred Sanders

A thrilling chronicle of the tragedy-ridden history of climbing K2, the world's most difficult and unpredictable mountain, by the bestselling authors of No Shortcuts to the Top

At 28,251 feet, the world's second-tallest mountain, K2 thrusts skyward out of the Karakoram Range of northern Pakistan. Climbers regard it as the ultimate achievement in mountaineering, with good reason. Four times as deadly as Everest, K2 has claimed the lives of seventy-seven climbers since 1954. In August 2008 eleven climbers died in a single thirty-six-hour period on K2–the worst single-event tragedy in the mountain's history and the second-worst in the long chronicle of mountaineering in the Himalaya and Karakoram ranges. Yet summiting K2 remains a cherished goal for climbers from all over the globe. Before he faced the challenge of K2 himself, Ed Viesturs, one of the world's premier high-altitude mountaineers, thought of it as "the holy grail of mountaineering."

In K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain, Viesturs explores the remarkable history of the mountain and of those who have attempted to conquer it. At the same time he probes K2's most memorable sagas in an attempt to illustrate the lessons learned by confronting the fundamental questions raised by mountaineering–questions of risk, ambition, loyalty to one's teammates, self-sacrifice, and the price of glory. Viesturs knows the mountain firsthand. He and renowned alpinist Scott Fischer climbed it in 1992 and were nearly killed in an avalanche that sent them sliding to almost certain death. Fortunately, Ed managed to get into a self-arrest position with his ice ax and stop both his fall and Scott' s.

Focusing on seven of the mountain's most dramatic campaigns, from his own troubled ascent to the 2008 tragedy, Viesturs and Roberts crafts an edge-of-your-seat narrative that climbers and armchair travelers alike will find unforgettably compelling. With photographs from Viesturs's personal collection and from historical sources, this is the definitive account of the world's ultimate mountain, and of the lessons that can be gleaned from struggling toward its elusive summit.©2009 Ed Viesturs and David Roberts; (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

“Riveting . . . Viesturs illuminates K2’s challanges, triumphs, tragedies, and follies.”—The Daily Beast

“Viesturs’s you-are-there narration communicates effortlessly the enormous effort, and high adventure, of scaling K2.”—Publishers Weekly

Gripping views into the Super-Alpine world

Worth every penny, this historical perspective of one of the world’s most perilous peaks will enthrall you with extraordinary feats and shine light on human despair and ambition as well as triumph.

Well written and narrated

A good listen for anyone interested in high altitude climbing. The narrator did a good job and the writing flows well. Good personal insights into what it’s like climbing high altitude mountains, particularly K2.

Entertaining Listen

This is a great history of k2 climbing attempts told through the lens of a true mountaineer.

Account of the Most Notable K2 Expeditions

This was a fascinating book about probably the most difficult mountain to climb in the world. Much has been noted about Everest, but K2 has far more drama surrounding it. The author is an expert mountaineer who possesses a rare talent, common sense. I enjoyed reading about his approaches to climbing and safety and it undoubtedly has saved his life on more than one occasion.

The book covers several major expeditions in a straigforward manner. The author's insights very helpful. So much went wrong with the many expeditions, greed, envy, cultural bias among others that led to many deaths which could have been prevented. You feel like you are there with them on the mountain, congratulating the ones who made it and mourning the ones who didn't. I specifically enjoyed how he explained events and contrasted them with other written accounts by those on the expeditions. It was also interesting to note how a different country influences the approach to climbing and how things have changed. So many deaths were from over extending the body's limits, decisions that made no sense or impacted others. It is also sad to note that most who die on the mountain are left there, since it is too dangerous to remove them. Rivalries are a major component of the majority of expeditions and caused either lifelong friendships or hated animosities.

I read this book using immersion reading while listening to the audiobook narrated by Fred Sanders. Narration was in a straightforward manner without a great deal of expression. A livelier narrator would've added more to the story in my opinion. A great book for those interested in adventure from an expert with a solid comprehension of the difficulty, skill and common sense needed to survive.

Great book

Interesting listening as to what the climbing men endorse day after dar to hopefully fulfill their quest to reach these summits.