K2

Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain

By: Ed Viesturs, David Roberts

Narrated by: Fred Sanders

Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

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

good historic review, but Viesturs' ego....

I liked the K2 historic review. however it became increasingly hard to listen to his self promotion, just a little too smug for me to enjoy it personally.

fantastic and aw inspiring

Ed's book is up there with malorys journals from everest, with the added bonus of a vast and amazing historical run down of the triumphs and tragedies on k2. experienced climbers will find themselves more affected by the stories and heart breaks

Excellent!

A very good summary of expeditions on K2 including the author’s own climb. A very thoughtful and balanced account.

Facinating and educational!

Clear headed, well balanced writing that includes historical story telling about this facinating mountain and the human persuits of climbing it from beginning. Ed's personal endevours are painted with a humble and realistic touch that leaves me full of awe and respect of the natures wonders (in this case the awsome K2). Also that the human ego has no place in it.

Fantastic and Gripping

The entire book is extremely well written. The story and images it conjures are amazing. Simply amazing. My only nitpick I can think of is I would prefer to have Ed Viesturs actually narrate the book. Even though the narrator here is spot on and does a great job it can't compare if the writer and mountaineer himself is describing it to me just a preference thing for me. But as stated the narrator here is great. I suggest everyone get this book as its good for fanatics of mountain climbing or people in need or want of a good story. Great job.

Worth the credit

A good bood overall but Ed does tend to jump from story to story without good transitions. Despite this, the book still managed to keep my attention and his research was very good. The narrarator gets an A+.

Excellent one that summarizes K2 history

The book has a lot of details to tell about K2, its triumph and tragedy.

Excellent

Such a good perspective story about mountain climbing. I very much enjoyed learning more about the mountain and it’s history more so that just a single story. And what a good person to have written such a collection.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Great account of the climbing history of K2 and the men and teams whose goal was to get to its summit. The narration was excellent too.

Solid read about mountaineering

This work is a good combination of memoir and mountain history. As described, the book covers a series of notable expeditions, through which you learn a lot about attempts, ascents, and disasters on the mountain. As a mountaineer, Viesturs can interject with his own assessments about some of these events (noting, in many cases, what went wrong and how different climbers make different decisions on the mountain). If you're looking for Into Thin Air 2 then you need to adjust your expectations -- this is a wider ranging work going back to the early 1900s and therefore much is based in history; there are some dramatic and disastrous events, but it's not all first-hand gripping storytelling.