K2
Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain
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K2
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Narrated by:
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Fred Sanders
About this listen
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.
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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
What listeners say about K2
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- anu
- 14-07-21
This is a great book
This is the first time I am reading Ed Viesters book . I have seen him on documentaries countless times before + the IMAX movie . K2 is always been an interesting subject to read about , this book gives a good account of all the major expeditions to K2 and aftermath or consequences of it .
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 10-05-21
A wonderful story
Loved the book and narration which was superbly done. How is it that individuals become so accomplished, while the rest of us look on.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 16-06-22
Enjoyable listen
Great overview of some of the pivotal moments and disasters on K2. Nice narration, and authors considered views of the various events give good insights
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jason Porter
- 16-04-23
If you love the mountains..you will love this!
This is such a good listen! actually swapt from the book I was listening too, to finish this first!
so many great stories and also some sad but realistic things that happen on one of the most incredible but dangerous places in the world. got so many books to carry on with from the narrator's story!
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- Bernard Quinn
- 09-11-21
Thoroughly gripping and harrowing! Great book!
I loved this book. I was gripped from the start and the detail makes it fascinating!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Reece
- 24-03-17
Excellent mountaineering book
Great compilation of K2 history. Viesturs gives his own viewpoint whilst summarising some of the most significant K2 expeditions.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- D. J. Pritchard
- 08-11-15
Fascinating chronicle of the difficulties of K2
Possibly a little self centered but nevertheless the thoroughness of the research needed to give such an enlightening insight into the challenges and tragedies of K2 can only be applauded. I was hooked from the moment I started listening.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Colette
- 31-07-10
Superb
Loved it!! I've read a lot of books on climbing, and thought I knew quite a lot about K2, but this told me so much I didn't know, plus a re-interpretation of previous climbs from Visteurs' personal experience. Fascinating and well written. Could hardly bear to put it down/switch it off. Will get his other book now in the hope its just as good.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Alan
- 10-04-15
k2
well read with tons of detail and theory a well researched book , enjoyed it very much
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 17-05-22
epic
dimply epic and enlightening. keeps you in its grasp from start to finish. well worth the price of admissiin
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