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The Challenge of K2: A History of the Savage Mountain
K2 is a legend - one of the most demanding mountaineering challenges in the world and one of the most treacherous. Extreme, unpredictable weather and the acutely difficult climbing conditions test the technique, endurance and psychological strength of the most experienced mountaineers to the limit and often beyond.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published July 23, 2012
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27 people want to read
About the author
Richard Sale
124 books6 followersRichard Sale (1946-) is a physicist, with a PhD in astrophysics. After working as a glaciologist in Switzerland and then in the UK power industry he gave up fulltime physics for his first loves – birds and the Arctic. He has written and taken photographs for many books, including To the Ends of the Earth: The History of Polar Exploration and various travel guides.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 4, 2019
Once upon a time, in my middle teens, I saw a movie called ‘K2’. For some odd reason it left an everlasting imprint on me. Ever since then I was always wondering about what is driving those men and women who climb these unforgiving peaks and especially this “killer mountain”, K2. When I picked up this volume, it was primarily in hope of finding an answer to this question I was carrying in my head for so long.
‘The Challenge of K2’ turned out not to be the book I was hoping for. In essence in it is a chronological narrative of all the expeditions to K2, written in straight-forward and clear, but rather underwhelmingly dry style. Early expeditions and those that were hit by major incidents or are shrouded in controversy are described in detail, with author providing his own analysis of events. The remainder is treated in almost encyclopedic manner – when, who participated, by what route, who reached the peak and, sadly more often than not, who died. Insight into the minds of individual climbers and their personal experiences is provided by the quotes from memoirs or reports they themselves have written. Narrative of those expeditions that are analyzed in depth grant the reader a pretty decent understanding of the challenges of climbing highest mountains of the world. Sadly, the same narrative also paints a rather bleak picture of social aspects of those expeditions. If one is to draw conclusions from content of this book, interaction between expeditions and local population can at best be regarded as ethically questionable. Even more depressingly, it also seems to imply that relations between members of the expeditions, when crisis occur, quite often degenerate to Darvinistic levels survival of the fittest.
Does this book provide the answer to the question which made me to pick it up? No, not really. But it is a good start for further investigation, if I would wish to pursue it. The author most certainly succeeds in providing an insight both into the challenge of K2 and into the world of Himalaya climbing expeditions in general. At times, it is a truly captivating book. But it’s not great, mainly due to author’s ‘bare bones’ approach to the topic.
‘The Challenge of K2’ turned out not to be the book I was hoping for. In essence in it is a chronological narrative of all the expeditions to K2, written in straight-forward and clear, but rather underwhelmingly dry style. Early expeditions and those that were hit by major incidents or are shrouded in controversy are described in detail, with author providing his own analysis of events. The remainder is treated in almost encyclopedic manner – when, who participated, by what route, who reached the peak and, sadly more often than not, who died. Insight into the minds of individual climbers and their personal experiences is provided by the quotes from memoirs or reports they themselves have written. Narrative of those expeditions that are analyzed in depth grant the reader a pretty decent understanding of the challenges of climbing highest mountains of the world. Sadly, the same narrative also paints a rather bleak picture of social aspects of those expeditions. If one is to draw conclusions from content of this book, interaction between expeditions and local population can at best be regarded as ethically questionable. Even more depressingly, it also seems to imply that relations between members of the expeditions, when crisis occur, quite often degenerate to Darvinistic levels survival of the fittest.
Does this book provide the answer to the question which made me to pick it up? No, not really. But it is a good start for further investigation, if I would wish to pursue it. The author most certainly succeeds in providing an insight both into the challenge of K2 and into the world of Himalaya climbing expeditions in general. At times, it is a truly captivating book. But it’s not great, mainly due to author’s ‘bare bones’ approach to the topic.
January 31, 2021
Years ago I read a book describing the history of attempts to climb K2. This book refers to that earlier book and updates it, not only with more current climb attempts but also more research into climbs covered by the other history and his own conclusion concerning events. That are not based on straight provable facts but rather on conclusions based on Vicente and his best co jexture.
The book is well written and retained my interest, even though some of it was familiar to me. I wasn’t impressed with the pictures it offered, but at was minor. I wish he would write a history of significant climbs on Mt. Everest, even though he would have to be selective about it since Everest is actually easier to climb and has attracted hundreds more amateur climbers who paid guides to climb with them.
The book is well written and retained my interest, even though some of it was familiar to me. I wasn’t impressed with the pictures it offered, but at was minor. I wish he would write a history of significant climbs on Mt. Everest, even though he would have to be selective about it since Everest is actually easier to climb and has attracted hundreds more amateur climbers who paid guides to climb with them.
September 1, 2020
Accurate historical account of Mountaineering on K2, the worlds second highest mountain and also a far more difficult challenge than Everest. Despite all the hard facts I enjoyed reading this book as it is mostly about the people involved and he does not hold back.
May 11, 2021
Detailed and interesting
August 8, 2013
3 and a half stars.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews