K2: One Woman's Quest for the Summit by Heidi Howkins

by Heidi Howkins

For years Heidi Howkins, a young climber, nursed an ambitious to reach the summit of K2--the world's second-tallest and one of its least accessible peaks--without using oxygen. She eventually did, though not without plenty of scary moments and much cause for reflection. Howkins, addressing the reader through stories told to a bemused hitchhiker, reports much more than the sheer achievement of her ascents of K2, notable though they were. Along the way she tells him, and us, of a failed marriage, of the logistical nightmares that accompany any expedition to remote places, of the endless conflicts that can ensue when climbing partners are not carefully vetted. As the lone woman on her K2 climbs, Howkins had more than the usual problems to contend with, though those problems--bad weather, scary bus rides along the Karakoram Highway, the constant presence of death--were hard enough. All of them get an airing in Howkins's book, but for all that, her sense of adventure far outweighs the many downsides.Why take on such a challenge in the first place? A friend warned her about trying to explain, and Howkins toys with a few the rush gained by conquering fear, denying the fragility of human existence, and "embracing survival with gusto." In the end, though, her best explanation is "When you get to the top of K2, there's nowhere left to go. There is a cessation of passion, of the desire to move forever upwards. There is emptiness, and the closure of a circle. You are back where you started. You're at peace." --Gregory McNamee

Genres: Mountaineering, Nonfiction, Climbing, Biography, Outdoors

Paperback

First published April 1, 2001

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not about to leave the sidewalk, but I enjoy reading about those who do. What makes them risk their limbs and their lives to reach the top of a mountain? What would it be like to engage in that journey? This book was an interesting look at mountaineering, a more sensory-filled glimpse than most provide. I also found its connections to other climbers, other events, appealing. Howkins’ mysticism was stimulating.

However amusing I found her conceit of unrolling Part I as a dialogue with the hitchhiker Hiddle, I found it equally annoying and confusing. Often I was unsure which climb she was describing, and the lack of adequate transitions played havoc with my head. Still, this part contained lots of exciting and interesting tales.

Part II was uninteresting for the most part, with an over-long tale about her troubles getting the sat phone and then the meltdown of the climbers. At the beginning of the section she admits she hasn’t come to terms with the experience of K2000—she should have waited to write about it. As it stands, it’s a boring overview of a troubled expedition. If she’d been more specific about who did what to whom, had given us a more intimate look at what was going on, it could have been engrossing. As it was, it was page after page of a distanced, vague look at what was undoubtedly a distressing but (as presented) tedious episode.

For a unique look at climbing mountains, Read Part I. You can skip Part II.

[Jasmine Board · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared to other mountaineering adventure books I’ve read, I didn’t feel as immersed in the author’s journey. I would have liked to see more detailed focus on the climb itself—while there were moments of this, the narrative felt scattered rather than centered on the ascent. The emotional and psychological depth also felt more distant, which made it harder for me to fully connect with her experience.

[Renee Holcomb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This woman is an amazing accomplished mountaineer that as an aspiring mountaineer myself was drawn to. She is not an extraordinary author though. The back and forth of stories with the hitchhiker was good in theory but the stories are extreme enough by themselves that she did not need this random person as a sounding board to make sense of them. If anything it caused more confusion.

[Xander Arntzenius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leuke verzameling aan verhalen van een vrouwelijke bergbeklimster in een wereld gedomineerd door mannen. Best leuk om te lezen over wat zulke expedities wel niet allemaal vereisen en wat voor moeilijkheden ze met och meebrengen. De chronologie was een beetje verwarrend (anekdotes liepen door elkaar)

[Tweetyich · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story line is a bit hard to follow (“what mountain is it now”) but I overall enjoyed the story and how she mixed her personal life and experiences with mountaineering.

[Rebecca Chavez · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story. Told very nonlinearly and sometimes hard to follow her train of thought. Also just some tough material to stomach.

[Lieselotte Gemke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interessant verhaal, slecht geschreven

[Mazola1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heidi Howkins, an ambitious and tough mountaineer, tells the story of her attempt to climb K2, the world's second highest mountain, and one of the most deadly. Her book differs from many others of this genre in being brutally honest about conflict and death in the world of high altitude climbing. Hers is one of the few books which includes pictures of corpses in the picture section. While it might seem that sensitivity or the desire to avoid morbid sensationalism would account for their absence in many books which deal with high altitude climbing, that can't be the whole story. Death is, unfortunately, a frequent and seemingly unavoidable reality when people climb 8,000 meter mountains. Having friends die, seeing corpses, stepping over corpses, hearing of fatal climbing accidents involving other expeditions -- these are all fairly unremarkable events on Everest, K2, Annapurna and other dangerous mountains. Howkins is unfliching in describing the emotional impact of such events. The pictures serve to underscore her point -- death at high altitude is an ever present reality.

Equally unvarnished is her look at what happens when expedition members don't like each other, or even come to hate one another. Her book also touches upon some of the unique difficulties faced by females in the almost all male world of high altitude climbing. She concludes that when women climb with men, they must take care to neutralize the gender tension, something probably easier to recommend than to actually do. She suggests that the men on such expeditions must know that the woman is unavailable -- either she's "one of the guys" or she's attached to a male member of the expedition.

Howkins, perhaps unwisely, chose to attempt to climb K2 with her abusive climber husband, which turned out to be a recipe for disaster. The husband probably came closer to killing her than the mountain, going after her and another male member of the expedition with an ice axe. Howkins' book examines the hazards of a tumultous marriage and a dangerous mountaineering expedition, and tells how she escaped from both, battered but unbeaten.

[Lyssah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok, although the book should really be titled "One Woman's Journeys Through Life And The Himalaya". The book has very little to say about her adventures on K2, in fact, she doesn't even start talking about K2 until after page 110. Before that, it is telling stories about all of her other adventures in Nepal, Tiber, and Pakistan. She is obviously a very smart person, but her writing is overly filled (in my opinion) with filmy descriptions of her visions and dreams and attempts to interpret her complex feelings, which even for a person who enjoys such things, is difficult to follow, interpret, and connect with. There was also a lot (too much for me) focus on her personal relationships with her lovers and her child rather than on her climbing, which is why I say the title is rather misleading. I was expecting a book focused more on her climbing experiences with some personal thoughts, feelings, and insights mixed in. I was a little disappointed.

[Eric Jepson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great and really well written. It was hard to follow at points but their was action in the books she totally nailed it. The author didn't hide any of the gory part and also didn't hide the drama. From action to the talks with random people she describes it all perfect. It might be a little long but it is worth the time. Project:Monthly Calender

[Mandy Lampley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book began a love of alpine literature for me. Howkins's narrative in both personal and complex. She doesn't get lost in the details but is able to connect her experiences to a larger conversation about life in general, which is excellent to hook a reader who knows little about climbing. A mix of courage and vulnerability make this an excellent read.

[John Meigs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tough lady

[Gail Harkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more about her life as a female climber than about K2 specifically. I found it enlightening and sometimes funny. It's an interesting counterpoint to the experiences of male climbers.

[Christine H · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst mountain climbing book ever.