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K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain |  | Authors: Ed Viesturs, David Roberts
Brand: Random
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
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Seller: tatum
Rating:  58 reviews
Sales Rank: 9952
Media: Hardcover
Edition: First Edition
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.4
ISBN: 0767932501
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.522095491
EAN: 9780767932509
ASIN: 0767932501
Publication Date: October 13, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
115042 Features: Get the harsh inside details without the usual rose-colored lenses, Viesturs delivers the story of each climber in the harsh light of day when life-threatening situations cause tensions to build as personalities clash Specifications: Pages: 352 pages Edition: first Jacket: hardcover ISBN-10: 0767932501 Publisher: Broadway
Amazon.com Review
Amazon Exclusive: Christopher Reich Reviews K2: Life and Death on the Worlds Most Dangerous Mountain
Christopher Reigh is the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Vengeance, Numbered Account, and The Patriots Club, which won the International Thiller Writers award for best novel in 2006.
 Is there anything more enthralling than a true tale of high adventure well told? Stories about men and women braving impossible odds under daunting conditions in far flung locales, often risking life and limb, keep me glued to the page every time. I’m talking about books like Papillion, Alive, Into Thin Air and The Perfect Storm. Well, today, I’m happy to add another book to that list. K2: Life and Death on the World’s Most Dangerous Mountain by Ed Viesturs with David Roberts.
K2 is the world’s second tallest mountain. Located in the Karakoram Range in northern Pakistan, it has more than earned its nickname as the "world’s most dangerous mountain." Just a year ago, thirteen climbers lost their lives on the mountain in a single day. A few mountains may have killed a higher ratio of those who have tried to climb them, notably Annapurna, but none combine the danger, lore, and prestige of K2. In Viesturs’ new book, he tells the story of six expeditions to the fabled mountain. Some successful. Some ill-fated. All spellbinding.
First, a word about the author. Ed Viesturs is widely acknowledged to be among the world’s top five living mountaineers. In 2005, he became the first American to summit all fourteen of the world’s 8000 meter peaks. And he did so without supplemental oxygen. (His fine memoir, No Shortcuts to the Top, chronicles that adventure.) To offer but one example of his prodigious skills, Viesturs once climbed 7,000 feet from an altitude of 16,000 feet to 23,000 feet up a near vertical slope in only eight hours. Did I mention he was carrying a forty-pound pack on his back? The man is to mountaineering what Michael Jordan is to basketball. If that is, Michael Jordan had risked losing his life every time he stepped onto the basketball court.
Be impressed. Be very impressed.
In K2, Viesturs recounts the most dramatic expeditions to the mountain and he does so in today’s frank and honest terms. Older tellings followed the time honored "gentlemen’s code" of ne’er speaking poorly of one’s climbing partners. To read, "The White Spider," by Heinrich Harrer, the story of the first ascent of the Eiger Nordwand written over fifty years ago, is to believe that anyone who ever strapped on a helmet and a harness was "noble fellow," or a "strong willed lad," whose motivations were as pure as knight seeking the Holy Grail. Viesturs sifts through such rose hued accounts and casts today’s halogen spot light on them. Friendly disagreements amongst climbing pals become knock down, drag out arguments between the fiercest of rivals. Mild discomfort morphs into severe frostbite that costs a man his fingers and toes. And an analysis of where a climber might better have situated an upper altitude camp becomes an indictment of attempted murder. The best example is to compare The Green Berets versus Platoon. Both are about Vietnam; but one is quite a bit more realistic than the other. Similarly, Viesturs' modern updating makes for fascinating reading.
In a sense, K2: Life and Death on the World’s Most Dangerous Mountain is a book written by a mountaineer for mountaineers. Afterall, Viesturs is telling the same story over and over again. But that is exactly what lends the book its magic. Though all of the expeditions shared the same goal, each followed its own unique course. In fact, I often felt as if Viesturs were describing a different mountain altogether. The lesson I took away from this outstanding piece of nonfiction is that K2 seemed to somehow alter its very topography to defeat the "strong-willed lads" and "noble fellows" who tried to conquer it.
And it succeeded much too often.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 58
 At the summit with Viesturs March 8, 2010
Neill Johanson (Australia)
I read this book only to realise that in the last chapter the 2 of us were on the summit of Mt Everest together in May of 2009.
I have been reading mountaineering books for many years and finally decided to get active about my dreams and so set a target to get to the top of the highets point on earth.This book charts a similar goal.
Viesturs has a great manner about his writting. By placing his climb into a historical context,not only are we climbing to top of K2 with him and his team but also sharing the journey and experience of those few who have survived to tell the tale.
A great read.
One for the mountaineer and those who just love mountains
 Fairly interesting book, but not as good as it sounds. February 18, 2010
Narut Ujnat (San Diego, CA USA)
I was excited when I got the opportunity to review this book because of an interest in hiking and a fascination with dangerous hikes and climbs such as the infamous K2.
It was my understanding that the author was a experienced climber of K2 and should provide a fascinating portrait of the mountain and of extreme danger. Unfortunately, I can't say this book was all that fascinating.
The book is not written in a very gripping fashion, and all too often makes exciting events move too slowly. I often found myself kind of disinterested and struggling to finish the book.
My test for books is always going to be does it sustain my interest over its length, and for whatever reason, this book failed in that regard.
High Drama at the Top of the World February 15, 2010
W. Capodanno (Bellevue, WA)
I'm not a mountain climber, but being from the Seattle area I am quite familiar with Ed Viesturs and the fact that he is in the elite club of climbers to have scaled all 14 8,000M mountains in the world. Howerver, that is not what prompted me to read this book. I was discussing with a work colleague about challenges with two opposite and conflicting forces at work --- patience and impatience. He suggested this book because he said there was much to learn from Viesturs and the sport of mountain climbing on this topic. In that regard, "K2: L&D" delivered in spades, but it was fascinating for more than just that.
This book recaps six seasons of climbing on what is probably the world's most challenging and dangerous mountain, including Viestur's first ascent of K2 in 1992. Others have complained that Viestur's essentially covers ground that other climbers have already covered in their books. While this is probably true, for a non-climber like me, I appreciated Viestur's summary of some of the more famous and tragic years climbing K2. I was never going to read a lengthy list of books by other climbers and a condensed account was sufficient to get enough depth for this reviewer. While the editing was not great --- there were plenty of redundant areas and parts that transitioned in odd ways, this book was thoroughly captivating. Viestur's paints dramatic differences between Everest and K2, most notably the greater risk inherent in K2 -- the ratio of summits/deaths is 19/1 for Everest but 4/1 for K2. Reading this book, you develop a keen sense that Viestur's has a healthy respect and awe for K2. While some may argue that he pats himself on the back quite a bit and is a bit cock, I'd be surprised if these weren't qualities most men and women who climb 8,000M mountains possess. You don't push your boundaries or nature's boundaries without having a healthy degree of self-confidence.
Back to the reason I read this book. There certainly are lessons on patience/impatience to be learned from Viestur. Most decisions at high-altitude have life and death consequences and Viestur's has learned when the time is right to push for the summit and when reaching the summit is just not going to happen without exponentially increasing the odds that he won't survive. Clearly, he has found the right balance between these dichotomies.
This is a fast and easy read and will leave you breathless in places. So grab your supplemental oxygen and be prepared for one death defying adventure on top of the world.
 "K2 Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain"! February 12, 2010
Braydyn Niewiadomski (Anacortes, WA)
I ordered this book because I have a casual interest in mountaineering, and it was written by David Roberts (I've previously read one of his books and thoroughly enjoyed it). I had actually never even heard of Mr. Viesturs, or K2 (shocking, I know!) before I picked up this book. So, for me, this was an introduction to both, and in that respect I feel it did its job splendidly. But if you are a fan of Ed, the mountain, or both, I can't see how you'd want to miss out on this one anyways.
Basically, this book covers most of the major (and some not so) expeditions to K2 and throughout provides Ed's commentary on decisions, mistakes, or how he would have handled certain situations. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book, because I agree with his philosophy of the way mountaineering should be. He constantly repeats how important it is to work as a team, and to always put your, and others safety ahead of reaching the summit. It's not just about getting to the top; it's about the experience of climbing the mountain.
Now, some reviewers have pointed out that all of these expeditions have been written about before, and that this book was rather unnecessary. I tend to disagree, because for those like me who are not familiar with the mountain, this is a great way to find out a lot about it without buying a lot of books. Also, as a few others have mentioned, some new details have come to light since some of these accounts were first told.
All in all, I greatly enjoyed this book, and am now interested in reading more books by Ed Viesturs. For anyone who wants to know more about K2, or just can't get enough of it, this book is highly recommended!
NOTE: Take a look at Amazon's interviews with Ed about the book; these will give you a very good idea of the topics discussed and the tone of the book.
 Disappointed February 11, 2010
vetinafut (American Fork, UT United States)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
After reading No Shortcuts to the Top, I was hoping for a good story about Viestur's climbing K2. Little about his experience, and a lot of historical copying for early expeditions. Possibly this is the results of Roberts, who co-author this book. I wonder if they just cut and paste the history that has previously been written. I wouldn't recommend this book.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 58
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