K2, Triumph and Tragedy

by Jim Curran

Book Overview

K2, "the savage mountain", is the second-highest peak in the world - and the most difficult to climb. In 1986, it was the site of both dazzling triumph and great loss as twenty-seven men and women reached the top but thirteen died trying. To this day it remains the single greatest tragedy in the history of mountaineering. Curran was there to record it all in words and photographs: courage and obsession, luminous success and thwarted ambition.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395485908
• ISBN13: 9780395485903
• Release Date: February 1989
• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

The title says it all -- and Heartfelt Account

Aside from being a great account of the tragic 1986 season at K2, Curran's book has the quality of masterfully weaving the author's sense of humor with his deeply felt emotions about lost friends.While some may argue that Curran was not at the forefront of leading the climbing on any of the expeditions, his keen sense of a filmmaker allows him to tell a very human story. In the great tradition of English mountaineering tradition he tells with wit and humor about the scrambles in putting the expedition together. His storytelling about the trials and challenges in the walk-up to base camp is equaled in its jovial spirit perhaps only by Greg Child (see "Thin Air").When true drama begins to unfold with the death of Casarotto, Curran does not simply "recount" the casualties -- his voice is full of passion, heartache and doubt. His reflections upon the dangers of mountain climbing are deeply felt.A highly recommended read!

An interesting perspective

Although I am sure I do not have the perspective of an Allison Pennington, as an armchair mountaineer I can say that I have read this book numerous times, and never tire of it. Many people complain that Curran "doesn't get into the action," but I have two comments to make about this. First of all, the base camp vantage point provides a unique perspective. I would argue that this is what makes this particular account interesting. Curran is a humorous writer, lacking the self-serious and somewhat bleak outlook of many of his peers in the field of adventure writing. His commentaries about the international flavor of "The Strip" are funny and dare I say it: educational. "K2" compares favorably to Jon Krakauer's dark and somewhat pretentious prose about the catastrophic year on Everest ten years later (regardless of the fact that Krakauer "climbs"). Secondly, considering the luck of the English up high on this particular mountain, I severely doubt that we would be reading such an interesting book if Curran had gone above Camp 2.

A MUST READ!

This is a three-dimenionsional, funny, enlightening, well written page-turner about fascinating, enigmatic people and a mountain that is even more mercurial than Everest. This book is way more informative than many of the other climbing books that are thoughtlessly being churned out to cash in on the ongoing spate of interest in climbing disasters.

ET TU...K2?

It is summer...1986. Twenty seven climbers triumph at the K2 summit. Thirteen climbers die in their quest to conquer K2. Therein lies the tale. The author, a photographer who calls himself a climber, though that is debatable, attempts to make sense of the events that unfolded on the mountain that summer. Relying upon the anecdotes and narratives of others, as well as his own personal observations, he tries to put the events into perspective, even though he has no first hand knowledge of what transpired up on the mountain, for the most part. Although he was there, he rarely ventured past base camp. The book does make for an interesting read, as we look at events as they unfold before the author. It is amazing that with all the tragedies that seemed to occur at almost every turn, the climbers still kept climbing, never losing sight of their quest. At times this singlemindedness on the part of the climbers comes across as somewhat meglomaniacal. The author is very candid in his commentary throughout the book and, surprisingly, he does not hesitate to speak ill of the dead. His candor, while somewhat disturbing, is refreshing, and it is interesting to find out that the gods do, indeed, have clay feet.

well written about what really happened at K2 in 1986

This book is so engaging that I could not stop reading it even for one day. Right after I was finished with the first time reading, I had to start reading it one more time again, more carefully. This book is believed by me to surely and definitely provide sufficient satisfaction to all interested in mountaineering and/or the "white world", Hymalaya. Of course, for more detailed explanations about each expedition's or each climber's tragedy, other individual books should be sought. Considering all, this book has succeeded in describing generally most of the events during one summer, in the order of time This book is about what really happened at K2 during the whole summer of the year 1986. To a great surprise, during only one season as many as 13 climbers lost their deaths at K2 during their descents or summit bids. The figure itself, 13, has contributed greatly to the fact that overall K2 is undoubtedly the most difficult and perilous mountain to climb all over the world. Still, the probability of survival at K2 is the lowest among all the 8,000 meter peaks. The book is composed of three parts : the mountain, the vigil and the reckoning. Reading is becoming more and more interesting and gripping towards the end. The author, Jim Curran, both the climber and the photographer, is thought to be in the good, if not the best, position to record all the tragic accidents during the summer. He had stayed most of the time at the Base Camps, which, including his roles, made him able to be in constantly close contact with most of, if not all, the expeditions, most of the happenings and the other relevant facts. In order to be generally informed of 1986's tragedies at K2, one must not miss this book. The probable causes and effects of all deaths are both well and briefly written on the last part, "the reckoning". I am now feeling something like hollow in my heart, so two times reading is finished.