Mountain Culture

K2: High Stakes on the Savage Summit

Hot Topics: Noon-hour Seminar
Saturday, November 8, 12:30 – 1:45 p.m.
Max Bell Auditorium, Free

K2, the world’s second-highest summit, is considered by many to be the ultimate test of mountaineering. Straddling Pakistan and China in the Karakorum range, its history includes grueling ascents, notable rescues, and legendary teamwork. This past summer, eleven climbers died high on K2 in one of the deadliest episodes in mountaineering history. The incident was widely reported in climbing and mainstream media alike. But heavy death tolls on K2 are nothing new: over 20 years ago Jon Krakauer and Greg Child wrote an article for Outside magazine about its deadliest season (13 deaths in 1986), raising the question whether K2 was “becoming the new Everest.” Our panelists will share their thoughts on the past, present, and future of K2, along with the role of the media in shaping the public’s perception of Himalayan climbing.

Peter Habeler’s climbing partnership with Reinhold Messner made them the founding fathers of lightweight, alpine-style climbing, setting the standard for fast and light ascents on difficult routes in the Himalaya. Maurice Isserman, a professor of history at Hamilton College, is the co-author of the 2008 book Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes. Author of the recently released High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed, Michael Kodas is a climber and journalist whose feature story on the 2008 K2 tragedy appears on Outside magazine’s website. Christian Trommsdorff called off an attempt on K2’s southwest face just weeks before the 2008 disaster. Moderated by Geoff Powter.

Photo: K2 in summer, Adam Jacob Muller