No Way Down: Life and Death on K2

Chilling adventure

"Above the Bottleneck was the serac-the blunt overhanging end of a hanging glacier-a shimmering, tottering wave frozen as it crashed over the moutainside, a suspended ice mountain six hundred feet tall...and about half a mile long. It was smooth in places but large parts of it were pitted with cracks and crevasses....This was the way to the summit."

Journalist Graham Bowley created an intense narrative of the infamous tragedy on K2 in 2008 in this new release No Way Down. Despite being smaller than Mt. Everest, at 28,251 feet, K2 is reputed to be the most terrifying to climb. Twenty-seven members of eight international teams progressed from Base Camp One to Base Camp Four as their bodies adjusted to the increasing lack of oxygen. Then, on a beautiful clear morning they began their final ascent on K2, in a planned order that the groups had agreed upon. They planned to reach the summit and plant their national flags, document the excitement with photographs, and return to Base Camp Four, all by nightfall. No one wanted to be on the mountain after dark.

Then everything went wrong. A series of bad decisions and unexpected events changed the plan, resulting in the loss of eleven lives, as well as lifelong injuries for two more. Some climbers had to spend the night on the frightening mountain, hanging on lines and wondering what the morning would bring.

This is not a simple disaster story, and there is no happy ending. What is unique is that while Bowley wasn't there, he was able to interview most of the members of the various teams, getting insight on what they were feeling and how they addressed proceeding through disaster. Additionally, he interviewed families of the survivors and those who died, getting their impressions and insight. This creates a fast paced read that isn't simply one eyewitness account but rather than unbiased compilation of many voices, a fuller picture that demonstrates both the power of nature and the desire of man to conquer it. Reading it exposes more than just the climb, it explores the personalities and reasons why some choose to explore such danger.Half-way through the book is a photo section that would have been better placed at the front, just to put a name with faces. Seeing the photos made the tragedy more personal. Included is a group picture at Base Camp Four who were determined to ascend the following day.

"They had broken out of comfortable lives to venture to a place few of us would dare go in our lives. they had confronted their mortality, immediately and up close."

Reading this makes you shiver from the cold and the suspense, even if you know the ending. This would be a great summer read, just for the chilling effect it would have on a hot day! It'll make you ponder the whole concept of how you identify 'adventure'.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful read, and couldn't put it down

While I started another author's version, from the sherpa's viewpoint, on the K2 tragedy of 2008, I could not get it. It was a confusing mess. But reading No Way Down, was honest and a real account of the terrible tragedy. The author discusses what makes people risk their lives for the summit, and wonders how, as I do, what makes these people tick. I admire the courage and bravery, but am saddened by the needless deaths of mountain climbing in the modern age. The peaks have been conquered, so I am facinated with the why. I could not put this book down, and finished in two days, as I began to know the people on the mountain. Gerard McDonnell had so much to give. I am so saddened by his loss, and wish the family well. As with the others. This author has taken the time to gather the facts from the survivors, and doesn't dance around the cruel facts. If you enjoy mountaineering books, as I do, then this is a must for your library. Your bed will feel warm and safe, and you will thank god for all you have in your life. Don't miss this reading of mountain history.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.