In the summer of 2008 the mountaineering world was shocked at the events that unfolded on K2, the second tallest mountain in the world at 8611 meters (28,251 ft). Over the course of a few days, running from July 31 to August 2, a total of 11 people died on the mountain, most following a successful summit bid. In the months that followed, many stories of heroism and survival followed, as did a bit of controversy, as the climbers, along with the rest of the world, attempted to figure out just what happened.

The events that took place on K2 during that fateful season are the subject of a new film entitled The Summit, which as been in theaters for the past week. Over the weekend I finally got the opportunity to catch this powerful documentary and although I went into it knowing most of what happened, I still found it to be extremely tense and enthralling.

For those who aren't familiar with the story, on July 31, 2008 a large group of climbers moved up K2 amidst great weather on a summit bid. Over the course of the following days, a series of events led to the worst tragedy that the mountain has ever seen. Everything from logistical errors to late summits conspired to put the climbers in danger, but the situation was made all the worse when a large serac hanging over a portion of the mountain known as the Bottleneck, collapsed down the face, sweeping away the fixed ropes that the teams would need to descend. Some managed to down-climb without the ropes, others fell to their death. By the time the dust had settled, 11 people were killed and several more were injured or suffering from exposure.

The film does a good job of blending actual footage from the 2008 season with scenes that were reenacted for dramatic effect. Director Nick Ryan fills time between those scenes with interviews with the actual survivors, each of whom shares their own very personal experiences from those difficult days on the mountain.


Over the course of the film's 1 hour, 40 minute run time, the tale unfolds in stilted fashion. At times the main focus is on what exactly happened on those disastrous few days but numerous flashbacks to weeks – and in some cases years - earlier help to fill in some gaps. Much of that information provides context and history on the mountain and the climbers, but there were times when it felt shoehorned in to add padding. This was especially true of the scenes that featured legendary Italian climber Walter Bonatti, who was there to discuss the first successful climb of the mountain in 1954. But because his tale isn't told very well, his presence in the film probably left some audience members wondering exactly why he was in the film.

Because I wrote extensively about the tragedy back when it happened, I had a good idea of what went down before I ever set foot in the theater. Still, The Summit did put everything into perspective as the story more-or-less unfolded in chronological order. It helps to put the perspective exactly what happened, which essentially can be broken down to being a series of unfortunate events. There wasn't one or two big mistakes that you could point to that led to the disaster, but instead it was several small choices and decisions that were eventually exasperated by the collapse of the serac.

If you have followed the story over the years, you probably know that some controversy erupted after the fact due to shifting stories by Italian climber Marco Confortola. One of the casualties on the mountain that day was Ger McDonnell, an Irish climber who was much loved in the mountaineering community. In the aftermath of the K2 disaster, Confortola said he and McDonnell attempted to help injured Korean climbers down the mountain but due to exhaustion and the lack of fixed lines, they were unable to help. Marco then claimed that he tried to get Ger to go down together, but he instead inexplicably turned back up the mountain, where he died. McDonnell's friends and family don't believe that is the case however, as they have asserted that the Irishman would have stayed to help the injured climbers. They suspect that he was there, with the Koreans, and that Confortola abandoned him and went down on his own. It was later reported that McDonnell was seen being swept up in another ice collapse.

What really happened that day will remain a mystery, as Confortola is sticking with his story – at least for now. But the film seems to have two agendas, the first is to tell the story of the tragedy and the second is to clear McDonnell's name. It succeeds to a degree in both areas.

So, is The Summit worth seeing in the theater? If you're a mountaineering junkie, then I'd say without a doubt. It puts into context the events that took place on K2 five years ago and fills in some gaps of the story. It also allows us to see the mountaineers that were there in a very real, human light. Watching Ceclia Skog talk about the final moments of her husbands life was incredible moving for example.

I do think the film does a good job of explaining most things for non-climbers to absorb what is happening as well, although it probably won't shed any clarity on why mountaineers go to these big, dangerous mountains in the first place.

It is difficult to say that you actually "like" a film like this one. After all, it is about the real life deaths of 11 climbers. Still, it is easy to recognize that it is a well made documentary that treats the subject matter with respect and reverence. It is a also a powerful film that will stay with you after you've left the theater, which is exactly what it is meant to do I suppose.

Find out more at the film's official website, including where it is showing near you.

YouTube is a treasure trove of classic BBC climbing films. Case in point, this fantastic video on the history of climbing K2. It is almost 50 minutes of footage on the second highest peak in the world and some would argue the hardest to climb. So put your feet up, kick back and enjoy this one. It'll give you even more respect for the Savage Mountain.

If you're a fan of the Rest of Everest video podcast and have been following this season's climb on Broad Peak and K2, the moment you've no doubt been waiting for is here. In the latest episode, available below, the climbers leave Broad Peak behind at last and head to the "mountaineer's mountain." K2 is arguably the toughest climb in the world, and the show will now shift to that peak as we follow the climbers on the second phase of their expedition.

There are few places on Earth as remote and challenging as the Karakorum. Much of the area is so far away from civilization that is largely remains unexplored even today. Which is why I found this article over at K2Climb.net so interesting. It tells the tale of Michael Beek, a German trekker, who has spent the better part of 35 years exploring the Karakorum. During that time, he has come to know the people that inhabit the area and much of it's landscape.

However, last July Michael decided to get off the well worn trekking paths and head into areas that were far less traveled. Along the way he claims to have viewed K2's North West face from a location that no other westerner has ever seen it, and had the honor to name three mountains and two mountain passes.

At times, he was in such remote areas that border's between countries became indistinct and he had to rely less on the sketchy maps that he had with him and more on satellite images and the help of Pakistani guides.

Beeks sems to exhibit the spirit of adventure. He looks for and finds all kinds of challenges in his exploration, and certainly isn't afraid to get out into some remote areas, isolated from human contact. It sounds like a great adventure to me, and I'd love to hear more about his expedition.

Over the weekend a new episode of the Rest of Everest was released, continuing this season's expedition which has left Broad Peak for the slopes of K2. As is typical on these big mountain expeditions, weather dictates when the team can move and that is certainly the case here. The team, confined to its tent, waits for an opportunity to move up. This is a good example of what life is like on an expedition to the Himalaya or Karakoram where sometimes all you can do is sit in the tent and hope that a weather window will eventually open.

Climbing.com the website for Climbing magazine has posted an excellent preview of the upcoming climbing season on K2. As things start to wind down on Everest, the Karakorum season will be starting to warm up.

There will be four teams gunning for the summit on K2 this year, three of which will be climbing alpine style, with small teams. None of the four intend to use supplemental oxygen. Two teams will challenge the West Face, which remains mostly unclimbed. One of those teams is a large Russian expedition which will lay siege to the mountain, while Peter Hámor, Dodo Kopold, and Piotr Morawski will go light and fast having recently topped out on Nanga Parbat and still being acclimatized for high elevation.

Kazakhs Denis Urubko and Serguey Samoilov will be looking to climb the North Face, on a route that has never been attempted. They'll be going up an 11,000 foot vertical face that that is amongst the most challenging big wall climbs anywhere in the World. The North Face remains largely unexplored and few climbers have even scouted the area.

Finally, on the South side, Americans Bill Pierson and Fabrizio Zangrilli will be attempting a new route themselves, going up the 9500 foot wall before merging with The Magic Line route that is amongst the more direct climbs on the mountain.

K2 remains one of the more dangerous climbs amongst the 8000m peaks. Not many climbers actually find themselves on the summit, and of those that do, nearly half perish on the descent. The mountain is a mere 240 meters shorter than Everest, and yet it is orders of magnitude more difficult to climb. Fortunately, the teams that are attempting K2 are all seasoned pros, with plenty of high altitude experience. I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about these climbers as we get closer to the Karakorum season, but I'll take this opportunity to wish them all luck now.

Thanks to Jason over at The Adventurist for passing this one on. He has his hands full with all the Everest news at the moment, so if you're looking for the latest, be sure to head over to his site and catch-up.