PDF One Mountain Thousand Summits: The Untold Story of Tragedy and True Heroism on K2 by Freddie Wilkinson in History

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. worth reading for the extra detail; in spite of author possible bias and murky conclusionsBy pjfK2; 2nd highest mountain; with a 1/4 death rate (at one point) ; had a particularly bad year in 2008; which has spawned at least four books and 2 documentaries. After months of bad weather; a brief spell of warm sunny weather sent the becamped teams lunging for K2's summit; but the teams had a late start out of camp 4. The excessive heat during the day caused massive calving of seracs when the temperature plunged that evening. The fixed ropes from the traverse down the bottleneck were severed by avalanches that swept away some descending climbers and stranded others in the dark at the top of the traverse above the bottleneck. Exhausted from their summit push; some waited for daylight before venturing down; while others chose to navigate through the changed landscape in the dark sans fixed ropes.While some made it to camp four; others waited for light. Some struggled to find the route down; becoming lost. Others were trapped in a tangle of fixed lines. Meanwhile seracs continued to calve; creating more avalanches against the struggling climbers. Many of the climbers; from multiple expeditions; were separated at various times; all were suffering from exhaustion and oxygen deprivation; so their stories naturally differ. And after the disaster; as many have noted; news organizations harried the climbers for details; but not the Sherpas and HAPs who also had a story to tell.This book purports to give the Sherpa/HAP view. While a worthy goal; it was tainted somewhat by the author's admitted bias. When I read a first person account of a climb; I expect bias as a matter of course. A 3rd party nonmember account should aim for objectivity. Here the author admitted he had a predisposed bias where he was expecting Westerners to be taking advantage of Sherpas/HAPS. Yet sometimes finding the reverse.Many reviewers have commented that while this book begins well; it becomes more disjointed as it goes along. Perhaps in part because the author's preconceived premise wasn't fully supported; and some of what he'd hoped to find proved elusive. You get the sense he's throwing every interview against the wall; hoping something sticks. Whlie the author interviews many of the climbing Sherpas and HAPS; as well as expedition members; he doesn't get all the answers he seeks.In the end; he fails to put forth his own clear reconstruction of what happened; based upon his analysis of these many interviews. There's no conclusion/summary chapter. He simply reports on them. While interesting to meet more fully the principal Sherpas/HAPS on the expedition (those who talked); they often seem to dance around what really happened that night. And that's expected - many of these individuals still work in this profession. They don't like to say anything that might impact their booking the next job.I would have valued the book more if the author had come in wanting to tell the staff story; but striving a little harder to set his stated expectations as to what he would find; his bias; aside. As it is; hearing of that from his own words; unfortunately taints the work somewhat. As a readers; I want the facts as reported; the opinions of the players; climber and staff; without the author's bias getting so much in the way. He actually states in the book his disappointment for not find his expectations fully supported by his investigations. For me; that was a "whew!" moment.That doesn't mean this book isn't worth reading; Just that it had some obvious issues. Also; like several climbing books I've read; the prologue/first chapter read well; the rest could have used an editor. I have a sneaking suspicion this is because many books are sold to publishers based upon the first chapter or so being done and the rest just outlined. That first part is a polished winner. The rest; given professional editing even at the big six isn't what it used to be; not so much.But if you are fascinated by K2;; or just want a fuller picture of this unfortunate climbing year on the "savage" mountain; certainly get this book.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. From A Sherpa's PerspectiveBy Cynthia M. AndersenI loved this book because it made me feel something! I felt I was one of those Sherpas; in Freddie's description in the very first part of the book; trying to get down the worst part of K2 after an avalanche disaster occurred. The book jumped in several places but I feel it had to because it had to provide the all encompassing variations and stories of the disasters going on on K-2 because 11 people died and not all together!But what I loved most about this book is the perspective of the Sherpas; for in my other readings they are never considered. They are there! They are intuitive and they know what is going on on that mountain. They are not just there to carry the loads and set ropes people. We should be bowing down to them in reverence for letting us be in their country and we go against every grain that is different from their Buddhists Beliefs of community; service to community; and risking life and limb for others....a lesson we all sorely need in some cases on those mountains e.g. Francys Asentiev; David Sharp; and for anyone else that has died in vain of getting help. Gerard Mcdonnell was such a man!!! He gave up his life to save others! We so adhered to our standards of not believing that he could have helped those Koreans that he was literally thought to be "out of it" when in fact his conscience dictated otherwise - proof from pictures; interviews with the sherpas; and estabiishing timelines.Freddie; I loved your book and can't wait to read about other adventures. I also love those Sherpa people with all my heart - they remind me of the folks I lived with in Liberia; West Africa for almost 3 years....Cynthia M Andersen Golden; CO3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Mountains and MediaBy Joel@AWSLet me start with this: the prologue in "One Mountain Thousand Summits" is astounding. There is no other word for it. If you're not on a bit of an adrenalin rush by the end of it; you probably have trouble fogging a mirror too. The prologue alone is worth the price of the book.And the rest ain't bad either. However; it's not what the prologue; and other climbing books; might lead you to expect. It's not a blow-by-blow account of the various expeditions on K2 in 2008; leading up to a big finish on the summit day and its immediate aftermath. The majority of the hard-hitting mountaineering action is in that prologue.Instead; Freddie Wilkinson backs off and looks at the role -- for better and for worse -- that modern; Internet-driven media played in revealing one version of the story to the world. That version; as it turned out; was founded mostly on rumor; second-hand reports; and the recollections of the "first world" survivors; who weren't in the best shape to accurately perceive all that was happening. Once he's deconstructed that story; Wilkinson then digs in and talks to some of the other climbers who were on the summit that day: the Sherpas.There is no frivolous agenda here: the surviving Sherpas made hard decisions; some of which the reader may or may not disagree with; acted with great physical courage and strength; but; as Freddie reveals; so did some of their clients; particularly Gerard McDonnell; an Irish mountaineer. Still; there's no avoiding the fact that in August 2008; no one in the western media world was asking the Sherpas what happened at 28;000 feet. Maybe next time they will.The book would have benefited a bit if the author had laid out his thesis near the beginning; to give the reader some idea of the direction he'd be going. But I'd not want the author to have taken anything away from the book's roaring start."Four voices spoke in the night." Many months later; some of those voices spoke again and brought light to a story only half told.