Perspective
Jul. 21, 2012
Book review: “Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2’s Deadliest Day”
From the start, the subtitle announces the ending will not be happy. Yet the authors build gathering drama into their engaging tale, interspersing it with relieving humor and moments of kindness and triumph. By John Shepard Wiley, Jr.
Everest is famous but K2 is the killer. One K2 climber in this book wore this t-shirt: "K2: A Little Shorter, A Lot Harder." The boast is valid. The authors (one a former reporter for this paper) recount the 2008 season on K2, when "the fatality rate of those leaving Base Camp for a summit bid was 30.5 percent, higher than the casualty rate at Omaha Beach on D-day."
There's no safe way up. The pros call...
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