タイトル『 K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain > 『 K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain > 『 Beyond the Mountain > 『 Beyond the Mountain > 『 The Last of His Kind: The Life and Adventures of Bradford Washburn, America's Boldest Mountaineer > 『 The Last of His Kind: The Life and Adventures of Bradford Washburn, America's Boldest Mountaineer > 『 Himalayan Quest: Ed Viesturs Summits All Fourteen 8,000-Meter Giants > 『 Himalayan Quest: Ed Viesturs Summits All Fourteen 8,000-Meter Giants > 『 No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks > 『 No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks > 『 K2, The Savage Mountain: The Classic True Story of Disaster and Survival on the World's Second-Highest Mountain > Ed Viesturs,David Roberts >  price：$8.84   Broadway  Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Worth the Climb) 『Ed Viesturs has written a very good book on the history of climbing the world's second tallest mountain, K2. Viesturs is very workmanlike in his prose and factual in his delivery. He avoids the type of self-aggrandizement that can make a reader wonder if a book "about me" is just the good parts (this book is partly about Viesturs, who climbed K2 and learned some valuable lessons). He is self-critical, which also tends to add credibility to a book involving self-reporting. K2 does not loom large in the public mind, but towers over most other mountains in the minds of those who climb. It is four times deadlier than the storied Everest, technically more difficult and worth more in terms of bragging rights among mountaineers than notching the world's tallest mountain. While three years elapsed between the first and second ascents of Everest, twenty-three elapsed between the first and second conquests of K2. Viesters traces a chronological history of the early attempts, failures and success of K2 efforts. He spends a significant amount of time on the 1938 and 1939 attempts. Weisner's 1939 attempt came within a couple of hundred feet of the summit but ended in disaster. Viesturs takes apart the expedition for diagnosis of what went wrong. He is not afraid to challenge a lot of prevailing views regarding the deficiencies of the leader, Fritz Weisner, and on the whole I think reaches a different opinion of where blame lays than many who have studied that event. This is a good book that flows well and is easy to read. If you like mountaineering and adventure books, this is worth the climb.』 (Entertaining read about one of the world's most challenging mountains) 『I first learned of Ed Viesturs from reading Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air." At the time I was deeply impressed by his willingness to forgo his long-anticipated plans to make an Imax movie of his own summit attempt in order to help in the rescue and recovery efforts. I remember thinking to myself, "here's a down-to-earth guy with great integrity." After reading K2, that impression has only been strengthened. Viesturs is one of handful of elite mountaineers active today, but he is so humble in his self-presentation that you wouldn't really know it from reading this book. He's also incredibly knowledgeable about mountain climbing in general and the history of summit attempts on K2 specifically. After reading his description of the various expeditions, you're left with two primary reactions: (a) a feeling of awe and admiration for the brave men and women who battle such hardship, and confront so many risks, to climb that brutally unforgiving mountain, and (b) a realization that mountaineers are in many other respects just like everybody else... and there are selfish jerks in that community just as there are in sea-level communities. In that regard, the story of the explicit sabotage that took place in one expedition was particularly interesting, if discouraging. This book is written in an enjoyable, informal style (albeit with an unmistakable "As told to..." tone). While I wish Viesturs had spent more time talking about his own summit, I can understand why he chose not to. I'll just have to head over to his other book about the trip and read that one, too. :) 』 (Great book!) 『This book is awesome, it book puts mountaineering into true perspective. I purchased this book wanting to read about the disastrous 2008 K2 climbing season, and ended up getting so much more; the ambitious scope of this book ranges from climbing history to the current events in mountaineering, and so much more in between. Viesturs really draws you in to what happens on the mountain: how friendships are forged, how teams succeed and how they fail, and every other aspect of the climb. I have long fantasized of climbing in the Himalaya and Karakorum ranges, and though I still want to, this book sheds true light on how it can be, what to expect. This is the best account of mountaineering I have ever read, and as close to a mountaineering bible as I have come. Essential reading for any would-be climber, and also one hell of a book for anyone interested in an engaging read.』 (A detailed history of the world's most dangerous mountain) 『K2 is the world's second highest mountain and statistically the most dangerous. Ed Viesturs, the author, has been to the summit of Everest seven times, but K2 only once, and says he will never go back again. In this book, he gives great insight into why. K2, much more than Everest, is the ultimate prize in mountaineering. And Viesturs does his best to explain why. The format of the book is roughly 1/3 a personal journal of his expert opinion on the mountain, and 2/3 a history of all the historic expeditions that have gone to the mountain, and their reasons for success or failure. The book suffers at some points from pacing and organizational issues. Viesturs shows that he is a major scholar of mountaineering in addition to being an legendary climber himself. The upside is the level of detail and insight he brings. The downside is that names and references are sometimes thrown around without enough guidance for those of us who are not at the same level of expertise. It feels a bit like the literary equivalent of being lost on an 8000 meter peak in a whiteout without "willow wands" to guide the reader to the next camp. Fortunately a reader can always go back and relocate the story path without the fear of falling off the mountain or freezing to death. If you were introduced to the world of mountaineering literature by the writings of John Krakauer, this book -while generally solid- does not have the same level of writing flair. If you are a fan of mountaineering literature in general, this definitely belongs on your shelf, and not just because it was written by one of the world's greatest mountaineers.』 (Best Mountaineering Book I Have Ever Read) 『K2: Life and Death.......... is the best mountaineering book I have ever read, and I have been reading them ever since Annapurna (Herzog)which I read shortly after it was published. K2:... seems to me to be the most honest and straight forward. (See particularly page 316) If that is not enough it is an easy and enjoyable read. I have already ordered Vestiers other book (No Short Cuts to the Top) anticipating a similiar enjoyable experience』 『A thrilling chronicle of the tragedy-ridden history of climbing K2, the world's most difficult and unpredictable mountain, by the bestselling authors ofNo Shortcuts to the Top At 28,251 feet, the world's second-tallest mountain, K2 thrusts skyward out of the Karakoram Range of northern Pakistan. Climbers regard it as the ultimate achievement in mountaineering, with good reason. Four times as deadly as Everest, K2 has claimed the lives of seventy-seven climbers since 1954. In August 2008 eleven climbers died in a single thirty-six-hour period on K2–the worst single-event tragedy in the mountain's history and the second-worst in the long chronicle of mountaineering in the Himalaya and Karakoram ranges. Yet summiting K2 remains a cherished goal for climbers from all over the globe. Before he faced the challenge of K2 himself, Ed Viesturs, oneof the world's premier high-altitude mountaineers, thought of it as "the holy grail of mountaineering." InK2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain,Viesturs explores the remarkable history of the mountain and of those who have attempted to conquer it. At the same time he probes K2's most memorable sagas in an attempt to illustrate the lessons learned by confronting the fundamental questions raised by mountaineering–questions of risk, ambition, loyalty to one's teammates, self-sacrifice, and the price of glory. Viesturs knows the mountain firsthand. He and renowned alpinist Scott Fischer climbed it in 1992 and were nearly killed in an avalanche that sent them sliding to almost certain death. Fortunately, Edmanaged to get into a self-arrest position with his ice ax and stop both his fall and Scott' s. Focusing on seven of the mountain's most dramatic campaigns, from his own troubled ascent to the 2008 tragedy, Viesturs and Roberts crafts an edge-of-your-seat narrative that climbers and armchair travelers alike will find unforgettably compelling. With photographs from Viesturs's personal collection and from historical sources, this is the definitive account of the world's ultimate mountain, and of the lessons that can be gleaned from struggling toward its elusive summit.』 『Amazon Exclusive: Christopher Reich ReviewsK2: Life and Death on the Worlds Most Dangerous Mountain Christopher Reigh is theNew York Timesbestselling author ofRules of Vengeance,Numbered Account, andThe Patriots Club, which won the International Thiller Writers award for best novel in 2006. Is there anything more enthralling than a true tale of high adventure well told? Stories about men and women braving impossible odds under daunting conditions in far flung locales, often risking life and limb, keep me glued to the page every time. I’m talking about books likePapillion,Alive,Into Thin AirandThe Perfect Storm. Well, today, I’m happy to add another book to that list.K2: Life and Death on the World’s Most Dangerous Mountainby Ed Viesturs with David Roberts. K2 is the world’s second tallest mountain. Located in the Karakoram Range in northern Pakistan, it has more than earned its nickname as the "world’s most dangerous mountain." Just a year ago, thirteen climbers lost their lives on the mountain in a single day. A few mountains may have killed a higher ratio of those who have tried to climb them, notably Annapurna, but none combine the danger, lore, and prestige of K2. In Viesturs’ new book, he tells the story of six expeditions to the fabled mountain. Some successful. Some ill-fated. All spellbinding. First, a word about the author. Ed Viesturs is widely acknowledged to be among the world’s top five living mountaineers. In 2005, he became the first American to summit all fourteen of the world’s 8000 meter peaks. And he did so without supplemental oxygen. (His fine memoir,No Shortcuts to the Top, chronicles that adventure.) To offer but one example of his prodigious skills, Viesturs once climbed 7,000 feet from an altitude of 16,000 feet to 23,000 feet up a near vertical slope in only eight hours. Did I mention he was carrying a forty-pound pack on his back? The man is to mountaineering what Michael Jordan is to basketball. If that is, Michael Jordan had risked losing his life every time he stepped onto the basketball court. Be impressed. Be very impressed. In K2, Viesturs recounts the most dramatic expeditions to the mountain and he does so in today’s frank and honest terms. Older tellings followed the time honored "gentlemen’s code" of ne’er speaking poorly of one’s climbing partners. To read, "The White Spider," by Heinrich Harrer, the story of the first ascent of the Eiger Nordwand written over fifty years ago, is to believe that anyone who ever strapped on a helmet and a harness was  "noble fellow," or a "strong willed lad," whose motivations were as pure as knight seeking the Holy Grail. Viesturs sifts through such rose hued accounts and casts today’s halogen spot light on them. Friendly disagreements amongst climbing pals become knock down, drag out arguments between the fiercest of rivals. Mild discomfort morphs into severe frostbite that costs a man his fingers and toes. And an analysis of where a climber might better have situated an upper altitude camp becomes an indictment of attempted murder. The best exampleis to compare The Green Berets versus Platoon. Both are about Vietnam; but one is quite a bit more realistic than the other. Similarly, Viesturs' modern updating makes for fascinating reading. In a sense,K2: Life and Death on the World’s Most Dangerous Mountainis a book written by a mountaineer for mountaineers. Afterall, Viesturs is telling the same story over and over again. But that is exactly what lends the book its magic. Though all of the expeditions shared the same goal, each followed its own unique course. In fact, I often felt as if Viesturs were describing a different mountain altogether. The lesson I took away from this outstanding piece of nonfiction is that K2 seemed to somehow alter its very topography to defeat the "strong-willed lads" and "noble fellows" who tried to conquer it.  And it succeeded much too often.     』

Figure 8 Knot

Sheet Bend Knot

The Battle of Waterloo

Questions for Conn Iggulden

Conn and Hal Iggulden are two brothers who have not forgotten what it was like to be boys. Conn taught for many years before becoming one of the most admired and popular young historical novelists with his Emperor series, based on the life of Julius Caesar, and his newly embarked series on Genghis Khan, while Hal is a theater director. We asked Conn about their collaboration.

Amazon.com:It's difficult to describe what a phenomenonThe Dangerous Book for Boyswas in the UK last year. When I would check the bestseller list on our sister site, Amazon.co.uk, there would be, along with your book, which spent much of the year at the top of the list, a half-dozen apparent knockoff books of similar boy knowledge. Clearly, you tapped into something big. What do you think it was?

Iggulden:In a word, fathers. I am one myself and I think we've become aware that the whole "health and safety" overprotective culture isn't doing our sons any favors. Boys need to learn about risk. They need to fall off things occasionally, or--and this is the important bit--they'll take worse risks on their own. If we do away with challenging playgrounds and cancel school trips for fear of being sued, we don't end up with safer boys--we end up with them walking on train tracks. In the long run, it's not safe at all to keep our boys in the house with a Playstation. It's not good for their health or their safety.

You only have to push a boy on a swing to see how much enjoys the thrill of danger. It's hard-wired. Remove any opportunity to test his courage and they'll find ways to test themselves that will be seriously dangerous for everyone around them. I think of it like playing the lottery--someone has to say "Look, youwon'twin--and your childrenwon'tbe hurt. Relax. Itwon'tbe you."

I think that's the core of the book's success. It isn't just a collection of things to do. The heroic stories alone are something we haven't had for too long. It isn't about climbing Everest, but it is an attitude, a philosophy for fathers and sons. Our institutions are too wrapped up in terror over being sued--so we have to do things with them ourselves. This book isn't a bad place to start.

As for knockoff books--great. They'll give my son something to read that doesn't involve him learning a dull moral lesson of some kind--just enjoying an adventure or learning skills and crafts so that he has a feeling of competence and confidence--just as we have.

Amazon.com:You made some changes for the U.S. edition, and I for one am sorry that you have removed the section on conkers, if only because it's such a lovely and mysterious word. What are (or what is) conkers?

Iggulden:Horse chestnuts strung on a shoelace and knocked against one another until they shatter. In the entire history of the world, no one has ever been hurt by a conker, but it's still been banned by some British schools,just in case. Another school banned paper airplanes. Honestly, it's enough to make you weep, if I did that sort of thing, which I try not to. Reading Jane Austen is still allowed, however.

Amazon.com:What knowledge did you decide was important to add for American boys? I notice in both editions you have an excellent and useful section on table football, as played with coins. Is paper football strictly an American pastime? I'm not sure I could have gotten through the fourth grade without it.

Iggulden:I like knowing the details of battles, so Gettysburg and the Alamo had to go in, along with the Gettysburg address, stickball, state capitals, U.S. mountains, American trees, insects, U.S. historical timelines, and a lot of others. Navajo code talkers of WWII is a great chapter. It probably helps that I am a huge fan of America. It was only while rewriting for the U.S. that I realized how many positive references there already are. You have NASA and NASA trumps almost anything.

As for paper football, ever since I thought of putting the book together, people keep saying things like "You have rockets in there, yes? Everyone loves rockets!" Paper football is the first American one, but there will be many others. No book in the world is long enough to put them all in--unless we do a sequel, of course.

Amazon.com:Do you thinkThe Dangerous Book for Boysis being read by actual boys, or only by nostalgic adults? Have you seen boys getting up from their Xboxes to go outside and perform first aid or tan animal skins or build go-carts?

Iggulden:I've had a lot of emails and letters from boys who loved the book--as well as fathers. I've had responses from kids as young as ten and an old man of 87, who pointed out a problem with the shadow stick that we've since changed. The thing to remember is that we may be older and more cynical every year, but boys simply aren't. If they are given the chance to make a go-cart with their dad, they jump at it. Mine did. Nothing gives me more pleasure than to know the book is being used with fathers and sons together, trying things out. Nothing is more valuable to a boy than time with his dad, learning something fun--or something difficult. That's part of the attitude too. If it's hard, you don't make it easy, you grab it by the throat and hang on for as long as it takes.

The book is often bought by fathers, of course. Their sons don't know Scott of the Antarctic is a great adventure story. How could they if it isn't taught any more? Good, heroic stories don't appear much in modern school curriculums--and then we wonder why boys don't seem interested.

Amazon.com:And finally, on to the important questions: Should Pluto still be a planet? And what was the best dinosaur?

Iggulden:Pluto is a planet. I know there are scientists who say it isn't, but it's big enough to be round and it has a moon, for crying out loud. Of course it's a planet. Give it ten years and they'll be agreeing with me again.

As for the best dinosaur, it depends what you mean by best. For sheer perfection, it probably has to be the shark and the crocodile. Modern ones are smaller but their record for sheer survival is pretty impressive. I only hope humanity can do as well. The only thing that will stop us is worrying too much.