K2 Documentary - Fatal Altitude Tragedy During Climbing K2 Mountain 

I have no interest in ever climbing but these documentaries are so fascinating

These documentaries of K2 and Everest get me through the winter every year.

Shackleton turned back only 90 miles from the pole. His statement is priceless. Better a live donkey than a dead lion. Brilliant.

I listen to these accounts of extremes and frostbite and I think how grateful I am to be warm and cosy at home.

Like Ed Viesturs says, getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.

OMG. This is insanity on a whole new level. Thinking you can descend from 8600m after nightfall. Jaw dropping insanity.

The guy talking about them feeling safe in a large group makes sense. Human instinct to feel safer with people. Unfortunately our instincts aren’t built for that environment. The weather and gravity will pick you off one at a time.

This documentary doesn't explain much about the actual events. The 3 hours lost were due to cutting ropes from below to take up the ascent. 4 seracs collapsed at different times. The Koreans were tangled, stuck in the ropes for many hours, were freed, then were involved in another incident. So much more occurred that day that was not explained.

K2 is a mighty and glorious mountain. It’s the pure face of Mother Nature. It’s so mesmerising and enchanting that real mountaineers cannot resist it. They go into the arms of K2 knowing full well that K2 might just never let them leave.

I am from Northern Pakistan, very amazing natural beauty, rivers, water falls, highest polo ground, k2 as well. I warmly say welcome to all our honnerble climbers and visitors always.....

Everest seems to kill indifferently. K2 seems actively homicidal.

The audio when he accidentally left the camera recording in his pocket and the other guy fell is both tragic and incredibly immersive

Thanks for posting, this is an interesting documentary. K2 is a fearsome mountain, to be conquered at one's own risk. I now totally understand why only the most experienced mountaineers consider this climb. It is not like payiing $50K to to a mountain tourism company to summit Mt Everest, which is risky enough. K2 is a different beast. These are really fit, strong people and they were struggling for every breath up there. They were taking 5 to 6 breaths just to make 1 step.

The decision to push on with the Summit bid in spite of the fact that all accumulated mountaineering wisdom would advise against this sealed many people's fate. Most accidents occur on descent, and this tragedy exemplifies the reason for this. Brutally fatigued, cold, and subject to altitude related sickness is when the possibility for mistakes becomes much higher. This is why late summit bids often spell disaster. The mountain is not going any where. You can come back and hope for improved conditions. You won't get a chance to come back and try again if you make the foolhardy decisions which you do not think through.

Sitting here at 72 years ,it makes me sad that young guys lose their lives over climbing a mountain , but they know the risks

I used to love hiking into base camps in Nepal and India. I always stayed away from the climbers and just enjoyed the view then headed on to the next pass and th next base camp. What a wonderful time it was back when I was young.

What this documentary misses is the summit attempt probably should not have happened in the first place because - a)the experienced sherpa who was supposed to lead the climb and supervise rope laying had gone home sick and b) not enough rope had been brought for the entire summit push and apparently this was known before the push began. It is part of the reason the push started so late, because climbers were scrounging for rope.

I have read so many mountaineering books but videos like this give a real idea of just what it's like to be on a mountain like K2.

Watching many climbing disasters seeing the view from the summit with the sun going down is both beautiful and terrifying knowing it’s too late to get down

I'm a amateur novice rock climber in Colorado and I've had my fair share of scares climbing rocks half that size in the summer time. I free solo the rocks no saftey equipment. I cannot imagine tackling something like K2 at least not anytime soon. I need a whole lot more experience, conditioning, and training before I start my journey to bigger destinations. Respect to those who can and those who passed doing what they love RIP.❤

My moms friend’s brother passed away descending the bottle neck and he climbed Mount Everest before that. He was apparently a very lovely guy. Rest In Peace 💕

These guys climb K2 like I leave my house on the weekend. "It's hard...it's hard."

I’ve seen several documentaries about climbing big mountains and this is the first time I see this level or irresponsibility in a team. It’s hard to believe these were actually experienced mountaineers

The guy at 4:35 summed it up pretty well. A simplicity and a singular focus, walking the line between survival and death. There is something meditative and peaceful about that activity, without all the maddening clicks and whistles of modern life.

Talking about goal-setting, the smartest goal setting would be to avoid doing such insanity. Also, those that argue "better than living the life on couch", there are a gamut of activities between a Couch and a K2 or an Everest climb.

Got into reading about K2 after our local mountaineer, John Snorri Sigurjónsson, first Icelander to reach the summit of K2, died in 2021 while attempting a winter ascent. Not the highest, but certainly the most dangerous mountain on Earth. What incredible tales of physical and mental endurance surround it!

What I love about this honest video: it shows impressions of `the way down`. Thank you very much !

I hiked the great divide once. The trailhead was over 10,000 ft elevation, almost two miles up, and form there we just went up and up and up and up and up and up some more - it was unrelenting. Had to turn around after hiking about 4 or 5 hours because I didn't bring enough food, and I don't know if I've ever been that hungry in my life trying to get down that trail to get at that food waiting in my truck. The most amazing thing about it to me was that it had started to rain at the pass where the trailhead was, but the weather cleared up real nice for our hike, or so we thought, but by the time we got back down to my car it was pouring down rain again....and I am pretty sure we had just walked above the rain clouds. Amazing. And the other thing was I had been feeling like crap for a week or so before I did that hike, depressed and mopey and aches all over my body and not sleeping well at all, it was horrible, but I just pushed myself to the brink that day and when I woke up the next morning, all of my symptoms were completely gone.

The one guy who climbed down without the ropes just proves to me that a lot of people went up there inexperienced and unprepared.

If a person is dead , let it be … he or she made their choice and there is no point in trying to accommodate or rescue a dead body . It is dead , you can't breath life back into that body and now it belongs to the mountain he or she intended to conquer .

I was there that summer, it happened after i left. So many lives lost in 1 night. 🙏😔 The most impressive moment was that Basque climber and his solo climb of K2. He left timely. U sir wherever u are the absolute Beast amongst men.

As a former climber, I echo the sentiments of the climber about visibility. In high winds on one climb, a near house-sized boulder rolled down the mountain only 50 yards to my right, and I didnt even hear or see it until in came into view at my level. My first thought was "I hope that's the only one coming down..." Ive had 300lb rocks miss me by only a few feet. Its unnerving as hell because of all the dangers you face, its one of those that you really cant control (other than not climbing at all).

THANK GOODNESS FOR THESE DOCUMENTARYS THAT ALLOW AN ARM CHAIR ADVENTURER TO IMAGINE .

I absolutely love the views that the footage these extraordinary humans record provides because no way could I climb to the top of those mountains or go to the bottom of the Ocean. Completely awe inspiring.

So basically 11 people died because of one single morning of taking too long to get prepared. That’s insane

The Italian man who climbed with them was an absolute machine. Turns up in the middle of the night, first one up and down. Rip

Pemba is a legend

What scares me about K2 is that most climbers who have attempted it say the same thing: the REAL danger is the journey back, not to the summit. I've read several books about K2 and they are among the scariest true stories I've ever read. One book cost me a night of sleep. K2 is not to be taken lightly even by experienced alpine climbers. There's a reason it's called The Savage Mountain.

I've been to the top of K2 and everest many times, it's truly an accomplishment... To climb those two mountains and reach the summit with impeccable safety right here on RU-vid makes me proud 😊😊😊🏆🏆

I always have enjoyed documentaries on mountain climbing, especially the great summits of the world! I don't have the courage to attempt such a feat, but have much respect for those who do!

I always get a kick out of it when they say these guys go up there to "conquer" the mountain. Yet, the mountain is still there many of them are not.

If you go into the death zone, you’re on your own. Everyone knows the rules. You literally cannot be saved. If you can’t accept it, don’t climb.

The disappearance and death of the love of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Sadpara along with John Snori and Juan Pablo Mohr from Iceland and Chili respectively on 5 February 2021, made me watch it again! This year only in winter expedition, 5 mountaineer have already died!

Climbing K2 is probably the most extreme thing you can do. you have around a 25% chance of dying and it is remote AF. You need to climb over many KM of glacier littered with crevasses just to get to the base. You are also relying on rope other people have affixed and due to extreme whether weakening the rope, it can easily snap on you. 377 people have climbed with 91 deaths.

It was interesting to see how the local sherpa, just climbed back during the night. These guys, are carrying all the weight and bringing the rich westerners up the mountain, while risking their lives. The Locals have already won against these mountains, they are the real heroes.

On Everest, climbers literally step on / over bodies to get to the summit. Takes a certain madness to even consider going up there IMO

“It doesn’t take much to go wrong before it’s catastrophic “. Especially if you push ahead when it’s too LATE !

After reading the books about this climb and listening and watching the video it saddened me to know so many died on this climb. May they all RIP.

As Kenny Rogers said " you got to know when to hold them. know when to fold them, know when to walk away and know when to run....."

3 hours late, let's climb anyway. Great attitude.

I love the clip when Fredrik sees K2 for the first time, and also the mature and professional decisionmaking by him on the mountain. Makes me a proud Swede 🇸🇪🍻

Watching this just makes me appreciate Andrzej Bargiel skiing down K2 even more.

Can't say the feeling of being constantly suffocated appeals... Cos that's what being at altitudes that high would feel like

This documentary leaves me with so many questions. Just ordered the book

K2 has to be the scariest mountain to look at! The incredibly steep slopes, the unpredictable weather, the extreme danger and technical difficulties. That enormous serac and the traverse of the bottleneck is so unforgiving, I get nervous and twitchy just watching it!

Amazing documentary.. watched it probably 20 times

For some reason it doesn’t matter how horrific and disastrous these expeditions get, I always feel an urge to climb these peaks too. It’s one of the truest tests of mental and physical fortitude and the hazards just add to the experience in that sense

unreal documentary.. the real footage was unbelievable

Summit fever got them despite delays simple as that> every mountaineer knows getting down before dark is crucial but summit fever is very strong- no one wants to turn back after all that effort. That happened on our group climbing the Grand Teton didn't summit until after 3! Thank God there were no thunderstorms that day. Most of us didn't make it back to camp by dark spent the night on the access trail

"There was no sign at all that it would go wrong on the way back"...except maybe the big memorial you saw for all the people who died on the way back.

what does he say at 32:50 that is cut out? Edit: i found the video on vimeo it has the 5 or so minutes cut out of the youtube versions, they essentially detail the lack of supplies, oxygen and how drained they are after being above 8,000m for 2 days and wonder if they would survive the decent after 3, concluding that they have to leave the 4-5 stranded survivors above them.

I have crazy respect for these gentlemen. As a U.S. Recon Marine combat vet who went through Mountain Combat Survival Training in the Seirra Nevada's, and SERE Stage III in the mountains around mount Ranier in Washington State, I got a small taste of what it means to be at your physical limit in a snowy wet/below freezing environment at altitude. The difference being of course I was in a supervised environment where if I failed, unless I made a really bone headed mistake, I would be air lifted out and fail the course but still be alive. Having said all that, I am rather surprised at how poorly the critical timeline decision making process was handled. As the old saying goes, poor decisions often lead to poor outcomes, the whole expedition seemed terribly unprofessional.

Ger McDonald is a hero. I want to go to Washington and Colorado ASAP to learn mountaineering skills and all that goes with it like Glacer Travel, Ice Climbing and Rock Climbing so I can eventually climb the 8000ers in the Himalayas and Karakoram. Always showing respect to the climber and man Ger McDonald as a fellow Irishman inside, living in America. To not walk past those struggling and make the easy de ISIL on that they are too far gone, but to take a risk that might save or at least give another a chance to live even if it means lowering your odds of survival drastically. That’s what nature is allllllll about. Climbing has brought competitive sportsmanship, or lack of it, to a pursuit meant to respect live and how nature is the significant force in the mountains. The ultimate judge that decides who Summits and doesn’t. Who lives and who dies. Ger understood that, I’d love to carry on that rare perspective and respect for the people and mountains that meet in these deadly and unforgiving wonders of nature. Bless all who undertake any mountain for the lowest and seemingly ‘’safe’’ mountains deceive. No mountain pursued by humans on earth, has 100% survival rate. All have taken life. Never forget that or that when on a mountain, the mountain controls if you live or die. Think any other way or climb with the slightest lack of respect for nature and one day your hubris and the mountain you are on will make you the lesson all other climbers on the mountain need to learn. R.I.P. 2008 K2 climbers and the climbers on the 2013 Nanga Parbat expedition where over a dozen innocent climbers were slaughtered by the Taliban.

I live in Colorado and have most of my life and when we hike in the mountains they top out at 14,000 and change…mostly hiking around 10,000/11,000 and 12,000 elevation. It’s insane to think this is over double that altitude. Dangerous!

Major mistake #1. Pushing for summit 3 hours behind schedule, noticing just as they start there push for the bottle neck it starts getting dark. They should of turned back at that point, or just not gone up at all that day

Here I am in South Dakota weather with temps at -8. The high for tomorrow is supposed to be -2. Frostbite can happen within 10 minutes & the wind is freezing cold. It feels like -29 right now. How anyone can intentionally go out in this weather to climb a mountain & literally put not only their lives at risk but also the Sherpas lives, is way beyond me. Too many deaths already happened on that mountain. And people aren’t respecting it. Just to brag about climbing it. Respect the land. Its not worth putting others lives at risk just so someone can make it to the top☹️☹️

Prerequisite before giving my opinion: Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management. Everything we do in life, has risks. There are some things that have a greater risk than others. We survey the risks, we identify hazards and try to mitigate those hazards in order to minimize the risk of injury or death. However the only way to zero out a risk is not to do it. Having said all of this, I applaud your love for mountain climbing. The risks are very high even when mitigating hazards with management controls.

How do you watch someone fall to their death then continue on up and be happy and celebrate like nothing happened, all while making the horrible decision to summit that late and put everyone’s life at risk…. Just so much hubris and pride and it cost them dearly.

Whoever pushed the decision to summit into the night must have been crazy. Some things are not worth your life, but as you can see, its the selfishness of wanting to summit that ultimately killed these people. Even after the first fall happened, that was a second chance to turn back, and they still kept going. Since then, Alberto Zerain, who was on the mountain that day, died in 2017 following an avalanche in Nanga Parbat leaving his family behind =(

RULE #1 DITCH THE BODIES!

I pray this family has found peace and comfort knowing their dad/spouse was finally put to rest. The daughter is a lovely young lady. May God bless them always ❤

excellent documentary from NatGeo on the most dangerous peak in the world. RIP

When you decide to go to K2 and attempt a climb you have made the decision that it is worth your life to make the attempt.

That Wilko is damn shady in all the documentaries about K2. Clearly trying to play down the fact that he was the main advocate for the summit bid despite the fact two people had already died on the bottleneck below. He is wayyy more responsible for the subsequent deaths than he lets on

I'll be up there when doppelmeyer builds the gondola to the top🤣

This is just one side of the story. So much happened that day , The Summit: How Triumph Turned To Tragedy On K2's Deadliest Days is in more details with counter narrative.

Last week I unclipped my rope from my burnt orange Naughahide La-Z-Boy chair and almost tripped over my puppy. Whew! Learned my lesson. Never do that again!

Fascinating. These people don't care about all of the other lives that are put at risk for their selfish and egotistical desires.

If you’re at camp four intending to summit K2 and you realise there are too many climbers to safely make it back in time can you just wait another day without suffering altitude sickness. Camp four is at 7,900 mtrs and above 8000 is the death zone. Can anyone answer this question?

This almost happened to me once, but I survived it by not going.

The guy yelling at the Summit should really have considered um...oh I dont know...not yelling.

I respect these folks who has invested so much to climb there. Praying

I've been thinking a lot about the nature of climbing, and I've never done it even once. It's easy for me to criticize it from my computer. But it's not just the lure of the summit that would appeal to many climbers; it provides many interesting questions. - Do you trust yourself physically and mentally? - Do you trust the team you're working with, especially if you get in trouble on the mountain? - How much time are you willing to spend chasing your goal? - Does the goal change once you get there? - For me, this is one I'd ask myself: what counts as "climbed?" I'd argue that you say you climbed it, you have to do the whole thing in both directions, not just summit. But that's just me. - Lastly, when do you turn back and when do you make that final push? I can't see myself doing it, and I understand some of the criticism about climbers not helping others. But since I've never done it, who am I to say what's good and what's bad? Everybody climbs their own mountain, so to speak.

I have been going down a rabbit hole on these mountaineering videos. They are fascinating. But I can't help but think of Jimmy Doolittle (The Master of the Calculated Risk) when I watch these guys. He set speed records in planes that killed other very fine pilots, but he was no hot dog daredevil. The man took great risks for great rewards and always stacked the odds in his favor. Same with Lindy. They both knew as much about flying (Doolittle had a PHD in Aeronautical Engineering) as anyone on the planet. There is a moral in there I think.

They are exhibiting such trepidation at what they are to attempt and it must be playing with their confidence and resolve. I know I could never attempt such a feat.

The best documentary that I ever seen

Weird that many climbers have a feel of dread and happiness when they first see k2

Climbing in general is a real life metaphor for the epitome of living. It isn't about the valley or the peak, but the whole journey involved. You can't just set you goal on 1 thing and expect happiness when you finally get it.

That narrator sure has a way with words. I can feel myself climbing with these guys. The heights, the fears, the wonder. If I were young again there would be me.

More I watch this video, more scarry it is every time, that creepy moment got me there.. great video, what a story. God bless everyone

Climbers should have an agreement in the death zone: If you die your body will be left where it fell. Let it serve as a warning to future climbers rather than burying the evidence and risking more lives in doing so.

These climbers chose this path and have to accept the risks, these type of mountains were not made for humans to reach the top.

There’s an old climbing saying that is synonymous with peaks this high. If you’re going up beyond the death zone, and something happens to you… you have the rest of your life to fix it.

Great documentary that shows the dificulties and the changing clime ,in the way up ,to reach the top of this amazing montain, the K2 ! Some alpinists pay a high price, that means their own life ! Anyway ,these alpinists are in their way of life and their souls are climbing in high dimensions of god !

To know someone or several fellow climbers have died attempting the climb - but to ignore it and push on to achieve the victory of summiting just stuns me. Absolute summit fever and a height of insensitivity and selfishness higher than the peak they are trying to climb. Insane.

Most of these people are selfish because their actions hurt everyone who loved them - there was no need to do this for nothing other than personal ego.

Condolences to the families of the sherpas and porters that died.

Life in that high altitude base camp looks amazing, intense, beautiful, pure and challenging. I'd love to experience that. I wouldn't want to summit, because that shit looks dangerous. But staying in that camp for a while, if you can handle the low oxygen, looks like a dream.

Unbelivable I wouldn't even start to walk/climb to any mountain in the Alps after 3 p.m. but they, man, what an earth did they do up there

So why are y’all climbing again? 😬🤔