The 2008 K2 Disaster: Eleven people TRAGICALLY died on the mountain
K2 is one of the world's toughest climbs and has claimed the lives of more than 80 climbers. Mountaineers call it the Savage Mountain. It is both physically demanding and technically difficult, with a notorious couloir or gully towards the summit known as the Bottleneck that has traditionally been a major challenge for even the most experienced climbers.
K2 is a lot steeper than Everest. Basically, it's a giant pyramid. There are no easy routes, they are all hard. It also has its own weather system. The key factor that makes K2 challenging to climb, is its slopes that rise at 45 degrees angles or more and its surface characterized by limestone and ice. The mountain does not forgive any mistakes. The chance to die from a fall or from being hit by an icefall is disproportionately high.
The good weather rarely lasts long enough to complete an ascent. But for the hardcore, this is much of the attraction. For climbers and adventurers seeking the ultimate challenge for body and mind, there is nothing to match reaching the summit of K2. It’s the mountain of mountains, the climbers' summit. And for those who do succeed on reaching the top, it is an accomplishment.
On 1 August 2008, twenty-five climbers left Camp 4 to reach the summit of K2. It was a perfect day for climbing, one in a million, yet it turned out to be the deadliest day on the mountain when eleven climbers tragically died. They were swept away by avalanches, left dangling at the ends of their ropes and crushed by ice seracs.
Several factors led to the accident, including miscalculation, initial delays, traffic jam, and serac falls cutting off fixed ropes. They were a series of events, some preventable, some not. But what it had in common with many mountaineering disasters, including the 1996 Everest Disaster, was the continuation of a summit push past the safe turnaround time.
This is the story of the 2008 K2 Disaster.
#k2 #the2008k2disaster #epicadventurearchives
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Пікірлер: 52
This is, hands down, THE best video I have watched about the K2 2008 disaster. Your recap at the end, which focused on each climber who died, was very moving and added a lot. You find more photos of everyone that appear in your vids than I've ever seen or been able to find searching the net aggressively. Photos give me better insight into who these people were. Thanks for ALL you do!!
@deecawford
6 ай бұрын
I was truly impressed by this after watching many others. The respect and truth that is shown for these climbers is amazing. I’m a true fan of this channel now
@AlwaysHungryBruh
Ай бұрын
💯 agree the video and context is amazing compared to the rest of the stuff out there, however being a British Bengali, his Asian tone sends me in hysterics 😢
I was there & on the Summit also ! 8 Years ago already now ! It was one of the Biggest Experiences in my Alpinistic Life EVER !! Its a Balance Trip in between Life & Dead ! ⭐⭐⭐
As an audio tech, I must say that you did a great job in your narration. The noise gate was a good choice to cut out all unnecessary sounds while pausing👍
This is the most detailed, comprehensive presentation that I've found on this incident. Thank you for telling all of the stories with respect and not focusing on one person's narrative. It's obvious an incredible amount of work went into research and collecting pictures. I watched with subtitles but I enjoy your voice, accent, and presentation very much. I have so many conflicting thoughts and feelings about people who choose to take on such a dangerous endeavor.
@epicadventurearchives
6 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it. It was indeed a challenging task to make this video. There were several videos about this incident on YT but I wasn’t satisfied enough, and made my mind to make a detailed, accurate and comprehensive video about this topic. It took me almost a month to complete it as I was to research, write a script, do voiceover, look for photos and footages, edit and then add subtitles in postproduction.
Cecelia had to have been so lost when Rolf fell. He was just gone. My heart breaks. McDonald saved lives that day. Pimba is awesome. Thank man deserves the best and the most respect.
This was one of the most interesting and informative videos about a climbing desaster. I appreciate your good comments and the great footage. I know the story from „Summit“, a good movie about K2 desaster in 2008. But after watching your video everything happened has become understandable to me. I enjoyed your different maps of K2 and the south face, where you put informations about the different parts of the mountain, the camps and where the single fates happened. Well done, a gem of stories about famous mountains and mountaineering gone wrong. I also like the conclusion part of your video, where you honor all dead people of 2008 desaster, their fate and that of their families. I’m always looking forward to a new video from you on this informative channel. Greetings from Austria 🇦🇹
Wait so they wanted already sick exhausted climbers to carry a deceased body down K2 😳 noooooo. I can’t wrap my head around that. How horrible 💔
Incredibly well done! I am so grateful you took the time and effort to add captions because I got to enjoy the voiceover and focus on your material. I now understand the sequence of events more clearly. The information on those whose lost their lives was a wonderful tribute to them. Bravo!! ❤
@epicadventurearchives
3 ай бұрын
Glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching. Stay blessed.
the recap portion at the end is highly appriciated.well reaschered content
This cluster f by some idiots is making my blood boil. How can a group of people who should be considered and expected serious climbers make such stupid mistakes. 5 go up and nobody knows what they are doing and with what. They and a few others had no business being on K2. Very good objective presentation of the tragic events..but it seems there is more to the story of the mistakes made.
@anthonybicos602
6 ай бұрын
Leaderless leading the mindless leading the sightless - nature abhors a vacuum (especially in our heads).
@RichardBrock-fv1nq
4 ай бұрын
OR thry igbored the turnaround time and possibly (due to the sheer difficulty in even mounting a K2 ascent) decided "I may never get another shot at this, so..."@@anthonybicos602
Well researched and presented, thank-you. I really appreciate your videos and channel. Best wishes to you from Minnesota.
@epicadventurearchives
6 ай бұрын
Thank you for appreciation. Stay blessed
Wow! I love your detail. I’ve watched many documentaries on this horrible climb but this is the best! 🙌
It seems like many of these disasters are caused when teams "join" together.
@RichardBrock-fv1nq
4 ай бұрын
Even more whe they ignore the safe turaround time.
You did a great job on this documentary. Deserves much more likes.
Those poor Sherpas & donkey having to haul these people & their trash up the mountain 🏔️ probably being paid bare minimum to do it too 🤦♀️ smh.
Your voice is so soothing. I enjoyed every second of this doc. Such a horrific tragedy. 😢Thank you; your efforts are appreciated and your work here is exceptional. New Sub. ❤
@epicadventurearchives
4 ай бұрын
Glad it was helpful. Thanks for the visit.
Thank you for this great insight on this tragic epic event. Great job!
You are my favorite High Altitude Climbing youtube channel. Great video. However, I don't think you showed how Wilco took over much of the decision making for the teams - and how raging his summit fever was. After the deaths of the two in the bottleneck, and the mix up of the ropes, along with the late start - the teams should have turned around. But Wilco gave exactly 3 seconds of thought to it and said they would continue up. And then when he encountered the Koreans on the way down - he gave one of them an extra pair of gloves and then did nothing else to aid them. I really don't like Wilco's snake-like avoidance of any responsibility. Anyhow, that's just my opinion from the various documentaries I've watched about this tragedy.
Excellent video.
The Killer mountain indeed
My eyes where glued to the screen the entire time !! This was sooo detailed & informative the whole way through ❤subscribed.
The bottleneck includes the traverse. The whole things is the bottle neck until they pass the seracs.
very well explained 👍
First to comment! I always look forward to your content
@epicadventurearchives
6 ай бұрын
Thanks. Stay blessed
The land creates its own environment. Yes, K22 has its' own weather system. It's a huge chunk of land that is there for a reason. All land does the same thing. It produces its foliage, its weather, its animal kingdom, its people. That's why we find Koala bears only in Australia, Pandas in china, Zebras in Africa, parrots in jungles, etc. Does not matter where you transplant an animal.. to a different land, perhaps. It's roots remain in its original habitat, and will slowly die without being able to live out its purpose for the Land it's been born to. A zebra doesn't change into a horse if you try to mix the two together in herds. It won't happen naturally. It has to do with a common purpose and compatibility, it's not a cult. It's not a cult, in the way that human beings have designed and used cults, for their violent purposes. The human species has lost, or forfeited their connection to their land.. to collect something called 'wealth'.. a man made concept.. not in keeping with the rest of the planet, the natural world. We set ourselves apart, and now we're selected for extinction.
@RichardBrock-fv1nq
4 ай бұрын
LOL. NOTHING survives above a certain altitude, native species or not.
They should give pemba some money for saving so many people
I'm not a climber , I don't understand why McDonnel had to go back up to undo the ropes, why couldn't they just cut the ropes were the 3 fellows laid?
@Alice_Long
2 ай бұрын
He said in the video that cutting the ropes would cause the Koreans to fall to their deaths. The ropes had to be untangled, which took time.
@kc72186
8 күн бұрын
Der was most likely suffering from altitude sickness which would explain him giving all his possessions to Pemba at the summit. Standing on the summit of K2 at 7pm is pure suicide, their decision making abilities were clearly hindered.
contracts and harden? Ice expands
5:00
Can't understand him
I can't listen to him
The English spoken in this doc is sometimes hard to understand.
@donnamuller6460
6 ай бұрын
That’s what captions are for! I’m deaf and understood perfectly!
Cant understand a word
@weedOK
6 ай бұрын
turn on subtitles
@6Haunted-Days
6 ай бұрын
@@weedOKtrust this kind of big brain can’t read much either soooo……gotta love the uneducated and ignorant! 🙄😂🤡
@SilverWealth_Draper_Mint
6 ай бұрын
@@weedOK im unable to read.
@donnamuller6460
6 ай бұрын
@@SilverWealth_Draper_Mint I’d worry about my illiteracy long before I’d worry about someone’s accent!
@Highland804
5 ай бұрын
@@donnamuller6460possible this person is vision-impaired.