Alan Arnette: Everest vs. K2

633 South Broadway,Boulder CO 80305

14 July, 2022

Description

We all know about Everest, the world’s highest mountain, and some say, the world’s highest circus these days. And K2, well, it’s a peak with a bad reputation. One in four dies who climb it. It only has 5% of the 11,000 summits on Everest. So which is the baddest mountain? Both mountains have fascinating histories. Did Mallory and Irvine die heading up to the summit and back down. On K2, what really appended to Dudley Wolfe in1939. Was he left to die by the German team he helped fund? And today, Everest attracts climbers like a light to bugs. But why and who are these people? K2 used to attract the best of the best, but is it turning into Everest, complete with throngs of Sherpa fixing ropes and people climbing with massive amounts of supplemental oxygen. People who have never climbed above 8000-meters in their lives. Has K2 been tamed now that it was summited in winter, the last of the fourteen 8000ers to see a winter summit? Of fourteen 8,000-meter peaks, these two are the most famous, but for different reasons. One for geography, another for the challenge. The saying goes, if you want to brag, summit Everest. If you want respect, summit K2. Is that still true today?