Book Review: K2 Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain by Ed Viesturs

Every once in a while a book comes along that I can't put down, and this was one of those. After reading his Mr. Viesturs "No Shortcuts to the Top" that became one of my favorite books, I was excited for this one, and there was no let down. The writing style and formula used in the book is very effective and gratifying. At first, wondering why his own K2 struggles were in the second section and not towards the last of the book, I came to realize as he told his story, the later struggles of the 1953, 1954, and 1986 teams became clearer as his own experiences and opinions provided depth to those. K2 is an amazing mountain, and by far the "Holy Grail" as Mr. Viesturs puts it. I became a true armchair adventurist while reading this one. For a moment I was with Charles Houston and their amazing brotherhood that made a great effort in 1953, to being with Fritz Wiessner as he and Pasang Lama got so very close in 1939, and of course I was there watching as Ed and Scott nearly got swept off the mountain in an avalanche in 1992. I have read other book about K2 which were also excellent, but the way this one draws you in to the grand scope of the many climbs, it gave me a sense of accomplishment as I received K2 history course 101. I highly recommend it to those that enjoy this topic.