K2: The 1939 Tragedy: The Full Story of the Ill-Fated Wiessner Expedition - Hardcover

Andrew J. Kauffman; William L. Putnam

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0906371694 ISBN 13: 9780906371695

Publisher: Diadem Books, 1992

Synopsis

After an incident-packed 1938 attempt, an American team made another bid to climb the world's second highest peak the following year. The expedition was led by the mercurial Austrian emigre Fritz Wiessner. With the more experienced climbers recovering after the events of 1938, Wiessner was forced to take a weaker team that included a number of rich but inexperienced climber/adventurers. The problem was compounded by a personality clash between the leader and the second most experienced climber, Jack Durrance. The attempt reached a dramatic climax when Wiessner, returning from a final solo summit bid was forced to leave the stricken Dudley Wolfe in a high camp, descending to get assistance and supplies, only to find the lower camps had been emptied of all food and equipment. When a rescue attempt was finally mounted three leading Sherpas perished and Wolfe was found dead. The subsequent recriminations between Wiessner and Durrance have soured American climbing circles for over 50 years. With the help of the only-recently-available Durrance diaries, Putnam and Kauffman have made a re-examination of the decisions and actions that led to tragedy.

About this title

Review:

In 1939 an American expedition attempted to make a first ascent of the world's second-highest peak, K2, in the Himalayas. Two members of the party came within 800 feet of the summit before turning back, and in the confusion and inclement weather that followed, four men lost their lives. Then one of the worst tragedies in mountaineering history, the 1939 K2 disaster was also noteworthy for its mystery and intrigue. Could any of the climbers be faulted for their actions? And if so, who? Surviving members added to this intrigue with their reticence.

The authors of K2: The 1939 Tragedy retrace the expedition's footsteps through compelling personal diaries as well as recently uncovered documents, and their effort to unravel one of mountaineering's great mysteries makes for thrilling reading.

About this edition

• Publisher: Diadem Books
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0906371694
• ISBN 13: 9780906371695
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224