K2 Dreams and Reality

K2. This terse acronym speaks volumes to mountaineers and adventurers worldwide. Second only to Mount Everest in altitude, the majestic peak in the Karakoram Range is an elusive dream that many climbers live for – and all too many die for.

Jim Haberl’s compelling and lavishly illustrated first-person account of his successful assault on the mountain in 1993 bristles with the danger and glistens with the splendour of his experience. He paints a vibrant portrait of the trans-Himalayan valleys of Pakistan, the land and its people, and of the struggles involved in transporting a modern alpine expedition – the 1993 American and Canadian K2 Expedition – to the base of the great mountain.

You are at his side as he describes, step by step, the arduous ascent he and his companions forged to the top. And, he spares no detail of his emotions along the way – exhilaration at his moment standing atop the world, and devastation at the death of his close friend and climbing partner, Dan Culver, on their descent from the peak.

Destined to become a classic of mountaineering lore, K2: Dreams and Reality will earn a cherished place on the bookshelves of experienced mountaineers and armchair explorers alike.