The Events

Three Cups of Tea
by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Background - what is mountain climbing like ....especially climbing a mountain like K2, the second tallest in the Karakoram mountain range?

"Back from K2 - Alive" is an interview with Heidi Howkins by MountainZone reporter, Peter Potterfield - excerpted here.

"Part of the allure," she said, "was the reputation of K2. And now that I have been there, I can say that the mountain definitely is one with a distinct character and personality. It lives up to its name—it's absolutely relentless. Not just the gradient, but the whole aura of the mountain wears on you. It's a mountain that you walk away from with a certain sense of awe and humility. It can really psyche you out."

The weather on K2 last season [1997] was so bad that no one summitted the peak. In fact, no climbers got high enough into the notorious "death zone" on K2—the classic venue for the all-too-familiar fatal situation that occurs every few years on the storied peak—to be in a life-threatening situation.

In 1986, 12 climbers, including English high-altitude star Al Rouse, perished when they were trapped by bad weather at Camp IV and were unable to descend, or else died trying. And again in 1992, four climbers perished when they were hit by a storm high on the mountain, including the UK's Alison Hargreaves, who had flown directly to K2 after a successful climb of Mount Everest." Read more .....

Mountain climbing would be less safe and more difficult without the valuable services of professional guides. "For over 25 years, the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) has been dedicated to supporting the guiding community through excellence in education, standards and certification to enhance the quality of services provided to the public, while serving as a resource for accessing and protecting the natural environment."