“More people have been in outer space than have been on the summit of K2”. It’s a thought-provoking fact that’s revealed in the intro to Peak Danger, the new season of the BBC’s Extreme podcast.
Why is propelling ourselves above the Earth's atmosphere, 62 miles above sea level, in rockets, less deadly than climbing a 28,000ft mountain with our own two feet?
American historian Natalia Mehlman Petrzela delves deeper into the attraction to and risks of high-altitude mountaineering in the podcast made up of eight episodes. She explores what it takes for climbers to stand at the top of the K2, the Himalayan mountain, which is the second-highest on Earth.
Specifically, she follows the story of newlyweds Cecilie Skog and Rolf Bae who found themselves in the middle of the 2008 tragedy when 11 climbers were killed after an avalanche swept away their ropes.
On K2 on August 1, 2008, Skog and Bae were among a group of 31 climbers who set off for the final day's ascent. Tragically, a serac – a huge block or shelf of ice – fell, killing one climber and sweeping away the ropes they needed to descend. The climbers were left stranded in the death zone – at an altitude where oxygen pressure is too low for humans to survive beyond a short amount of time – as night fell.
The podcast, with contributions from Skog (pictured above), explores their 'addiction' to mountaineering and asks the question, “is it really worth risking death to feel alive?”.
“Why would someone pay to go to a place called the death zone?”
Petrzela discusses the Gilkey Memorial, a rock cairn near base camp that is dedicated to all the climbers who have died on K2. Plaques are attached to rocks, each one inscribed with details about the deceased climber, including when they went missing or were found dead.
It isn’t enough to deter climbers.
She also explores summit fever, the overwhelming compulsion to reach the summit of a mountain, and how that overrode Skog's feelings of doubt when the couple discovered a case of missing equipment.
Using other interviews with survivors, experts, and climbers, Extreme: Peak Danger sheds light on the physical, mental, and emotional toll of these daring climbs, plus the fine line between ambition and survival.
Touching the void
The global mountaineering community is full of legendary people who have risked life to complete what only the few can.
Mountaineer and film director Jimmy Chin nearly died in a huge avalanche in 2002 while attempting to climb and ski Everest's north face.
He returned in 2006 to achieve the challenge with Kit DesLauriers, and Rob DesLauriers, becoming the first Americans to complete the feat.
In 2011 he also survived a class-4 avalanche while skiing in the Grand Teton Range, Wyoming.
Perhaps the most famous of the current crop of climbing greats, daring free solo climber Alex Honnold fell, breaking his neck, pelvic bone and four ribs in 2002 while climbing in Aspen, Colorado. He also suffered a collapsed right lung and kidney and liver damage.
He went on to complete the first-ever free solo ascent of Yosemite's El Capitan in 2017, a feat that was captured by Chin in his Free Solo documentary film, winning an Oscar for Best Documentary in the process.
Tommy Caldwell is known to be one of the world's most resilient big wall climbers, surviving a traumatic kidnapping in 2000 and the loss of his left index finger in an accident in 2001.
In 2015 he completed the first free ascent of El Capitan's Dawn Wall, a feat that took him and climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson 19 gruelling days and nights.
“8,000m of just slowly dying” – what are the dangers of mountaineering?
A voice in Peak Danger describes climbing K2 as “8,000m of just slowly dying”. But what are the actual dangers mountaineering poses?
- Areas of high altitude (above 8,000ft) up the ante for climbers who can suffer from altitude sickness and exposure.
- Avalanches are more common at high altitude due to an abundance of snow and ice, freeze-thaw cycles and high winds.
- Extreme low temperatures that occur at high altitudes can cause conditions such as hypothermia and frostbite.
- Snow structures, such as crevasses and cornices, can also increase your risk of life-threatening falls.
- Extreme weather can cause whiteout conditions, making it difficult to navigate.
Technical expertise, experience, skill and the right gear are key to summiting as safely as possible.
