Climbing Mount Everest is one of the most challenging and
rewarding experiences any adventurer can have. Yet despite being the
second-highest mountain on earth, K2 which lies between the borders of Pakistan
and China, with its high altitude, lack of oxygen, and its tendency to be
victim to severe storms, is by far one of the most dangerous mountains on earth. It is renowned for being
extremely difficult to conquer.
For every four people who have reached the Summit, one
person has either died trying or died on the descent, the most dangerous part
of the climb. Along with the four base camps to reach before the top, there are
treacherous crevices and passageways, (known on K2 as the ‘bottleneck’) to overcome
as well as impossible vertical walls of ice and snow. One slip up and you’re
history. In the past 17 years, all fatalities on K2 have occurred in or around
the bottleneck, proving K2’s history of deadly upper slopes.
2008 proved to be one of the worst and most tragic
mountaineering disasters in recent history, when 11 men out of 22 people from
several different hiking groups were killed when a large piece of ice (known as
a ‘serac’) fell during an avalanche destroying lifeline rope equipment and
killing instantly any mountaineer in its path. Among the dead were three men
from South Korea, two of which were cousins, and Gerard ‘Gerry’ McDonnell, the
first Irishman to ever reach the summit.
Director Nick Ryan and his team travel to K2 to uncover
exactly what happened that day in an extraordinarily insightful, factual and
engrossing documentary, with heart breaking discoveries. With the use of
archive footage, recreations and interviews with survivors from the tragedy and
relatives from those who were killed, the end result is very moving and
emotional.
The superb cinematography and quality of filming gets as
close to the action as you would ever wish to be. A gripping tale of man versus nature.
VERDICT: * * * * *
This compelling and haunting film was shown at both the recent London and Sundance Film Festivals, highlighted as one of the best documentaries of the year.
This compelling and haunting film was shown at both the recent London and Sundance Film Festivals, highlighted as one of the best documentaries of the year.
If you enjoyed the excellent The Wildest Dream back in 2010, then
this is definitely up your alley. A superb film and one that lingers with you.
To find out more about The Summit and to see the trailer, visit: http://www.sundance-london.com/event/summit
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