Deadly Peaks: Mountaineering's Greatest Triumphs and Tragedies

by Robert Hauptman, Frederic V. Hartemann

Overview

Deadly Peaks is a collection of the most notable mountaineering disasters and near-disasters in history; from the Alps, to the Himalaya, to the Andes, and everywhere in-between. Exhaustively researched by two of the most respected authorities on mountaineering history, the book is structured in a unique way: Longer recitations in chronological order followed by a group of briefer narratives, which all offer an intimate glimpse into the worst case-scenarios high altitude mountaineering can offer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781589798410
Publisher:	Falcon Guides
Publication date:	10/01/2016
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Fred Hartemann (PhD) is a physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. His professional work appears in the premier physics journals. Fred is an avid mountaineer and has been active for 35 years. He has climbed in many European and all North American countries. He is the coauthor of The Mountain Encyclopedia, among other works. Robert Hauptman (PhD) is a retired university professor and the editor of the Journal of Information Ethics. He too climbs regularly and in many different lands. He has managed to stand on the highpoint in 45 states. He is the coauthor of The Mountain Encyclopedia, one of his ca. 700 publications.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Foreword Kenneth Kamler xi

Introduction xiii

Part 1 Major Calamities and Extraordinary Triumphs 1

Section 1 The Matterhorn 3

Chapter 1 The Matterhorn, 1865: Whymper and the Fall 5

Section 2 Denali 11

Chapter 2 Denali, 1967: First Winter Expedition: Art Davidson 13

Chapter 3 Denali, 1967: The Wilcox Expedition 21

Section 3 K2 33

Chapter 4 K2, 1953: The Savage Mountain: Charles Houston and Art Gilkey 35

Chapter 5 K2, 1954: The First Ascent: Deception and Lies-Achille Compagnoni, Lino Lacedelli, and Walter Bonatti 43

Chapter 6 K2, 2008: Avalanche and Deaths: Wilco van Rooijen and Gerard McDonnell 51

Section 4 Cerro Torre 61

Chapter 7 Cerro Torre, 1959, 1970, 2012: The Towering Shadow of Deception: Maestri's Claimed Ascent 63

Section 5 Everest 85

Chapter 8 Everest, 1996: Death and Rebirth: Rob Hall, Beck Weathers, and Many Others 87

Section 6 Siula Grande 99

Chapter 9 Siula Grande, 1985: Joe Simpson's Escape 101

Section 7 Nanga Parbat 111

Chapter 10 Nanga Parbat, 1934: A German Tragedy 113

Chapter 11 Nanga Parbat, 1970: Günther Messner's Death 119

Part 2 Briefer Overviews 211

McKinley, 1906: Dr. Cooks Deception 213

Annapurna, 1950, Revisited: David Roberts vs. Maurice Herzog 219

The Pamirs, 1974: Fifteen Climbers Die 225

Terrorism: The Yellow Wall, 2000: Kidnapping and "Murder" in Kyrgyzstan, and Nanga Parbat, 2013: Eleven Mountaineers Murdered 233

Kings Canyon National Park, 2003: Amy Racina's Angels 241

Blue John Canyon, 2003: Aron Ralston 245

Everest, 2006: The Sad and Unnecessary Death of David Sharp 251

K2, 2010: Little Lies, Damning Lies: Christian Stangl's Ascent Hoax, and Kanchenjunga, 2009: Oh Eun-Sun's False Claim 259

Tunnel Creek, 2012: Avalanche 265

Everest, 2014: A Sherpa Tragedy 269

Conclusion 275

Glossary 277

About the Authors 286