K2: Mountain of Mountains

by Reinhold Messner

The story of Messner's climb of K2 without oxygen - an amazing feat even for today's best-conditioned climbers. Reinhold Messner is a super human mountaineer. The greatest thing about his success is that he survived all of his epic climbs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mountaineering, Adventure

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Reinhold Messner (born September 17, 1944) is an Italian mountaineer and explorer from South Tyrol, often cited as the greatest mountain climber of all time. He is renowned for making the first solo ascents of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen and for being the first climber to ascend all fourteen "eight-thousanders" (peaks over 8,000 metres above sea level). He is the author of at least 63 books (in German, 1970–2006), many of which have been translated into other languages.

Reviews

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite book by Reinhold Messner from what I've read from him so far. He gives a detailed account of the most important expeditions to K2, including his own in 1979. That was my favourite part of the book because it offered great insight into an important part of his mountaineering career.

It's followed by about 60 pages of historical account going deep into the people that shaped the exploration of K2. We also get a timeline of the expeditions to K2 and all successful summit attempts.

The stories in this book are gripping and told with sincerity, humour and humanity.

[T.J. Burr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hail to the king of the mountaineers! Read about Messner's climb of K2 without oxygen - an amazing feat even for today's best-conditioned climbers. I’m continually amazed of Reinhold’s incredible fitness and knack for survival. He survived so many adventures in some of the world’s toughest places. Lance Armstrong is a super human cyclist, and Reinhold Messner is a super human mountaineer. The greatest thing about his success is that he survived all of his epic climbs. It is a 3-4 star book, but a 5-plus star adventure.

For another book with tales of adventure on a more “recreational” scale, try "Rocky Mountain Adventure Collection."

[Heidi Hus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story, even greater mountaineer, still this book isn’t written by a literary natural and it shows. Hard to get through at times, nonetheless it was a fantastic report of the hardest mountain to climb

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really informative!

[Thomas Emerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly a journal of sorts, with lots of photographs of the expedition. Don't expect too much and you'll come away having enjoyed it.

[Sebastian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great first hand account of the '79 Messner K2 expedition that reached the summit. The book is based on the accounts of the two authors. Their diary entries are interspersed with short one to two page chapters about different aspects of the expedition and lots of interesting photos. At times their diaries become a little bit too personal (in terms of details shared).

[Simone Righi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 stars - I liked it.

If you're interested in K2, I recommend this book. In it, you will find the general history of the mountain: initial exploration, first expeditions, first ascent, his expedition etc..