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Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day
When Edmund Hillary first conquered Mt. Everest, Sherpa Tenzing Norgay was at his side. Indeed, for as long as Westerners have been climbing the Himalaya, Sherpas have been the unsung heroes in the background. In August 2008, when eleven climbers lost their lives on K2, the world’s most dangerous peak, two Sherpas survived. They had emerged from poverty and political turmoil to become two of the most skillful mountaineers on earth. Based on unprecedented access and interviews, Buried in the Sky reveals their astonishing story for the first time.
Peter Zuckerman and Amanda Padoan explore the intersecting lives of Chhiring Dorje Sherpa and Pasang Lama, following them from their villages high in the Himalaya to the slums of Kathmandu, across the glaciers of Pakistan to K2 Base Camp. When disaster strikes in the Death Zone, Chhiring finds Pasang stranded on an ice wall, without an axe, waiting to die. The rescue that follows has become the stuff of mountaineering legend.
At once a gripping, white-knuckled adventure and a rich exploration of Sherpa customs and culture, Buried in the Sky re-creates one of the most dramatic catastrophes in alpine history from a fascinating new perspective.
Peter Zuckerman and Amanda Padoan explore the intersecting lives of Chhiring Dorje Sherpa and Pasang Lama, following them from their villages high in the Himalaya to the slums of Kathmandu, across the glaciers of Pakistan to K2 Base Camp. When disaster strikes in the Death Zone, Chhiring finds Pasang stranded on an ice wall, without an axe, waiting to die. The rescue that follows has become the stuff of mountaineering legend.
At once a gripping, white-knuckled adventure and a rich exploration of Sherpa customs and culture, Buried in the Sky re-creates one of the most dramatic catastrophes in alpine history from a fascinating new perspective.
286 pages, Hardcover
First published June 11, 2012
1110 people are currently reading
14986 people want to read
About the author
Peter Zuckerman
2 books24 followersPeter Zuckerman is a journalist and author. He has received some of the most prestigious recognitions in American journalism.
At age 26, he won the Livingston Award, the largest, all-media, general reporting prize in America. His writing has also won the National Journalism Award, given by the Scripts Howard Foundation for the best newspaper writing in the United States; and the Blethan Award, given for the best journalism in the northwest. PBS profiled Zuckerman in an hour-long documentary, "In a Small Town," and Harvard University’s Nieman Foundation for Excellence in Journalism profiled Zuckerman as part of a series about courageous reporting.
Zuckerman has served as visiting faculty at the Poynter Institute, the St. Petersburg, Florida-based journalism organization, and he has taught journalism at universities and professional seminars. He is a resident of the Falcon Art Community and a teacher at the Attic Institute. Zuckerman lives in Portland, Oregon.
At age 26, he won the Livingston Award, the largest, all-media, general reporting prize in America. His writing has also won the National Journalism Award, given by the Scripts Howard Foundation for the best newspaper writing in the United States; and the Blethan Award, given for the best journalism in the northwest. PBS profiled Zuckerman in an hour-long documentary, "In a Small Town," and Harvard University’s Nieman Foundation for Excellence in Journalism profiled Zuckerman as part of a series about courageous reporting.
Zuckerman has served as visiting faculty at the Poynter Institute, the St. Petersburg, Florida-based journalism organization, and he has taught journalism at universities and professional seminars. He is a resident of the Falcon Art Community and a teacher at the Attic Institute. Zuckerman lives in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 899 reviews
January 21, 2022
One mark of a terrific read is when I go down a rabbit hole online to read more about the subject and search to see if a documentary was made. This book met those criteria.
The subject is one of the worst climbing disasters in history on K2, the deadliest mountain range for high altitude climbers. The death toll is roughly 30%, so what drives climbers? I’m not sure, but one thing is certain, the Sherpa who accompany the foreign climbers do so because, living in an area with few opportunities, it’s the only way to lift them out of poverty, put food on the table, and put their children through school.
This is not just another climbing disaster book. The authors do a fantastic job introducing readers to the culture, beliefs and customs of the ethnic Sherpas. We follow two, Chhiring and Pasang from their childhood to the fateful climb in the summer of 2008, and we meet their families. I particularly appreciated that we were given the story through a Sherpa’s perspective, giving them recognition and a voice in a sport that typically highlights the Western climbers who gain fame and fortune through corporate sponsors. Sherpas make the climbs possible, doing much of the laying of the lines and the heavy work.
In 2008 eighteen climbers started out, but only 7 survived. The factors that led to such a devastating loss of life are varied and still the subject of some controversy. One thing for certain is that it was not just one thing that went wrong, it was a perfect storm of circumstances, timing, and poor decisions. Failing to adhere to the turn-around time, necessitating a climb down from the summit at night, and a falling serac (a block of glacier ice) which destroyed the lines, played a major role.
The facts of what happened in this disaster are thoroughly and painstakingly recounted and it was riveting reading. The details of the grueling climb, the effects on the human body, the reach to the summit and the disasters and dangers during the descent kept me glued to the page, as if I was right there beside them. As in all disasters, there are true heroes depicted.
The question that Marialyce and I had as we read was mostly “WHY?” But then we are both missing the 'danger gene' and are more couch potatoes than adrenaline junkies.
I finished this book with sadness for the lives that were lost, but also with a newfound understanding and admiration for the Sherpas.
Our duo review of this can be found here:https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...
The subject is one of the worst climbing disasters in history on K2, the deadliest mountain range for high altitude climbers. The death toll is roughly 30%, so what drives climbers? I’m not sure, but one thing is certain, the Sherpa who accompany the foreign climbers do so because, living in an area with few opportunities, it’s the only way to lift them out of poverty, put food on the table, and put their children through school.
This is not just another climbing disaster book. The authors do a fantastic job introducing readers to the culture, beliefs and customs of the ethnic Sherpas. We follow two, Chhiring and Pasang from their childhood to the fateful climb in the summer of 2008, and we meet their families. I particularly appreciated that we were given the story through a Sherpa’s perspective, giving them recognition and a voice in a sport that typically highlights the Western climbers who gain fame and fortune through corporate sponsors. Sherpas make the climbs possible, doing much of the laying of the lines and the heavy work.
In 2008 eighteen climbers started out, but only 7 survived. The factors that led to such a devastating loss of life are varied and still the subject of some controversy. One thing for certain is that it was not just one thing that went wrong, it was a perfect storm of circumstances, timing, and poor decisions. Failing to adhere to the turn-around time, necessitating a climb down from the summit at night, and a falling serac (a block of glacier ice) which destroyed the lines, played a major role.
The facts of what happened in this disaster are thoroughly and painstakingly recounted and it was riveting reading. The details of the grueling climb, the effects on the human body, the reach to the summit and the disasters and dangers during the descent kept me glued to the page, as if I was right there beside them. As in all disasters, there are true heroes depicted.
The question that Marialyce and I had as we read was mostly “WHY?” But then we are both missing the 'danger gene' and are more couch potatoes than adrenaline junkies.
I finished this book with sadness for the lives that were lost, but also with a newfound understanding and admiration for the Sherpas.
Our duo review of this can be found here:https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...
March 2, 2019
I am not of the same mindset, nor do I understand the mindset of those who seek out extreme opportunities for danger. Climbing Mt. Everest or K2? Nope, not me. That's also not why I decided to read this book. It was the culture and Sherpa people, that region of the world that attracted.
The authors did a great job combination cultural characteristics, with history and regional description, and the story of how and why the Sherpas became porters for the climbers. How their names are given and why. Their beliefs and superstitions concerning these mountains and how they derived. How they can climb to high altitudes with little or no oxygen. Their arteries are actually wider than ours from living in those higher regions, but there are other factors as well. We come to know the two Sherpas who survive K2 when eleven climbers perish. And of course, their is much on climbing, but told in such a fascinating matter I was interested in spite of my initial lack of interest.
Their is some of the political situation recent past and present I this part of the the world, some on the religion. There are even a few humorous musing, the most memorable being the people who paid the climbing company $65,000, and thought they were getting a chairlift up to Everest and sued the company when they found out they actually had to climb. I also didn't expect to find Alastair Crowley in a book such as this, but there he was. Anyway a good mix and a fascinating story.
The authors did a great job combination cultural characteristics, with history and regional description, and the story of how and why the Sherpas became porters for the climbers. How their names are given and why. Their beliefs and superstitions concerning these mountains and how they derived. How they can climb to high altitudes with little or no oxygen. Their arteries are actually wider than ours from living in those higher regions, but there are other factors as well. We come to know the two Sherpas who survive K2 when eleven climbers perish. And of course, their is much on climbing, but told in such a fascinating matter I was interested in spite of my initial lack of interest.
Their is some of the political situation recent past and present I this part of the the world, some on the religion. There are even a few humorous musing, the most memorable being the people who paid the climbing company $65,000, and thought they were getting a chairlift up to Everest and sued the company when they found out they actually had to climb. I also didn't expect to find Alastair Crowley in a book such as this, but there he was. Anyway a good mix and a fascinating story.
April 19, 2013
Ever since I read Jon Krakauer's 'Into Thin Air', I thought I would never read another book on high altitude climbing that would be as evocative of the mountain, written with such lucid and terrifying intimacy. This book proves me wrong. It is just as touching and profoundly moving as Krakauer's book and brings to the fore the many issues that are not usually reported in detail while climbing a mountain like K2. At its core, the book is a tribute to the unhonored and unsung heroes of Himalayan Mountaineering - the Sherpas. I recently read Jonathan Neale's excellent book, 'Tigers of the Snow', which sought to secure the Sherpas their rightful and legitimate place at the altar of high-altitude climbing. It is heartwarming to read another book which follows up on the same theme in the context of the disastrous 2008 climb of K2.
At the outset, it is tempting to see so many parallels with the 1996 Everest disaster, chronicled in 'Into Thin Air'. Both expeditions were led by experienced climbers. Both expeditions made the mistake of continuing on to the summit well after the deadline of 2 pm for turning back. In both expeditions, there were later accusations of under-experienced climbers being lured up to the summit by commercial demands. And there was a traffic jam in the Death zone in both expeditions. A careful reading of this book shows that in the case of the 2008-K2 disaster, it is unfair to jump to hasty conclusions and point the finger at anyone. The truth in such tragic adventures always lies somewhere between the extremes.
Taking a cue, perhaps, from 'Into Thin Air', this book begins in the Bottleneck, the deadliest stretch of mountain in the Death Zone, when Sherpa Chirring Dorje finds fellow-Sherpa Pasang Lama at midnight, hopelessly stranded on an ice wall, without his axe, waiting to die. Pasang asks Chirring to go ahead and save himself. Chirring declines, saying that he will try to rescue and get him down and if it is so ordained, they will both die together. The book goes on to describe the sensational rescue that followed which is now part of mountaineering lore. Then, the authors step back in time and give a detailed account of the poverty, social customs and culture of the Sherpas in the Rolwaling valley of Nepal and then bring the narrative back to Pakistan for the 2008 K2 ascent. The rest of the book is the gripping account of the climb by teams from the Netherlands, Korea, Spain, Serbia, Italy and Norway, along with their high-altitude porters from Baltistan and the Sherpas from Nepal. It is at once a gripping, tense, nervous adventure, re-creating a dramatic catastrophe in alpine history. The book also raises very serious moral and ethical questions that are inherent in such mountaineering expeditions and makes us ponder over them deeply. Finally, the book finds closure by following up on the families of the dead Balti porters and Sherpas in the aftermath of the expedition.
I wouldn't go into the details of the expedition itself since much has been reported on this elsewhere. For my part, I was particularly disturbed by some of the moral and ethical issues that the authors have raised in the book. One of them relates to Insurance. Two thirds of the porters heading up to K2 were uninsured, inspite of the regulations of Pakistan saying otherwise. Even if a porter is insured, his family is paid $1200, and that too, for only 'visible death accidents'. If no one witnesses the death - as commonly happens when porters are spread out or lost in a crevasse - the policy is void. On average, only two insured porters die a 'qualifying death' each year! No one tracks the deaths of uninsured porters. This issue was raised by Jonathan Neale also in his book 'Tigers of the Snow'.
The other highly disturbing question is: How much can the 'Sahibs' demand of a Sherpa in terms of asking him to undertake a mission that is fraught with grave danger for the Sherpa's own life? Is a Sherpa's life more expendable than that of a 'Sahib'? Does the Sahib own the Sherpa's life? This is brought out in poignant detail by the authors. As morning broke on the day following the summit, four members of the Korean team were still missing high up on the mountain from Camp 4. The weather was deteriorating and Mr.Kim of the Korean team asks Big Pasang and Tsering Lama, the Sherpas on his team, to head up and rescue them. Both the Sherpas knew that it was dangerous to go up at that moment because of potential avalanche conditions, lack of visibility and their own level of exhaustion. But Tsering Lama felt that he had no choice and that Mr.Kim had hired him to help immediately and not wait till it is safe for him. He says, 'He paid us money. So, we act as though he owns our lives'. Elsewhere, a Pakistani high-altitude porter also reflects the same sentiment and feels compelled to put his own life in danger for the sake of the Sahibs' security. In both cases, the consequences can be disastrous for their families back home if they die. Later on, the Korean team spends $60000 for an unnecessary helicopter evacuation from the Base camp for their team. The authors ruefully remark that had they simply hiked down from basecamp just as the others did, the $60K could have been used to secure the dead Sherpas' wives and children's life for good.
The other fascinating issue that caught my attention was the question of communication when people of so many different backgrounds converged at dangerous points on the mountain, depending on each other. The Sherpas spoke English but the Balti porters spoke only Balti or Urdu or a local dialect. Only one of the Balti porters spoke both English and Urdu and so he was a key element in communication. Unfortunately, he falls sick early on and goes down to basecamp, leaving the Sherpas and Balti porters climbing together without any means of understanding each other. This contributes to some major problems up on the Bottleneck and above. There is also a sidelight of interest on the Sherpas. Usually, one reads about the Western climbers not respecting the skill, strength and knowledge of the Sherpas on the mountains. Whereas on K2, having climbed Everest many times, the Sherpas did not respect the Balti porters' knowledge or experience on K2, resulting in serious mistakes in laying the ropes on the Bottleneck and the dangerous Traverse.
This book is a brilliant and compelling read and I enjoyed reading it very much. It is wonderful to find an account that takes a look at Himalayan mountaineering history through the Sherpas' eyes and showing another perspective of the same events and men.
At the outset, it is tempting to see so many parallels with the 1996 Everest disaster, chronicled in 'Into Thin Air'. Both expeditions were led by experienced climbers. Both expeditions made the mistake of continuing on to the summit well after the deadline of 2 pm for turning back. In both expeditions, there were later accusations of under-experienced climbers being lured up to the summit by commercial demands. And there was a traffic jam in the Death zone in both expeditions. A careful reading of this book shows that in the case of the 2008-K2 disaster, it is unfair to jump to hasty conclusions and point the finger at anyone. The truth in such tragic adventures always lies somewhere between the extremes.
Taking a cue, perhaps, from 'Into Thin Air', this book begins in the Bottleneck, the deadliest stretch of mountain in the Death Zone, when Sherpa Chirring Dorje finds fellow-Sherpa Pasang Lama at midnight, hopelessly stranded on an ice wall, without his axe, waiting to die. Pasang asks Chirring to go ahead and save himself. Chirring declines, saying that he will try to rescue and get him down and if it is so ordained, they will both die together. The book goes on to describe the sensational rescue that followed which is now part of mountaineering lore. Then, the authors step back in time and give a detailed account of the poverty, social customs and culture of the Sherpas in the Rolwaling valley of Nepal and then bring the narrative back to Pakistan for the 2008 K2 ascent. The rest of the book is the gripping account of the climb by teams from the Netherlands, Korea, Spain, Serbia, Italy and Norway, along with their high-altitude porters from Baltistan and the Sherpas from Nepal. It is at once a gripping, tense, nervous adventure, re-creating a dramatic catastrophe in alpine history. The book also raises very serious moral and ethical questions that are inherent in such mountaineering expeditions and makes us ponder over them deeply. Finally, the book finds closure by following up on the families of the dead Balti porters and Sherpas in the aftermath of the expedition.
I wouldn't go into the details of the expedition itself since much has been reported on this elsewhere. For my part, I was particularly disturbed by some of the moral and ethical issues that the authors have raised in the book. One of them relates to Insurance. Two thirds of the porters heading up to K2 were uninsured, inspite of the regulations of Pakistan saying otherwise. Even if a porter is insured, his family is paid $1200, and that too, for only 'visible death accidents'. If no one witnesses the death - as commonly happens when porters are spread out or lost in a crevasse - the policy is void. On average, only two insured porters die a 'qualifying death' each year! No one tracks the deaths of uninsured porters. This issue was raised by Jonathan Neale also in his book 'Tigers of the Snow'.
The other highly disturbing question is: How much can the 'Sahibs' demand of a Sherpa in terms of asking him to undertake a mission that is fraught with grave danger for the Sherpa's own life? Is a Sherpa's life more expendable than that of a 'Sahib'? Does the Sahib own the Sherpa's life? This is brought out in poignant detail by the authors. As morning broke on the day following the summit, four members of the Korean team were still missing high up on the mountain from Camp 4. The weather was deteriorating and Mr.Kim of the Korean team asks Big Pasang and Tsering Lama, the Sherpas on his team, to head up and rescue them. Both the Sherpas knew that it was dangerous to go up at that moment because of potential avalanche conditions, lack of visibility and their own level of exhaustion. But Tsering Lama felt that he had no choice and that Mr.Kim had hired him to help immediately and not wait till it is safe for him. He says, 'He paid us money. So, we act as though he owns our lives'. Elsewhere, a Pakistani high-altitude porter also reflects the same sentiment and feels compelled to put his own life in danger for the sake of the Sahibs' security. In both cases, the consequences can be disastrous for their families back home if they die. Later on, the Korean team spends $60000 for an unnecessary helicopter evacuation from the Base camp for their team. The authors ruefully remark that had they simply hiked down from basecamp just as the others did, the $60K could have been used to secure the dead Sherpas' wives and children's life for good.
The other fascinating issue that caught my attention was the question of communication when people of so many different backgrounds converged at dangerous points on the mountain, depending on each other. The Sherpas spoke English but the Balti porters spoke only Balti or Urdu or a local dialect. Only one of the Balti porters spoke both English and Urdu and so he was a key element in communication. Unfortunately, he falls sick early on and goes down to basecamp, leaving the Sherpas and Balti porters climbing together without any means of understanding each other. This contributes to some major problems up on the Bottleneck and above. There is also a sidelight of interest on the Sherpas. Usually, one reads about the Western climbers not respecting the skill, strength and knowledge of the Sherpas on the mountains. Whereas on K2, having climbed Everest many times, the Sherpas did not respect the Balti porters' knowledge or experience on K2, resulting in serious mistakes in laying the ropes on the Bottleneck and the dangerous Traverse.
This book is a brilliant and compelling read and I enjoyed reading it very much. It is wonderful to find an account that takes a look at Himalayan mountaineering history through the Sherpas' eyes and showing another perspective of the same events and men.
February 7, 2022
Surely to climb mountains is a great aspiration for some. It takes preparation, stamina, strength, and a will to conquer what others have tried but few have succeeded in doing. It also involves the overhanging threat of death.
K2 is the second highest mountain on Earth, with an elevation of 28, 251 feet. It is also the second most dangerous mountain to climb, a claim made by many climbers. On August 1, 2008, climbers from various teams around the globe were about to climb this treacherous mountain. They had prepared for the conditions they would face or so they thought. There are many obstacles facing the men and one woman, altitude sickness, oxygen deprivation, weather, the falling of seracs, and of course avalanches. Assisted by Sherpas and high-altitude porters, the group prepares to head out. Along the way there are four camps for them to acclimatize themselves to and so the ten groups after waiting two months for good weather travel out to achieve their goal.
Time is of the essence and to start the groups head out later than anticipated. As the wonderful Sherpas head out at midnight to fix lines for the climbers, the most experienced Sherpa, Shaheen Baig has to go back down because he is suffering high altitude sickness (vomiting, tiredness, confusion, headaches and dizziness). His absence will be sorely missed as he was the only one to have previously climbed K2 and was able to communicate in the various languages that the climbers and their team spoke. It seemed like a foretelling of disaster. However, continue they did and after some issues involving which side to climb, they continued along unknowing that the rope lines had been laid out too soon, and they eventually ran out of rope. They were at the dead zone an area that contained the infamous Bottleneck where there was room for just one person at a time. So, at 3pm, a time that was surely too late they set out. Delayed by having to climb back down to retrieve the rope previously used, more time was lost.
So, the deaths would begin. At this point two climbers fell Mandic and Baig when Mandic unlocked himself to let another climber go before him, he lost his balance and fell more than 300 feet. In a rescue attempt that ultimately failed, Jehan Baig, suspected of having high altitude sickness fell to his death. The mountain had claimed two people so far.
For the rest, the summit is reached much later than safety would require and then they were required to climb in the dark. Disaster struck again as a serac fell cutting all the fixed lines leaving the area more treacherous than it originally was. The choice was to descend in the dark with no lines are spend the night in the dead zone.
The next morning, another serac falls, leaving the Korean team entrapped by their ropes hanging. Although some tried to rescue them, it was a futile effort, and the mountain claimed more lives. Another serac and an avalanche was to fall missing a climber by inches. He later found the remains of another climber.
Meanwhile some Sherpas went back up the mountain to try and assist those who remained. It was a futile effort as another serac and avalanche descended sweeping four men to their deaths.
In all, eleven climbers lost their lives attempting to conquer the mountain, while the others were injured losing toes to frostbite, hurt seriously trying to follow their passion of climbing the world's most dangerous mountain.
In this book, we are given details, some of which are murky from survivors' remembrances of this fatal adventure. Jan and I read this book, and questioned as to why anyone would want to do such a thing. This driving compulsion to climb, to place their life on the line, to challenge nature, to be one of the over three hundred who have summited this mighty mountain. Was it worth the risk, exposing one's body and mind to subzero temperatures with death sitting on your shoulders? I guess only a mountain climber could answer that question.
What should never be neglected is gratitude and recognition for the Sherpas and high-altitude porters for without their unfailing courage, the climbs would not be possible. They are a special people raised in higher altitude conditions with an exceptional respect for their gods and goddesses who they feel dwell in these mountains. They risk life and limb for what to us seems little pay so that their families can live a better life than the poor lives many have in front of them.
This is an amazing story, scary, grisly at times which points to the fact that people will always do the things that call to them, no matter the risks involved, or the death that may await them at the next step they take.
K2 is the second highest mountain on Earth, with an elevation of 28, 251 feet. It is also the second most dangerous mountain to climb, a claim made by many climbers. On August 1, 2008, climbers from various teams around the globe were about to climb this treacherous mountain. They had prepared for the conditions they would face or so they thought. There are many obstacles facing the men and one woman, altitude sickness, oxygen deprivation, weather, the falling of seracs, and of course avalanches. Assisted by Sherpas and high-altitude porters, the group prepares to head out. Along the way there are four camps for them to acclimatize themselves to and so the ten groups after waiting two months for good weather travel out to achieve their goal.
Time is of the essence and to start the groups head out later than anticipated. As the wonderful Sherpas head out at midnight to fix lines for the climbers, the most experienced Sherpa, Shaheen Baig has to go back down because he is suffering high altitude sickness (vomiting, tiredness, confusion, headaches and dizziness). His absence will be sorely missed as he was the only one to have previously climbed K2 and was able to communicate in the various languages that the climbers and their team spoke. It seemed like a foretelling of disaster. However, continue they did and after some issues involving which side to climb, they continued along unknowing that the rope lines had been laid out too soon, and they eventually ran out of rope. They were at the dead zone an area that contained the infamous Bottleneck where there was room for just one person at a time. So, at 3pm, a time that was surely too late they set out. Delayed by having to climb back down to retrieve the rope previously used, more time was lost.
So, the deaths would begin. At this point two climbers fell Mandic and Baig when Mandic unlocked himself to let another climber go before him, he lost his balance and fell more than 300 feet. In a rescue attempt that ultimately failed, Jehan Baig, suspected of having high altitude sickness fell to his death. The mountain had claimed two people so far.
For the rest, the summit is reached much later than safety would require and then they were required to climb in the dark. Disaster struck again as a serac fell cutting all the fixed lines leaving the area more treacherous than it originally was. The choice was to descend in the dark with no lines are spend the night in the dead zone.
The next morning, another serac falls, leaving the Korean team entrapped by their ropes hanging. Although some tried to rescue them, it was a futile effort, and the mountain claimed more lives. Another serac and an avalanche was to fall missing a climber by inches. He later found the remains of another climber.
Meanwhile some Sherpas went back up the mountain to try and assist those who remained. It was a futile effort as another serac and avalanche descended sweeping four men to their deaths.
In all, eleven climbers lost their lives attempting to conquer the mountain, while the others were injured losing toes to frostbite, hurt seriously trying to follow their passion of climbing the world's most dangerous mountain.
In this book, we are given details, some of which are murky from survivors' remembrances of this fatal adventure. Jan and I read this book, and questioned as to why anyone would want to do such a thing. This driving compulsion to climb, to place their life on the line, to challenge nature, to be one of the over three hundred who have summited this mighty mountain. Was it worth the risk, exposing one's body and mind to subzero temperatures with death sitting on your shoulders? I guess only a mountain climber could answer that question.
What should never be neglected is gratitude and recognition for the Sherpas and high-altitude porters for without their unfailing courage, the climbs would not be possible. They are a special people raised in higher altitude conditions with an exceptional respect for their gods and goddesses who they feel dwell in these mountains. They risk life and limb for what to us seems little pay so that their families can live a better life than the poor lives many have in front of them.
This is an amazing story, scary, grisly at times which points to the fact that people will always do the things that call to them, no matter the risks involved, or the death that may await them at the next step they take.
August 4, 2012
I read Into Thin Air and was curious how these authors would tell this mountain climbing disaster story differently and cover new ground. That they did - The cultural perspective from the indigenous people who work on the mountains and in the mountain climbing trade touched upon the livelihood/poverty, modernity, and ethical/spiritual beliefs made this book come alive for me. I'm not an adrenaline junkie so the conquest of the mountain part was never all that appealing. Putting your life literally on the line for this job just so that you can make a decent living for your family is only part of the story for these climbers/porters. These young men also have a love/hate relationship with the business of climbing and a deep and spiritually connected respect of and healthy fear of their mountains.
I particularly liked the family stories and regional histories - such as how "sherpa" came about. The racism of the paying clients is infuriating as is the expectation of servitude towards the porters and local climbers. That said the authors don't beat one over the head with this "analysis". They tell the story and let the situation(s) speak for themselves. I also liked that the finger pointing about who did what wrong that killed all these climbers was not central to the story. Each life taken was given its own merit and respect.
I particularly liked the family stories and regional histories - such as how "sherpa" came about. The racism of the paying clients is infuriating as is the expectation of servitude towards the porters and local climbers. That said the authors don't beat one over the head with this "analysis". They tell the story and let the situation(s) speak for themselves. I also liked that the finger pointing about who did what wrong that killed all these climbers was not central to the story. Each life taken was given its own merit and respect.
September 8, 2025
This is the best book of its kind I've read. Very well researched & documented, and I really loved having the high altitude workers be the main characters for once.
June 20, 2022
4.5 stars rounded up. Essential reading in the mountaineering disaster canon, if only because it's the only one I've read to give two hoots about the Sherpa people/high altitude porters and their history/culture/humanity beyond a mention or two. I found the history of the Sherpa people and culture, inclusion of their folklore/myths, explanations of their naming conventions, etc. fascinating and illuminating. Just the framework of how they view things that happen on the mountain relative to their folklore/beliefs lends the mountain and disasters on it a whole new character.
Getting to see the 2008 disaster on K2 from their perspective offered a whole new angle and texture to that climb/disaster/rescue. I was so invested in the main figures/characters and who would live or die--even though I knew, sadly, most of them featured died. Devastating. I also appreciated more insights into the Korean climbing team, who gets general flack in the story (as they should imo), but because multiple of the Sherpas who died were employed by them, this book goes into more detail about the history with that team/personalities/dynamics. I also recommend reading No Way Down, which chooses to focus on the Western climbers who suffered in that tragedy, including the polarizing figures Marco and Wilco. Buried in the Sky, of course, covers the full scope of the tragedy, but chooses to focus on first person/detailed accounts of the Sherpa and HAP climbers primarily, which sets the book apart.
And then the writing in this?! Some of the BEST narrative writing I've read in all these mountaineering books I've devoured. Don't know if it was Peter or Amanda responsible, but whomever is was, bravo. There were simply some gorgeous turns of phrase, vivid imagery, and harrowing tense passages due to the evocative writing.
I wouldn't say it's my favorite of the K2 books, but regardless it's definitely one I recommend. It covers such a (sadly) unique angle of modern commercial mountaineering and more people should pick it up.
Getting to see the 2008 disaster on K2 from their perspective offered a whole new angle and texture to that climb/disaster/rescue. I was so invested in the main figures/characters and who would live or die--even though I knew, sadly, most of them featured died. Devastating. I also appreciated more insights into the Korean climbing team, who gets general flack in the story (as they should imo), but because multiple of the Sherpas who died were employed by them, this book goes into more detail about the history with that team/personalities/dynamics. I also recommend reading No Way Down, which chooses to focus on the Western climbers who suffered in that tragedy, including the polarizing figures Marco and Wilco. Buried in the Sky, of course, covers the full scope of the tragedy, but chooses to focus on first person/detailed accounts of the Sherpa and HAP climbers primarily, which sets the book apart.
And then the writing in this?! Some of the BEST narrative writing I've read in all these mountaineering books I've devoured. Don't know if it was Peter or Amanda responsible, but whomever is was, bravo. There were simply some gorgeous turns of phrase, vivid imagery, and harrowing tense passages due to the evocative writing.
I wouldn't say it's my favorite of the K2 books, but regardless it's definitely one I recommend. It covers such a (sadly) unique angle of modern commercial mountaineering and more people should pick it up.
February 18, 2025
I liked that this book focuses on the Sherpas - two in particular - Chhiring and Pasang. It takes a close up look at the Sherpa's world from growing up in tiny Himalayan villages to becoming porters and climbing guides. And it explains how Chhiring and Pasang ended up on K2 during that deadliest day.
January 3, 2020
Rounding up from 3.5 stars.
Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2’s Deadliest Day really is, well, an extraordinary story.
If you’re at all like me, the idea of climbing huge mountains seems utterly ridiculous. What drives people to need to reach the summit of these forbidding peaks, risking their lives and making enormous investment of time and money to do so?
Many mountaineering adventure books follow the climbers, their backgrounds, and their experiences. Buried in the Sky focuses instead on the Sherpas, the people who make other people’s climbs possible. The wealthy foreigners with their corporate sponsors and fancy equipment may get the spotlight, but what about the indigenous people who ascend on climb after climb, lugging gear, setting ropes, and enabling foreign climbers to pursue their dreams?
I learned so much from reading Buried in the Sky. “Sherpa” is commonly used as a word to describe the people who work on climbs and carry equipment, but the word Sherpa actually denotes an ethnicity. Among the people of Tibet, Nepal, and Pakistan, there is fierce competition and resentment among the different ethnic groups who seek the lucrative jobs that come with high altitude climbing support.
The book clearly illustrates how attractive these jobs are, providing an income that exceeds by far anything the local villagers can expect to earn in their lifetimes, enabling the high altitude porters to support their families to such an extent that the extreme risks seems worthwhile.
The story of the 2008 K2 climb is harrowing, as we get to know the Sherpa climbers and their backstories, as well as the paying climbers who hire them. There are so many factors working against a successful climb. It’s really mind-boggling to me that anyone would even attempt this or see this type of climb as a goal, but hey, I’ve never claimed to be an outdoor adventurer!
I do wish the book had provided more details on K2 itself. While there are some photos of the sherpas and climbers from the expedition, there are only a handful of maps scattered throughout the book. Even though the focus of the books is on the sherpas and their lives, more information on the mountain itself would have been helpful. It was hard for me to fully visualize the various challenges and dangers of each step of the climb.
There seems almost to be an assumption of basic familiarity with K2 on the part of the authors, so I often felt that I was thrown in the middle and expected to understand.
This is a case where a book should perhaps have been longer. While Buried in the Sky is a relatively quick read, I feel it would have benefited by going more in-depth on the mountain itself and the climbing process.
Still, Buried in the Sky is a fascinating story, showing the mistakes and miscommunications that contributed to the 2008 disaster — and yet, even a perfectly executed climb could likely end in death. It’s a scary, interesting, engrossing read — I just wish there had been a bit more.
Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2’s Deadliest Day really is, well, an extraordinary story.
If you’re at all like me, the idea of climbing huge mountains seems utterly ridiculous. What drives people to need to reach the summit of these forbidding peaks, risking their lives and making enormous investment of time and money to do so?
Many mountaineering adventure books follow the climbers, their backgrounds, and their experiences. Buried in the Sky focuses instead on the Sherpas, the people who make other people’s climbs possible. The wealthy foreigners with their corporate sponsors and fancy equipment may get the spotlight, but what about the indigenous people who ascend on climb after climb, lugging gear, setting ropes, and enabling foreign climbers to pursue their dreams?
I learned so much from reading Buried in the Sky. “Sherpa” is commonly used as a word to describe the people who work on climbs and carry equipment, but the word Sherpa actually denotes an ethnicity. Among the people of Tibet, Nepal, and Pakistan, there is fierce competition and resentment among the different ethnic groups who seek the lucrative jobs that come with high altitude climbing support.
The book clearly illustrates how attractive these jobs are, providing an income that exceeds by far anything the local villagers can expect to earn in their lifetimes, enabling the high altitude porters to support their families to such an extent that the extreme risks seems worthwhile.
The story of the 2008 K2 climb is harrowing, as we get to know the Sherpa climbers and their backstories, as well as the paying climbers who hire them. There are so many factors working against a successful climb. It’s really mind-boggling to me that anyone would even attempt this or see this type of climb as a goal, but hey, I’ve never claimed to be an outdoor adventurer!
I do wish the book had provided more details on K2 itself. While there are some photos of the sherpas and climbers from the expedition, there are only a handful of maps scattered throughout the book. Even though the focus of the books is on the sherpas and their lives, more information on the mountain itself would have been helpful. It was hard for me to fully visualize the various challenges and dangers of each step of the climb.
There seems almost to be an assumption of basic familiarity with K2 on the part of the authors, so I often felt that I was thrown in the middle and expected to understand.
This is a case where a book should perhaps have been longer. While Buried in the Sky is a relatively quick read, I feel it would have benefited by going more in-depth on the mountain itself and the climbing process.
Still, Buried in the Sky is a fascinating story, showing the mistakes and miscommunications that contributed to the 2008 disaster — and yet, even a perfectly executed climb could likely end in death. It’s a scary, interesting, engrossing read — I just wish there had been a bit more.
August 12, 2022
While the writing about the mass climbing tragedy on K2 in 2008 is not quite at John Krakower's level, the story about the Sherpas and Shimsali guides and their families makes for a more profound read than Into Thin Air.
Quite a good deal of history on the people of this part of the Himalayas. A devastating story nonetheless.
4.5 to 5 stars
Quite a good deal of history on the people of this part of the Himalayas. A devastating story nonetheless.
4.5 to 5 stars
February 28, 2019
Much has been written about the tragedy on K2 in August 2008 in which eleven souls were lost. However, this book tells the story of the Sherpas on that expedition, whether they were among the dead or survived the mission. Their stories as well as their culture and beliefs are discussed in this excellent book by Peter Zuckerman and Amanda Padoan.
The book begins in the Bottleneck, which is located on the most dangerous section of the mountain known as the Death Zone. There one of the Sherpas, Chirring Dorje, finds fellow Sherpa Pasang Lama stranded without some of his vital equipment. Instead of continuing onward, Chirring stays with Pasang and becomes part of a very famous rescue. From there, the book is a page turner, alternating between descriptions of this particular climb and subsequent disaster and discussions on the lifestyle of the Sherpas.
These passages are some of the most fascinating in the book as a reader will learn about the Sherpa culture, their beliefs, their myths and the strong bonds many of them have to family. One of the most fascinating aspects of their mythology is that it is believed that their supreme goddess sustains herself on human flesh and that deaths of climbers occur when she is hungry. Their simple lifestyle when not climbing and their substantial financial windfall when paid by climbers (especially those with commercial sponsors, such as those on this mission) was also discussed in excellent detail.
While the climbers’ fates are also featured, other books on this expedition usually provide more details about their stories. This book was written to show the work of those who usually do not get the credit they deserve and was told through their viewpoint – which was a joy to read as it told of this tragic day from a completely different perspective.
The book begins in the Bottleneck, which is located on the most dangerous section of the mountain known as the Death Zone. There one of the Sherpas, Chirring Dorje, finds fellow Sherpa Pasang Lama stranded without some of his vital equipment. Instead of continuing onward, Chirring stays with Pasang and becomes part of a very famous rescue. From there, the book is a page turner, alternating between descriptions of this particular climb and subsequent disaster and discussions on the lifestyle of the Sherpas.
These passages are some of the most fascinating in the book as a reader will learn about the Sherpa culture, their beliefs, their myths and the strong bonds many of them have to family. One of the most fascinating aspects of their mythology is that it is believed that their supreme goddess sustains herself on human flesh and that deaths of climbers occur when she is hungry. Their simple lifestyle when not climbing and their substantial financial windfall when paid by climbers (especially those with commercial sponsors, such as those on this mission) was also discussed in excellent detail.
While the climbers’ fates are also featured, other books on this expedition usually provide more details about their stories. This book was written to show the work of those who usually do not get the credit they deserve and was told through their viewpoint – which was a joy to read as it told of this tragic day from a completely different perspective.
August 3, 2012
A blog reader recommended Buried in the Sky to me based on my interest in Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air which I read several years back and loved. Both books are about mountain climbing which is something that I’m kind of fascinated with but really have no desire to do. My lack of desire to go mountain climbing is probably the direct result of reading books like this. It seems like people are always falling off the mountain, disappearing into crevasses or freezing to death at altitudes not that far below the cruising altitude of most jets. It may not make for much fun in reality, but man, does it make for some fascinating reading.
Into Thin Air chronicled a disastrous run for the summit of Mt. Everest. Buried in the Sky takes on K2, the world’s second highest peak and one of only 14 mountains that top out about 8000 meters. This book takes a specific look at the Sherpa climbers that help international climbers make it to the top of the world’s tallest mountains. Without their help, most attempts wouldn’t end in success. And, as Buried in the Sky amply demonstrates, even with the help of Sherpa climbers, there’s no guarantee that the climb will be without incident.
K2 is, without question, a more difficult climb than Everest. One need look no further than its fatality rate of 25% – for every four successful ascents, there has been one fatality during the attempt. Only around 300 people have successfully climbed K2, where as over 2500 people have managed to make it to the top of Everest. The weather is forbidding, the climb a rocky and difficult one. Ice cliffs have a tendency to calve off, crushing climbers as they attempt to scale the mountain. To many Sherpas, this is the mountain goddess exacting revenge for even trying to climb the mountain. Climbing K2, in their view, is sacriligious.
But in one of the poorest parts of the world, the money helping climbers is hard to resist. In August of 2008, several groups attempting to reach the summit of K2 with the assistance of Sherpa climbers met with disaster, not so much from bad weather but just from very bad luck. This is the story that Buried in the Sky tells. The tales of mountainside death and drama leave you on the edge of your seat. I cannot even imagine what it would be like to be tangled in fixed ropes, hanging upside down on the face of K2 all night in sub zero weather. My brain can’t even wrap around the thought of it. And that is just one of the many tribulations that face the climbers on their retreat from the summit of K2.
Overall, I really enjoyed Buried in the Sky although it does pale a bit in comparison to Into Thin Air and really, that comparison is inevitable. My biggest trouble with Buried in the Sky is that I didn’t feel as engaged in the story as I did with Into Thin Air. I think it might have to do with how the story was told – Into Thin Air‘s first person narrative put you right in the middle of the tragedy on Everest, whereas Buried in the Sky takes a more distant view of the events. I also didn’t feel like I got to know the characters as well in Buried in the Sky. It was hard to differentiate people – I kept having to go to the characters list in the beginning of the book to figure out who was who and why I cared again. I think that it was just too large of a cast to really allow you to connect. Still, it was a worthy read about something that I will never do in my life. And I’m okay with that.
Into Thin Air chronicled a disastrous run for the summit of Mt. Everest. Buried in the Sky takes on K2, the world’s second highest peak and one of only 14 mountains that top out about 8000 meters. This book takes a specific look at the Sherpa climbers that help international climbers make it to the top of the world’s tallest mountains. Without their help, most attempts wouldn’t end in success. And, as Buried in the Sky amply demonstrates, even with the help of Sherpa climbers, there’s no guarantee that the climb will be without incident.
K2 is, without question, a more difficult climb than Everest. One need look no further than its fatality rate of 25% – for every four successful ascents, there has been one fatality during the attempt. Only around 300 people have successfully climbed K2, where as over 2500 people have managed to make it to the top of Everest. The weather is forbidding, the climb a rocky and difficult one. Ice cliffs have a tendency to calve off, crushing climbers as they attempt to scale the mountain. To many Sherpas, this is the mountain goddess exacting revenge for even trying to climb the mountain. Climbing K2, in their view, is sacriligious.
But in one of the poorest parts of the world, the money helping climbers is hard to resist. In August of 2008, several groups attempting to reach the summit of K2 with the assistance of Sherpa climbers met with disaster, not so much from bad weather but just from very bad luck. This is the story that Buried in the Sky tells. The tales of mountainside death and drama leave you on the edge of your seat. I cannot even imagine what it would be like to be tangled in fixed ropes, hanging upside down on the face of K2 all night in sub zero weather. My brain can’t even wrap around the thought of it. And that is just one of the many tribulations that face the climbers on their retreat from the summit of K2.
Overall, I really enjoyed Buried in the Sky although it does pale a bit in comparison to Into Thin Air and really, that comparison is inevitable. My biggest trouble with Buried in the Sky is that I didn’t feel as engaged in the story as I did with Into Thin Air. I think it might have to do with how the story was told – Into Thin Air‘s first person narrative put you right in the middle of the tragedy on Everest, whereas Buried in the Sky takes a more distant view of the events. I also didn’t feel like I got to know the characters as well in Buried in the Sky. It was hard to differentiate people – I kept having to go to the characters list in the beginning of the book to figure out who was who and why I cared again. I think that it was just too large of a cast to really allow you to connect. Still, it was a worthy read about something that I will never do in my life. And I’m okay with that.
October 5, 2016
The one thing that always bugged me about stories about mountain climbing was how little press the Sherpas got. True, you climbed whatever, but who did all the heavy lifting. Wouldn't true mountain climbing be doing the work of a Sherpa?
This book actually looks at a mountain tragedy with the focus on the Sherpas. Instead of the focus on white and Japanese people climbing a mountain, the reader is given information about what causes people to make a living shelpping stuff up and down mountains for people who wouldn't normally care about them.
It makes for a pretty compelling read and tells the story of tragedy from a viewpoint that is not commonly used, but should be.
This book actually looks at a mountain tragedy with the focus on the Sherpas. Instead of the focus on white and Japanese people climbing a mountain, the reader is given information about what causes people to make a living shelpping stuff up and down mountains for people who wouldn't normally care about them.
It makes for a pretty compelling read and tells the story of tragedy from a viewpoint that is not commonly used, but should be.
Read
March 12, 2025ніжно люблю “трукрайм” про навіжених екстремалів та інших шукачів пригод на свою дупцю. «поховані в небі» ідеально вписується, такий собі пост мортем однієї особливо невдалої спроби підкорення найнепривітнішої вершини світу. за формою це документальний трилер із нелінійним монтажем: людяний, моторошний, захопливий. реально, не міг випустити з рук навіть під час обіду. і як же добре було його читати під чашечку чаю, щоб ніяких відірваних тромбів, обмерзлих кінцівок та набряклих легенів.
з відмінностей від іншого контенту подібного штибу: з першої ж сторінки автори кажуть, що книга буде не тільки про відважних альпіністів, що підіймаються закріпленими на скелях мотузками, а й про тих, хто ті мотузки дбайливо там закріпив. нарешті хтось вирішив підзвучити голоси шерпів та портерів, яким зазвичай немає місця в подібних історіях (чи може то я такі обирав, хз).
з так званих мінусів: книжці СТРАШНО не вистачає фоток з піку К2, про які йдеться наприкінці оповіді. чому так званих? бо я чудово розумію, що права на ті знімки належать їх власникам. як добре, що в нас усіх є інтернет, еге ж?
решта книжки — суцільні плюси. бородатий тамарин, будь ласка, не зупиняйтесь таке видавати.
з відмінностей від іншого контенту подібного штибу: з першої ж сторінки автори кажуть, що книга буде не тільки про відважних альпіністів, що підіймаються закріпленими на скелях мотузками, а й про тих, хто ті мотузки дбайливо там закріпив. нарешті хтось вирішив підзвучити голоси шерпів та портерів, яким зазвичай немає місця в подібних історіях (чи може то я такі обирав, хз).
з так званих мінусів: книжці СТРАШНО не вистачає фоток з піку К2, про які йдеться наприкінці оповіді. чому так званих? бо я чудово розумію, що права на ті знімки належать їх власникам. як добре, що в нас усіх є інтернет, еге ж?
решта книжки — суцільні плюси. бородатий тамарин, будь ласка, не зупиняйтесь таке видавати.
March 19, 2025
4,5⭐️
«Розсудливість приходить із досвідом, а досвід є наслідком нерозсудливості».
Цікавий виклад історії, де я більше дізнався про шерпів, і загалом пізнавальної інформації валом. К2 це космос, на якому Еверест майже «дитяча» прогулянка. А взагалі підкорювати такі вершини це таки невиправданий ризик, який не вартує нічого. Було класно сказано про це, але я то не застікерив: суть - що підкорювати гори такої складності це тупо.
Маю ще «У розрідженому повітрі», яку вже три роки ніяк не можу прочитати, тепер думаю таки прочитаю, бо вана тут згадується і картина стане ще ціліснішою.
Дякую Максу і Тамарину за такі книги!
«Розсудливість приходить із досвідом, а досвід є наслідком нерозсудливості».
Цікавий виклад історії, де я більше дізнався про шерпів, і загалом пізнавальної інформації валом. К2 це космос, на якому Еверест майже «дитяча» прогулянка. А взагалі підкорювати такі вершини це таки невиправданий ризик, який не вартує нічого. Було класно сказано про це, але я то не застікерив: суть - що підкорювати гори такої складності це тупо.
Маю ще «У розрідженому повітрі», яку вже три роки ніяк не можу прочитати, тепер думаю таки прочитаю, бо вана тут згадується і картина стане ще ціліснішою.
Дякую Максу і Тамарину за такі книги!
August 11, 2012
Granted my interest in camping, climbing, kayaking and the like far surpasses that of many of my friends. I sometimes feel like a odd duck in my suburban life as my family and I head out on our adventures. Once a friend even asked how I could possibly like camping as she could not fathom why I would "want to live like a homeless person for the weekend." The fact that she doesn't "get it" is frustrating and yet doesn't daunt me.
So that makes me a hypocrite of sorts because, for the life of me, I do not understand the drive it takes to want to climb the world's highest peaks. Actually, now that I think about it, I do know what it takes. I also know that I don't have what it takes. I have absolutely no desire to stand at the top of the world. Why? I'm too chicken. I prefer beauty at a safer, easier, more attainable level. My risk tolerance threshold sits well below 28,251 feet.
This book once again drove that preference home to me...and it did so being told from the perspective of the Sherpas who, as far, as I am concerned, are the heroes and workers of many (if not most) high peak expeditions. This book gave great perspective as to how economics leads this group of people to do what they do (granted they also have to be brave, adventuresome, strong, and tolerant.) However, the majority of the stories told in this book lead you to believe that many of these men began this job based on sheer economic need. They had families to support in a place where there are not a lot of high paying options.
This was a well told account of a terrible series of events that unfolded on K2 in April, 2008. It tells of the climb mainly from the perspective of the Sherpas on this expedition. You are given family, friend and historical perspective on each of the Sherpa climbers. While you never get to any of them really well you do get to know them well enough to feel the depth of the tragedies.
I've sat at a the dinner table when friend, Scott Fischer, announced to a room a full of people that he was going to climb Everest again. I've seen the concern wash over his supportive wife's face with that announcement. I'm familiar with the devastation when he did not return. It's a life I can't imagine. No one, of any economic standing, loves their spouse, father or brother any less. Sherpas are no different in their grief when they lose a loved one to the mountain.
Loss of any life due to climbing accidents is a tragedy. People, Sherpas included, know what they are getting into and the dangers that it poses before they start. They have my respect -- my respect and my hypocritical wondering of just why anyone would want to do something so hard and so dangerous. More power to them but may my children never want to try. The worry alone might kill me.
So that makes me a hypocrite of sorts because, for the life of me, I do not understand the drive it takes to want to climb the world's highest peaks. Actually, now that I think about it, I do know what it takes. I also know that I don't have what it takes. I have absolutely no desire to stand at the top of the world. Why? I'm too chicken. I prefer beauty at a safer, easier, more attainable level. My risk tolerance threshold sits well below 28,251 feet.
This book once again drove that preference home to me...and it did so being told from the perspective of the Sherpas who, as far, as I am concerned, are the heroes and workers of many (if not most) high peak expeditions. This book gave great perspective as to how economics leads this group of people to do what they do (granted they also have to be brave, adventuresome, strong, and tolerant.) However, the majority of the stories told in this book lead you to believe that many of these men began this job based on sheer economic need. They had families to support in a place where there are not a lot of high paying options.
This was a well told account of a terrible series of events that unfolded on K2 in April, 2008. It tells of the climb mainly from the perspective of the Sherpas on this expedition. You are given family, friend and historical perspective on each of the Sherpa climbers. While you never get to any of them really well you do get to know them well enough to feel the depth of the tragedies.
I've sat at a the dinner table when friend, Scott Fischer, announced to a room a full of people that he was going to climb Everest again. I've seen the concern wash over his supportive wife's face with that announcement. I'm familiar with the devastation when he did not return. It's a life I can't imagine. No one, of any economic standing, loves their spouse, father or brother any less. Sherpas are no different in their grief when they lose a loved one to the mountain.
Loss of any life due to climbing accidents is a tragedy. People, Sherpas included, know what they are getting into and the dangers that it poses before they start. They have my respect -- my respect and my hypocritical wondering of just why anyone would want to do something so hard and so dangerous. More power to them but may my children never want to try. The worry alone might kill me.
August 31, 2025
This book provides an account of the 2008 climbing disaster on K2. Unlike many mountaineering books that follow western climbers, this book focuses on the experiences of high-altitude workers, Chhiring Dorje Sherpa and Pasang Lama. In addition to detailing events leading up to the tragedies, it also covers the region’s history and cultures of the people who live there. It is told from multiple perspectives, based on interviews, firsthand accounts, and historical documents, which the authors spent three years researching. It conveys a sense of the chaos of the day, including the many small decisions that led to tragedy.
The 2008 K2 disaster claimed the lives of 11 climbers, yet there were also dramatic survival stories and acts of heroism. Chhiring Dorje Sherpa's remarkable act of saving Pasang Lama using a single rope is one of the highlights of the narrative. The authors, Peter Zuckerman and Amanda Padoan, emphasize the brutal reality of K2 and its unpredictable weather, avalanches, and narrow margins for error. They also explore ethical issues related to high-altitude climbing, particularly the disparity between those who climb for personal ambition versus those who do so out of economic necessity. I found it gripping, heart-breaking, and thought-provoking.
The 2008 K2 disaster claimed the lives of 11 climbers, yet there were also dramatic survival stories and acts of heroism. Chhiring Dorje Sherpa's remarkable act of saving Pasang Lama using a single rope is one of the highlights of the narrative. The authors, Peter Zuckerman and Amanda Padoan, emphasize the brutal reality of K2 and its unpredictable weather, avalanches, and narrow margins for error. They also explore ethical issues related to high-altitude climbing, particularly the disparity between those who climb for personal ambition versus those who do so out of economic necessity. I found it gripping, heart-breaking, and thought-provoking.
January 24, 2021
A real fascinating account on the deadly climb of K2 in 2008 I think. I've read a few books like this but this is one of the better ones. I liked that the authors gave a clear picture of who went a long and who sadly lost their life as well. It gave the story more strength is effectiveness and I was really moved by their story. I find it fascinating reading memoir and biography's about people going to the extreme lengt for a kick or something else but I will never understand them.
May 15, 2022
"Pochowani w niebie. Niezwykła historia Szerpów i tragicznego dnia na K2" to dobry reportaż górski, który wymaga nieco cierpliwości i samozaparcia podczas czytania.
Pierwsza część książki sprawia bowiem wrażenie, że czytamy książkę jakby nie na temat. Są w niej opisani szerpowie, którzy zdobywali np. Mount Everest, jakieś miejscowe legendy i życiorysy osób, których początkowo zupełnie nie kojarzymy.
Druga część wciąga jak dobry, mroczny thriller. Jeśli ktoś nie ma zielonego pojęcia o tym, co stało się na K2 w 2008 roku to śledzi całą fabułę z zapartym tchem. Wie, że wydarzy się coś złego, ale zastanawia się jak i dlaczego doszło do tego wszystkiego.
Początkowo myślałam, że będę na nie, ale ostatecznie polecam tę pozycję wszystkim wielbicielom górskich opowieści. Książka uzupełniona jest o zdjęcia i mapy, co dodaje jej charakteru. Po odłożeniu skłoniła mnie do refleksji, co oceniam jako jej dodatkowy atut.
Pierwsza część książki sprawia bowiem wrażenie, że czytamy książkę jakby nie na temat. Są w niej opisani szerpowie, którzy zdobywali np. Mount Everest, jakieś miejscowe legendy i życiorysy osób, których początkowo zupełnie nie kojarzymy.
Druga część wciąga jak dobry, mroczny thriller. Jeśli ktoś nie ma zielonego pojęcia o tym, co stało się na K2 w 2008 roku to śledzi całą fabułę z zapartym tchem. Wie, że wydarzy się coś złego, ale zastanawia się jak i dlaczego doszło do tego wszystkiego.
Początkowo myślałam, że będę na nie, ale ostatecznie polecam tę pozycję wszystkim wielbicielom górskich opowieści. Książka uzupełniona jest o zdjęcia i mapy, co dodaje jej charakteru. Po odłożeniu skłoniła mnie do refleksji, co oceniam jako jej dodatkowy atut.
August 31, 2025
О, Вау! Я не могла відірватись. Часто не могла дихати, ніби теж була там наверху в розрідженому повітрі, але кинути книжку неможливо.
Було дуже цікаво не тільки дізнатись про страшну трагедію на К2, а взагалі про тонкощі сходження на вершини, зокрема про роботу шерпів.
Це страшно читати, але книжка багато розкриває фішок цього виду адреналінової наркоманії. Коротше, читайте.
Було дуже цікаво не тільки дізнатись про страшну трагедію на К2, а взагалі про тонкощі сходження на вершини, зокрема про роботу шерпів.
Це страшно читати, але книжка багато розкриває фішок цього виду адреналінової наркоманії. Коротше, читайте.
September 26, 2019
Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day by Peter Zuckerman (W.W. Norton & Co. 2012) (796.522095) (3391).
Most armchair mountaineers are familiar with the tragedy in the Himalaya in 1996 when eight climbers died on Mt. Everest when they were trapped by weather in the “Death Zone” above 26000 feet on the highest mountain on earth. However, until I picked up Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day by Peter Zuckerman, I was completely unaware of a different climbing tragedy which occurred on K2 in 2008. An unexpected storm at altitude on K2, which is earth's second-highest mountain peak, took the lives of eleven climbers who were attempting to descend after summiting.
This is the story of that fiasco on K2 and the heroic rescue that kept the loss of life as low as it was. It is a cautionary tale of what happens when hubris meets a survival sport.
There were two intertwined threads that I found particularly fascinating. The first of these introduced me to “The Gilkey Memorial” which is a communal grave to the south of Base Camp at K2 between two glaciers. Named for Art Gilkey, an American who died climbing K2 in 1953, the Gilkey Memorial is a cairn of stones near Base Camp where climbers dispose of the human body parts found strewn each season about the mountain that the glaciers have disgorged.
As Peter Zuckerman describes it,
“The Gilkey Memorial is a grisly necessity because corpses rarely make it down the mountain in one piece. For Everest losses, families sometimes send a recovery team. This doesn't happen on K2. The Savage Mountain devours its victims during the long winter between climbing seasons. It encases the torsos in ice and grates them against the rocks, only to spit out the digested remains decades later, scattering limbs among the avalanche debris.
“When Art Gilkey's team gathered stones to honor their friend in 1953, they started a morbid tradition. To keep the campsites sanitary, climbers began using the memorial as a place to dispose of the fingers, pelvic bones, arms, heads, and legs found in the glacial melt. Burying these scraps under the Gilkey Memorial felt more respectful than leaving them to the ravens. For more than half a century, the memorial has been a place to caution the living and consecrate the dead. Mountaineers attempting K2 visit the site to remind themselves of what they are getting into......On hot days, the cairn stews with the scent of defrosting flesh, and the odor clings to mourners' hair and clothing.” (Buried in the Sky, p. 102).
The second thread which I found to be fascinating was a passage about the Buddhist rite known as “sky burial.” According to Peter Zuckerman,
“...[B]uddhists prefer to cremate the dead. The smoke carries the spirit to the sacred realm above...When someone dies above the timberline and it's hard to find firewood, a sky burial substitutes for cremation. Although outsiders consider sky burials barbaric, [to Buddhists] this was the sacred way to free the soul. During a sky burial, Buddhist lamas or others with religious authority carry the body to a platform on a hill. While burning incense and reciting mantras, they hack the corpse into chunks and slices. They pound the bones with a rock or hammer, beating the flesh into a pulp and mixing in tea, butter, and milk. The preparation attracts vultures, and the birds consume the carcass, carrying the spirit aloft and burying it in the sky, where it belongs.” (Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day, p. 103).
Wow. Just....Wow. My rating: 7.5/10, finished 9/15/19 (3391).
July 4, 2024
An incredible story of human bravery and endurance. Peter Zuckerman* and Amanda Padoan retell the tragedy of a deadly attempt to summit K2 in "Buried In the Sky." But, unlike the press coverage at the time, the pair focus on the actions of the high altitude porters instead of their European and Korean clients. It is an amazing story. Not only did the porters save the lives of many of their clients, going to great extremes to rescue them, they were ignored by Western media and publicity hungry climbers.
K2 is a scary mountain. Everest has been climbed by thousands. The death rate for climbers is 0.7%. For K2 it is around 30%. Your odds of survival would be better landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day. Only a relative handful of people have summited K2 and made it back alive.
Zuckerman and Padoan take the reader into the lives and culture of the porters. The economic and social factors are complex. The money a porter can make supporting professional mountaineers is far greater than any other locally available work. But Zuckerman and Padoan made the effort to learn and then inform their readers of what the porters must endure to maintain their employment. They speak with relatives and friends as well as the porters who survived the ordeal. Not all of them did. Several died trying to assist their clients who had become stranded and/or disoriented as they attempted a nighttime descent from K2's summit.
The authors also don't shy away from the kinds of behaviors high altitude climbers indulge in. One climber collapsed next to a climbing trail and was passed by without a single offer of assistance by around 40 fellow, mostly European and American, climbers. By the time porters reached him, he had died of exposure. Reaching the summit took precedence over others lives.
While climbing is a popular recreation in the area I live, I've never taken much of an interest in and know next to nothing about it, much less high altitude mountaineering. Probably just as well.
I'd highly recommend "Buried In the Sky" to anyone interested in mountaineering or enjoy a story of incredible human effort and tragedy.
*full disclosure - I was casual friends with Peter when he worked as a reporter for our local paper, the Post Register.
K2 is a scary mountain. Everest has been climbed by thousands. The death rate for climbers is 0.7%. For K2 it is around 30%. Your odds of survival would be better landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day. Only a relative handful of people have summited K2 and made it back alive.
Zuckerman and Padoan take the reader into the lives and culture of the porters. The economic and social factors are complex. The money a porter can make supporting professional mountaineers is far greater than any other locally available work. But Zuckerman and Padoan made the effort to learn and then inform their readers of what the porters must endure to maintain their employment. They speak with relatives and friends as well as the porters who survived the ordeal. Not all of them did. Several died trying to assist their clients who had become stranded and/or disoriented as they attempted a nighttime descent from K2's summit.
The authors also don't shy away from the kinds of behaviors high altitude climbers indulge in. One climber collapsed next to a climbing trail and was passed by without a single offer of assistance by around 40 fellow, mostly European and American, climbers. By the time porters reached him, he had died of exposure. Reaching the summit took precedence over others lives.
While climbing is a popular recreation in the area I live, I've never taken much of an interest in and know next to nothing about it, much less high altitude mountaineering. Probably just as well.
I'd highly recommend "Buried In the Sky" to anyone interested in mountaineering or enjoy a story of incredible human effort and tragedy.
*full disclosure - I was casual friends with Peter when he worked as a reporter for our local paper, the Post Register.
September 11, 2023
I found this one kind of hard to get through for some reason. It was really interesting to learn more about the history of Sherpas, the culture and traditions, but there were so many characters in the book I found it hard to keep track of who was who lol. I usually read these mountaineering books from the climbers (not the sherpas) perspective so it was definitely interesting to read about it from a different POV.
April 10, 2025
Я дуже люблю книги про альпінізм, читав і Кракаурера і Месснера і взагалі все що міг знайти. Не знаю чому, але тема гір і божевілля людей, які готові на все заради підкорення цих гір, завжди була для мене надзвичайно цікавою.
Повага видавництву "бородатий тамарин" за те що видають таку літературу. Супер цікава й драматична розповідь про трагедію на К2. Історичні нариси теж дуже в тему, а особливо подобається занурення у життя шерпів та висотних носіїв з Пакистану. Як завжди з книгами типу "поховані в небі", можна потім нескінченно довго шукати матеріали та розповіді, історичні нариси ітд - це все охоплює більше ніж просто купку людей, яка хоче підкорити чергову гору.
Повага видавництву "бородатий тамарин" за те що видають таку літературу. Супер цікава й драматична розповідь про трагедію на К2. Історичні нариси теж дуже в тему, а особливо подобається занурення у життя шерпів та висотних носіїв з Пакистану. Як завжди з книгами типу "поховані в небі", можна потім нескінченно довго шукати матеріали та розповіді, історичні нариси ітд - це все охоплює більше ніж просто купку людей, яка хоче підкорити чергову гору.
July 19, 2024
A book on the disaster on K2 in 2008. I don’t remember much of it from before, only on having read something on the Norwegian honeymoon couple. The author makes a decent effort to explain Sherpa folklore, along the difference between the ethnic group from the high altitude porters/carriers. We then get a description of how everything went to hell. K2 is a much more difficult and dangerous mountain to climb, but it seems many on it in 2008 had not grasped this - nor the real prospect of dying. I will continue to stay in the lowlands!
March 23, 2024
"Buried in the Sky" provides a thorough narrative of the horrific accident that occurred in August 2008, on K2, a peak in the Karakoram mountain range, resulting in the deaths of eleven climbers as they descended from the summit. The story revolves around the lives of Chhiring Dorje and Pasang Lama, two Sherpas who reside in Nepal's Himalayan Mountains and are frequently hired to help with significant expeditions to the summits of the biggest peaks in the world. The death toll would have been considerably higher without the two Sherpas's heroic rescue efforts. They become the lifeline of many trapped climbers, because of their deep knowledge of the dangerous terrain and unyielding tenacity. While still high on the mountain, Pasang was compelled to use his ice axe to set a fixed line in order to facilitate the easy descent of others. Chhiring discovers Pasang stranded in the most dangerous portion of the mountain known as the Death Zone without an axe, waiting to die. Instead of moving on, Chirring stays with Pasang and takes part in an incredibly valiant rescue. The non-fiction book offers insights into the cultural and religious significance of the mountains to the Sherpa people. The book extensively covers the psychological hardships and physical toll that porters and Sherpas bear when assisting climbers on Everest excursions. They put their lives in danger due to poverty and a lack of other employment options to support their families. The book concludes by following up on the families of the deceased porters and Sherpas in the aftermath of the expedition. It also raises important ethical concerns regarding the commercialization of such mountaineering adventures. "Buried in the Sky" honours the unwavering spirit, bravery, resilience, and selflessness of high-altitude porters on Everest, even when their own lives are at stake. Their commitment and sacrifice in the face of extreme adversity. This compelling story, painstakingly researched and masterfully written, is an intensely emotional and heart-breaking read. MOUNTAINEERING EPIC.
November 1, 2012
While there are many accounts of courage and superhuman endurance in Himalayan mountaineering literature, these stories all to frequently relegate the role that Sherpas play in successful summit bids to short footnotes, or, astonishingly, ignore their contributions completely. Fixed lines, which lead to many a successful mountaineering expedition, do not appear by magic, or out of a vacuum, but are generally laid by Sherpas, native climbers from Tibet, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers of K2’s Deadliest Day strips away much of the conflated bravado frequently inherent in Western accounts of mountaineering, and gives credit where credit is due. Using the tragic 2008 K2 expeditions as its backdrop, this extraordinary book could easily be categorized as a cultural study. Well researched, and engagingly written, Buried in the Sky offers readers a fascination portrayal of the culture and beliefs of Sherpas, both Hindu and Islamic, and the efforts these unsung heroes play in mountaineering. Eleven climbers died, including two Sherpas, during the 2008 climb, but the death toll would have been greater if not for rescue efforts of Sherpas Chhiring Dorje and Pasang Lama, who are featured prominately in the book. Their feats of strength, endurance, and bravery were spectacular and heart wrenching.
Buried in the Sky is a worthy addition to any collection of alpine literature, not only because its excellent research and documentation, but because it is a sobering reminder of human frailty, and a celebration of bravery and strength in the face of dire circumstances.
December 8, 2014
When you read books about Everest or K2 you never really hear the back story about the men who carry all the equipment needed to stage a climb, Buried in the Sky introduces you to the men that make that possible.
What was interesting about this book that instead of focusing on the climbers it centered more around the porters who make it possible. Sherpa's have been assisting climbers since Hillary reached the summit of Everest in 1953. There are low altitude porters and high altitude porters, they come poverty, political and ethic strife to become the most skillful mountain climbers. One in every four people who have attempted the summit have died trying. It is more difficult and hazardous to reach the peak of K2 from the Chinese side; thus, it is usually climbed from the Pakistani side.
The book is well written and very readable, one of the best books I have read on the 8,000ers.
What was interesting about this book that instead of focusing on the climbers it centered more around the porters who make it possible. Sherpa's have been assisting climbers since Hillary reached the summit of Everest in 1953. There are low altitude porters and high altitude porters, they come poverty, political and ethic strife to become the most skillful mountain climbers. One in every four people who have attempted the summit have died trying. It is more difficult and hazardous to reach the peak of K2 from the Chinese side; thus, it is usually climbed from the Pakistani side.
The book is well written and very readable, one of the best books I have read on the 8,000ers.
June 4, 2015
If you have friends who climb you will want to read this book. A friend of mine perished together with a Sherpa while climbing an 8,000 meter peak and I can better picture the setting around her desire to mountaineer.
I keep thinking about the people and cultures documented here. I marvel that people who lost parts of their bodies but seem to think that climbing K2 was worth it. The Sherpas have such different spiritual views.
This book also gave me grateful awareness of the simple things that I have every day - a warm bed, plenty of water to drink, thick air to breath, a sheltered toilet, and no major concern that my companions are going to die today.
Any non-fiction that can have this strong an impact on your thinking is well worth reading.
I keep thinking about the people and cultures documented here. I marvel that people who lost parts of their bodies but seem to think that climbing K2 was worth it. The Sherpas have such different spiritual views.
This book also gave me grateful awareness of the simple things that I have every day - a warm bed, plenty of water to drink, thick air to breath, a sheltered toilet, and no major concern that my companions are going to die today.
Any non-fiction that can have this strong an impact on your thinking is well worth reading.
July 1, 2012
An exciting story to start with that is almost upstaged by the fascinating history of the area and the sherpa climbers. Not a dull chapter in the whole book. You'll come away with a real appreciation of the men who do the heavy work on these expeditions. The author did some impressive research but it wouldn't have been so effective without his writing style. Even the gruesome details of how death took some of the climbers was presented in a respectful way--but it still left me shaken. Great read.
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