The 2008 K2 Tragedy: A Personal Account
Campus-wide seminar
Tuesday, February 17, 7:00pm, Old Science Center 280
Sponsored by St. Olaf Biology Department, Environmental Studies Department, Exercise Science Department, and the Marie M. Meyer Distinguished Professorship
This is a Science and the Liberal Arts Theme Event

The deaths of eleven climbers on K2 was front page news around the world last August. Local climber and author Mike Farris organized and led an expedition to K2 in 2008, and he was in Camp 2 on the way for his summit attempt when the accidents occurred. As the only major climbing team that did not suffer any casualties, Mike’s team was at the center of attempts to find missing climbers and rescue those who survived. Afterwards, Mike interviewed many of the survivors to get their first-hand stories. What emerges is a far more complex situation than anyone realized at the time, with many separate incidents leading to injury and death.

Mike will reconstruct the chain of events that led to the deaths and injuries and provide some insight into why they happened. As an experienced climber at extreme altitude and as author of The Altitude Experience, Mike will explain the unavoidable problems encountered when climbing K2 in the 21st century, and how these problems will almost certainly lead to more tragedies in the future. This will be a rare opportunity to experience the joy, terror, laughter, and tears of the summer of 2008 on K2.

Donations will be accepted to help the families of the four Pakistani and Nepali porters who died in this tragedy.

Mike will sign copies of his new book, The Altitude Experience: Successful Trekking and Climbing Above 8,000 Feet after the presentation.

About the presenter
Mike Farris has been climbing for 30 years and has been a member of five expeditions to the world’s highest peaks. He is the author of The Altitude Experience: Successful Trekking and Climbing Above 8,000 Feet and Rock Climbing: Minnesota and Wisconsin. A Professor of Biology at Hamline University, he lives in Northfield.

Weblinks:
The Altitude Experience
Mike Farris Homepage