No Way Down - by Graham Bowley (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

New York Times Bestseller

"A refreshingly unadorned account of the true brutality of climbing K2, where heroes emerge and egos are stripped down, and the only thing achieving immortality is the cold ruthless mountain." -- Norman Ollestad, author of Crazy for the Storm

In this riveting work of narrative nonfiction, New York Times journalist Graham Bowley re-creates one of the most dramatic tales of death and survival in high-altitude mountaineering history--the 2008 K2 ascent that claimed the lives of eleven climbers

In the tradition of Into Thin Air and Touching the Void, No Way Down is a harrowing true story of survival and the worst mountain climbing disaster on K2, second to Everest in height. . . but second to no peak in terms of danger. On August 1, 2008, no fewer than eight international teams of mountain climbers--some experienced, others less prepared--ascended K2, the world's second-highest mountain, with the last group reaching the summit at 8 p.m. Then disaster struck. A huge ice chunk came loose above a deadly three-hundred-foot avalanche-prone gully, destroying the fixed guide ropes. More than a dozen climbers--many without oxygen and some with no headlamps--faced the nearly impossible task of descending in the blackness with no guideline and no protection. Over the course of the chaotic night, some would miraculously make it back. Others would not.

From tragic deaths to unbelievable stories of heroism and survival, No Way Down is an amazing feat of storytelling and adventure writing, a definitive work of mountaineering history and, in the words of explorer and author Sir Ranulph Fiennes, "the closest you can come to being on the summit of K2 on that fateful day."

Based on hundreds of interviews with the survivors, No Way Down meticulously reconstructs the minute-by-minute chaos of the deadliest day on the world's most dangerous mountain:

• The Death Zone: What happens when a serac collapse above 26,000 feet severs the guide ropes, trapping more than a dozen climbers in darkness with no way down and dwindling oxygen.
• A Cascade of Errors: An unflinching investigation into the fateful decisions and delays--from late ascents to forgotten equipment--that compounded the tragedy as eight international teams converged on the summit.
• Heroism and Survival: The unbelievable true stories of those who fought their way back from the brink, and the harrowing accounts of the eleven climbers who would never return.
• Meticulous Reconstruction: Drawing on extensive interviews with the survivors and their families, Bowley pieces together a definitive, moment-by-moment account of one of mountaineering's worst disasters.

From the Back Cover

On August 1, 2008, no fewer than eight international teams of mountain climbers--some experienced, others less prepared--ascended K2, the world's second-highest mountain, with the last group reaching the summit at 8 p.m. Then disaster struck. A huge ice chunk came loose above a deadly three-hundred-foot avalanche-prone gully, destroying the fixed guide ropes. More than a dozen climbers--many without oxygen and some with no headlamps--faced the nearly impossible task of descending in the blackness with no guideline and no protection. Over the course of the chaotic night, some would miraculously make it back. Others would not.

In this riveting work of narrative nonfiction, journalist Graham Bowley re-creates one of the most dramatic tales of death and survival in mountaineering history.

Review Quotes

"A compelling narrative from interviews with most of the survivors. . . . The most complete report of the tragedy to date." - Grayson Schaffer, Outside magazine

"Harrowing." - Jan Gardner, Boston Globe

"The year's best adventure book, another painstaking piece of reportage, disguises its morality tale beneath the plot of a high-octane thriller. Reading Graham Bowley's No Way Down: Life and Death on K2, about the 2008 mountaineering disaster in which 11 lives were lost, you're so ensnared by the terrifying tale of snapping ropes, tumbling bodies and freezing bivouacs, you barely notice the subtext of the dangerous commercialization of modern climbing." - Brian Schofield, Sunday Times (London)

"An astonishingly dramatic and sad tale of disaster on K2. Bowley expertly puts together the complex story of what happened as eleven people died high on the summit slopes of K2 in August 2008." - Joe Simpson, author of Touching the Void

"[A] fascinating tour de force.... Bowley wove his tale together after hundreds of interviews with dozens of people, and the result is a triumph of storytelling." - Malcolm Ritter, Associated Press

"Bowley takes readers right onto the mountain.... As avalanches shear away ropes, darkness falls and rescue attempts succeed and fail, the book becomes impossible to put down..... The vivid story will captivate readers. No Way Down doesn't just tell a harrowing adventure story-it will also make you think." - BookPage

"A page-turning, utterly fresh take on the mountaineering experience, an Into Thin Air for a new century." - Doug Stanton, author of Horse Soldiers

"The most comprehensive account of the mystifying chain of events leading to the catastrophe that we shall ever have. It's a gripping story, full of hope and heartbreak, folly and heroism." - David Roberts, co-author with Ed Viesturs of K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain

"Through dogged reporting and vivid storytelling, Graham Bowley reconstructs K2's 2008 climbing season, one of the most disastrous in history. I read this book in a single, sweaty-palmed sitting, and not because I intended to. I simply couldn't put it down." - Nick Heil, author of Dark Summit

"Bowley relies on a copious study of the events and interviews with survivors and families to artfully and assiduously piece together an account of a fractious day in brutal real time. Fatality by fatality." - Holly Morris, New York Times Book Review

"Unputdownable.... A portrait of extreme courage, folly and loss, leavened by a small dose of survival, as complete a version of the calamitous story as will probably ever emerge. . . . [A] step-by-faltering-step recreation of the thin-air fight to survive, bristling with cinematic immediacy." - Justin Marozzi, Financial Times

"Brisk and engrossing. . . . Mr. Bowley reveals a deep sympathy for his characters and their quest. . . . Entertaining." - Michael J. Ybarra, Wall Street Journal

"A fascinating account that does justice to the history, allure and heartache of K2." - Kurt Diemberger, author of The Endless Knot

"Riveting and powerful; an extraordinary story of an extraordinary tragedy. Reading No Way Down is the closest you can come to being on the summit of K2 on that fateful day." - Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Explorer and Author

"Harrowing. . . . Bowley is an intrepid journalist and gifted storyteller. . . . Thrilling and wrenching. - Kirkus Reviews

"A detailed reconstruction of what happened. . . . The book is brisk and engrossing. . . . Mr. Bowley reveals a deep sympathy for his characters and their quest. . . . High on drama. . . . Entertaining." - Michael J. Ybarra, Wall Street Journal

"Graham Bowley's No Way Down does a great job of putting you on the mountain. It is a refreshingly unadorned account of the true brutality of climbing K2, where heroes emerge and egos are stripped down, and the only thing achieving immortality is the cold ruthless mountain." - Norman Ollestad, author of Crazy for the Storm

"Both a gripping read and a clear-eyed investigation, No Way Down provides a compelling education in the game of climbing on the world's highest mountains to readers who have never tied into a rope, and is an essential addition to any mountaineer's bookshelf." - Michael Kodas, author of High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed