Located on the border between Pakistan and China, K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth. For many high-altitude mountaineers, it is an even greater prize than Everest, with limited climbing routes, a steeper ascent, and a harder push to its summit. Nicknamed the Savage Mountain, K2s peak is so much higher than the rest of the surrounding range that it juts unprotected into the atmosphere, regularly exposing climbers to life-threatening weather conditions. In 2008, a tragic disaster on K2 claimed the lives of 11 mountaineers. Four of those who lost their lives in the disaster were porters, skilled local alpinists hired to carry the equipment and provisions of foreign climbing expeditions. Despite being paid at rates far below those received by European expedition leaders, such porter -- whether they provide critical supplies to expedition base camps or take on higher-altitude tasks in support of ascending climbers -- do some of the most difficult and dangerous work of mountaineering. These efforts make them worthy of recognition as the true heroes of the sport. In K2 AND THE INVISIBLE FOOTMEN, filmmaker Iara Lee chronicles the lives of those who make possible ascents of the worlds tallest mountains, including both Pakistani porters and Nepalese sherpas. The film also follows a Pakistani climbing team, made up of former porters, all of whom successfully summit in 2014. Amid breathtaking scenery, the film depicts the everyday sacrifices of porters and the courage of those indigenous climbers who choose to return to scale K2 in spite of past tragedies. In their striving to perfect their craft, these mountaineers provide a fresh look into the cultures and national traditions of Pakistan, a country typically portrayed in the foreign media as merely a land of conflict and sectarian strife.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 22:46:47 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015