Savage Summit: A Tale of Triumph and Tragedy - The Story of the First Women to Conquer K2

Giulietta Duyck: I loved each of the stories and the details of each women portraied in the book. As reader I could dive into the difficulties of the death-zone of high mountain climbing. Sometimes I couldn't believe how much these women had to fight very demeaning perceptions of their male co-climbers or guides, and this is already 1980ies.
It is an inspiring book that I couldn't put away easily, the stories were fascinating and I am inspired by their determination to ascent such a difficult mountain, K2.

Germany on Jan 24, 2021

snaillady: I really liked this book--a great amount of background on the female "Himalayan greats" (though I admit, I had not heard much of Alison Hargreaves before this book). Jennifer Jordan did a great amount of background work on her subjects, and provides insights about them that I had never heard of in other books. One thing that has been bothering me, however, is her conclusion regarding Chantal Maduit's death. Some spoiler space:
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Jennifer Jordan concludes that Chantal's years of mountaineering experience would make it highly unlikely that she would "allow" herself to be smothered in her tent in a snowstorm--that it would be a horrible "rookie mistake" for her not to know to shovel out periodically during the storm. However, Jennifer Jordan spends the bulk of the chapters about Chantal detailing how she was very good at manipulating her male teammates to do mountain work, relating stories from multiple partners (albeit male) indicating that Chantal never hesitated to sleep in and let the guy do the hard work (whether laying ropes, pitching tents, or going to a lower camp to pick up a sleeping bag). Chantal is a fantastic climber, but from...

United States on Jan 10, 2016

Totnes Nigel: I am a lover of non-fiction books on the great outdoors and climbing biographies and autobiographies in particular. The premise here is "why are the vast majority of mountaineering books about men and frequently by men?" The author sets out to look at 5 iconic female mountaineers through the lens of their lives and particularly their ascents of K2.

I found the book well written and very interesting. Bear in mind that the explicit aim of the book is to look at issues that female mountaineers have with their male counterparts and vice versa so this is a running theme through the book. It certainly shines some light into the problems and indicted valid concerns on both sides. I did find that the author didn't hesitate in pointing out criticisms of the female mountaineers. I'd read a couple of autobiographical works by the women and this book will ensure I read more both on K2 and the people involved. A good book for anyone with an interest in the subject.

United Kingdom on Mar 11, 2015

L. Pierre: Jennifer JORDAN a écrit un bien beau livre, très documenté rendant hommage à cinq femmes-alpinistes d’exception qui ont toutes en commun d’avoir gravi le K2, le second sommet le plus élevé (8611m) de la planète.
Isolée à la frontière sino-pakistanaise, à des jours de marche de toute civilisation, dans un pays de culture profondément musulmane, c’est une montagne impressionnante, dont l’ascension est extrême sur toutes ses faces (en mars 2012, seuls 300 personnes l’avaient escaladé, en comparaison de 5600 ayant atteint le sommet de l’Everest, le plus haut sommet du monde).
La polonaise Wanda RUTKIEWICK est la première à avoir réussi ce challenge : c’est probablement la plus grande alpiniste de tous les temps : ce que confirmera la lecture de cet ouvrage. Les autres sont moins connues et l’intérêt de ce livre est de nous les faire découvrir en détail : qui a, en effet, entendu parler de Liliane BARRARD, Julie TULLIS, Alison HEARGRAVES ou encore de Chantal MAUDUIT, la plus atypique et la plus « illuminée » d’entre elles…
Ce livre, récompensé du National Outdoor book award 2005, n’a finalement qu’un seul inconvénient : il...

France on Oct 25, 2014

J. Eckle: Jennifer Jordan does a phenomenol job detailing the lives of some of the 'leading ladies' of the climbing world. In addition to giving us a rare window on the specific challenges women face on the mountain, she does a thorough job of the challenges they face off the mountain as well. Although I love to climb and enjoy the outdoors, it's sad to see how this consuming, and often very selfish passion, and the drive to be the continue, whatever the cost, has ruined so many lives, chief among them the friends and families who don't share that passion for the mountains. At least some world class climbers, like Ed Viesturs, rationally assess the inherent dangers in climbing, and have developed rigid climbing principles that they always follow, leading him to state "The mountain decides whether you climb or not. The art of mountaineering is knowing when to go, when to stay, and when to retreat". Most of those climbers who understand and develop those type of conservative principles early on in their climbing careers, are the ones who are still around, spending their twilight years with loved ones.

United States on Dec 19, 2012

Liz Shaw: Why are the deaths of women disproportionately higher on K2 when compared to men? Is it that the women lack skill? Are less physically adapted to the challenge? And why are women criticized for leaving their families to attempt such a risky climb when men aren't? Jennifer Jordan explores these issues while telling the intensely personal stories of the first five women to summit K2.

Jordan's writing style pulls you into the stories of these five incredible climbers. As flawed as these women are, we identify with them, cheer for them, grieve for them. We learn about their careers in the mountains, their personal lives, their love lives, their quirks, and for the two survivors, what they did after K2. The story of Wanda Rutkiewicz' death on Kangchenjunga in 1992, six years after her summit of K2, was particularly moving.

I could not put this book down. The only thing that would make this book better would be an update that includes the story of Edurne Pasaban, a Spanish climber who summitted K2 in 2004 and Oh Eun-Sun who summitted in 2007. I would be particularly interested in Jordan's take on the competition between these two women to become the first female to conquer...

United States on Jan 03, 2012

Tom, Edinburgh: The amazing stories of the first five woman to climb K2. These are not normal people. A normal sane person does not think "Hmm... I'm several months pregnant so maybe it's too dangerous to climb at 8000m in the Himalayas. So I'll just solo the North face of the Eiger instead."

The problem is that the author tends to let her own views leak onto the page and they eventually become a distraction. There is a distinct feminist angle, little comments about global warming and a few stories which don't seem physically credible and various reports of ghosts and paranormal experiences. The prose is workmanlike but it can drag a bit and doesn't deliver the impact that the material deserves. I read it on Kindle and the book would really benefit from a few maps and photographs; I'm not sure if the paper version has them.

This is a good book and definitely worth reading, but it is not a classic and that is a pity because the material is there for something better.

United Kingdom on Aug 29, 2011

Cynthia M. Andersen: I lived and breathed this book in my waking hours. I am a fairly slow reader but I could not put this book down!
I loved and admired all these women for different reasons. Some of their lives paralleled in being in unhappy relationships and I believe the mountains and their challenges provided refuge. Others were groundbreakers and pioneers, breaking into the world of a "man only" sport. They had something to prove and were so determined to do it, they sacrified their very lives. I could write a ton on this book but I encourage all to read it, both men and women. It gives a bittersweet piece of history that I for one am proud of.

Jennifer Jordan is an incredible storyteller and gives a great background on each of the climbers. I didn't agree with some of their ways but I cannot sit in judgement, all I know is that they were not of this world and they all broke ground in their unique and heartbreaking way.

Cynthia M. Andersen - Golden, CO

United States on Aug 29, 2011

Eric Blair: Le livre décrit principalement l'aventure des cinq femmes qui ont vaincu le K2 (jusqu'en 2004) et qui sont mortes en montagne. Au delà des récits vivants et bien documentés, l'auteur insiste sur le caractère exceptionnel de ces femmes, leur ténacité, parfois à la lisière de l'aveuglement (tout comme leurs homologues masculins). Le livre s'intéresse également à leur vie privée, familiale et sentimentale. L'auteur montre un attachement particulier pour la vie mouvementée et le caractère tourmenté de Wanda Rutkiewicz. Le livre exprime aussi une fascination pour le K2, le sommet sauvage.

Seul léger regret, le livre s'inscrit dans une perspective féministe à l'américaine qui tend à biologiser la condition féminine : "many women struggle with choosing between their life's passion and their biological imperative to have children...". La nécessité biologique d'avoir des enfants ?? Une perspective que Simone de Beauvoir, comme Elisabeth Badinter, récusent et qui peut agacer.

France on May 18, 2011