concubines, 84
Confortola, Fonzi, 181
Confortola, Marco, 188–90, 193–98, 252n, 255n
amputations of, 222, 223
attempted rescue of tangled climbers by, 162, 193–94, 195, 254n
at Base Camp, 113, 115
collapse of, 162, 194–95, 204–5, 255n
at Combined Military Hospital, 215
description of, 113
English of, 123, 215
evacuation of, 211, 212–13, 215, 216, 256n
Everest climbed by, 205
fame of, 222–23
hallucinations and, 194–95, 254n
at K2 summit, 159–60, 180
late summits and, 155
media and, 205, 215, 222, 223
Pemba’s finding and rescue of, 162, 204–6, 223, 255n
on porters, 98–99
in return to Base Camp, 210
rosary of, 125–26
route lost by, 5, 162, 180–82
singing of, 5, 181
on stoves, 180
unskilled climbers and, 130
coolies, 70
corneas, freezing of, 189, 190, 253n–54n
coronary artery, 117
Corriere della Sera, 223
corruption, 86
courage, 6, 112, 217
Credito Valtellinese bank, 159–60
cremation, 103
crowd control, failure of, 142–43
Crowley, Aleister, 31–32
Cultural Revolution, 76
Dalai Lama, 76
Dangsar, 71
Danish Embassy bombing, 107–8
da Polenza, Agostino, 155, 181
Darjeeling, xiv, 71, 72, 76
Planter’s Club in, 72
Darjeeling census (1901), 68
d’Aubarède, Hugues Jean-Louis Marie, 89, 109–11
body remains and, 109–11, 249n
fall and death of, 5, 162, 166–67
at K2 summit, 159
satellite phone of, 5, 119, 137, 159
weather prediction and, 118, 119, 126, 136, 137
Dawn TV, 257n
death:
in avalanches, 202
in childbirth, 18, 44, 238n
cremation and, 103
during K2 descents, 252n
moment of, 255n
rejection of, 197, 198
sky burial and, 103, 249n
see also specific people
Death Throat, see Bottleneck
Death Zone, 87, 116
of K2, 1–7, 40, 121, 144, 152, 156, 162, 180, 192, 194
del Missier, Jerry, 216
Delsalle, Didier, 256n
demons, 18, 125
war against, 14–15
Denali, 108–9
descents, safety of, 2, 155
Desio, Ardito, 38–39
Dexamethasone, 139, 166, 184
dextroamphetamine, 184
Dhirendra, Prince of Nepal, 50, 242n
Diemberger, Hildegard, 245n
digestive illness, 131–32
Dijmarescu, George, 256n
Dipendra, Crown Prince of Nepal, 48–52, 242n, 243n
Diran, Mount, 219
Discovery Channel, 41
discrimination, against Bhote, 57, 63, 68, 71–72
disease and illness, 17–18, 64, 66, 83, 109, 238n
acclimatization and, 116–17
altitude, 30, 31
digestive, 131–32
edema, 117, 133, 163, 184, 211
rinderpest, 71
disorganization, 143–46
divorce, 47
documentaries, 143, 224, 225
Dorje (Sherpa “tiger”), 20, 238n
dormouse, 77
Douglas, Ed, 246n
dragons, 16, 33–34, 35
drugs, 210
acclimatization, 127, 128
antibiotics, 132, 139
Dexamethasone, 139, 166, 184
dextroamphetamine, 184
Eric’s dispensing of, 114, 127, 131–32, 135, 139, 151, 183–84
for Pemba, 183–84
for Shaheen, 138–39, 140
Viagra, 118
dry-slab avalanches, 199
Dubai, 206
Dublin, 216
Durand, Algernon, 84
Dutch Norit K2 Expedition (2008), 68, 78, 122, 129, 144, 183–84, 187, 251n
at Cesen Camp 2, 133–34
Endura rope of, 250n
impaired judgment in, 118
Pemba’s descent and, 171–72, 173
Wilco’s regrets and, 123
see also K2, 2008 disaster on
earthquakes, 21
Eckenstein, Oscar, 31
eclipse, 154, 251n
Ecole Nationale de Ski et d’Alpinisme, 103
economy:
of Nepal, 21
of Rolwaling, 17, 238n
Ecureuil/AStar AS 350 B3, 256n
Ecureuil B3 Mystery, 212–13, 256n
edema, 117, 133, 163, 184, 211
Egocheaga, Jorge, 131
Elizabeth II, Queen of England, 74
“Elvis leg,” 130
emergency airlifts, see airlifts, emergency
emergency bivy sacks, 180
emphysema, 130
Endura rope, 148, 190, 250n
English language, 23, 114, 122, 123, 145, 215
enzymes, 164
eroticism, of climbing, 20
Eurasia, xiv, 29
Everest, 12, 22–32
amateurs at, 42–43
Base Camp of, 26, 31
blizzard on, 197
Camp 1 of, 145
climbing of, 2, 6, 17, 23–26, 36, 38, 42–45, 56, 60, 70–76, 105, 110, 197, 205, 228, 245n
deaths on, 31, 42, 43, 102, 239n–40n
Falvey rescued from, 224
fatality rate for, 31, 239n–40n
goddess of, 16, 23–24, 25
helicopter on, 212, 256n
“hen” metaphor and, 74, 246n
Hillary’s ascent of, 17, 38
Hillary Step (Tenzing’s Back) on, 73, 246n
K2 compared with, 2, 26, 28–31, 43, 102, 113, 158, 249n, 251n
on maps, xiv, 10
North Col of, 145
permits for, 108, 249n
quartz rock found at, 105, 127
Sharp passed on, 43, 241n
Sherpa villages near, 69
South Col of, 25
summit roll of, 31, 42, 60, 74, 103, 192
Tenzing’s obsession with, 72–73
weather on, 24, 25, 31, 197
Western guide companies and, 42
evil spirits:
names and, 67
see also demons
Evo-Sport Sherpa Rucksack, 64
exhaustion, 140, 163, 170, 185, 187, 190, 204
expedition-style climbing, 127, 128–29
Explorer’s Grand Slam, 114
ExplorersWeb, 216, 227
extinctions, mass, 28
face masks, 143, 160
“fair means” protocol, 128, 129
Faisal, Suleman Al, 211
Falvey, Pat, 224
famine, 16, 66
Fearless Five, 95–96, 101, 210–15
Figure-8-on-a-bight, 164, 165, 170, 171
films, 99, 114, 115, 224, 225
Fiordi, Miro, 160
flags, 74, 180, 246n
Buddhist prayer, 104
Irish, 159
at K2 summit, 152, 159
Serbian, 152
floods, 20, 80, 90–91, 238n
flowers, 150
Flying Jump, see South Korean K2 Abruzzi Spur Flying Jump
food, 59–60, 100, 131
chocolate, 74, 133, 135, 194, 198, 204, 254n
cultural barriers and, 99
of Hugues, 126
longevity and, 84
meat, 99, 106, 110, 245n
Muslims and, 99, 110, 126
for porters, 99, 249n
potato, 16, 18, 58, 228, 237n
> sardines, 133
footwear, 39, 100, 241n
fratricide, 83, 247n–48n
French expedition (1979), 210
French-led Independent Expedition, see d’Aubarède, Hugues; Rice, Nick
frostbite, 39, 85, 126, 180, 182, 197
of Marco, 210, 215
of Wilco, 188, 192, 210, 218
Gasherbrum I, 78, 96
Gasherbrum II , see K4
Gasherbrum IV, 216
Gauri Shankar:
British expedition to, 19
flash flood on, 20
goddesses and gods of, 10, 15–16, 19–20, 238n
Roskelley’s climbing of, 20
Gayar (shield bearer), 79
gays, 99
gear, 96, 124–27
of deceased, 209
left behind, 143
Nadir’s scrounging for, 135
reselling of, 99
signing bonus and, 99–100
snowmelt spilled on, 146
see also specific kinds of gear
generators, 96, 111
genetics, 64, 65, 164, 244n
acclimatization and, 115–16
Genghis Khan, 28
Geo Television Network, 211, 257n
German expeditions:
to Everest, 72
to Nanga Parbat, 19, 238n
Germans, 227
on K4, 88
unlucky, tales of, 19, 238n
Ghang La, 70–71, 76
Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Crown Prince of Hunza, 86, 248n
ghost winds, 137, 138, 139
Giezendanner, Yan, 118–19, 126, 136–37
Gilgit, xiv, 78, 85
Gilgit-Baltistan, 85
Gilkey, Art, 36–38, 65, 102
Gilkey Memorial, 98, 102–3, 209–10
glaciers, 19, 23, 29, 158
Baltoro, 78, 97, 98, 158, 213, 214
Chogo Lungma (Chomogori lungma), 16, 238n
of K2, 5, 30, 33, 146, 167, 171
on maps, 78, 94, 98
Shimshal and, 90–91
Siachen, 211
gloves, 40, 167, 189, 193
goats, 86, 110, 181
goddesses and gods, 15–16, 18
Bhotes and, 69
Chhiring’s worries about, 19, 103–4
of Everest, 16, 23–24, 25
of Gauri Shankar, 10, 15–16, 19–20, 238n
in Hunza, 79
of K2, see Takar Dolsangma
Shah dynasty and, 49, 51
Godwin-Austen Glacier, 97, 102
Go Mi-sun, 60–63, 159, 160, 254n
controversy surrounding, 61, 243n–44n
Jen Jen’s birth and, 209
late return of, 185–87
on Marco, 215
Gorakhnath, 21–22, 51
Gosaikunda, 58
GPS, 206, 207
Great Aerial Ocean, The, 115
Great Britain:
Hunza invaded by, 84
India relinquished by, 36
spies of, 81–84
see also British expeditions
Great Game, The, 83, 248n
Great Trigonometric Survey of India, 29
Green Trust Tower, tea party in, 217–19
Gromchevsky, Bronislav, 83
Guardian, 42
Gurkhas, 82, 83–84
Gwalior state, 242n
Gyanendra, King of Nepal, 52, 53
Haegens, Court, 118
hailstones, 175–76
hallucinations, 31–32, 40, 117, 170
Marco and, 194–95, 254n
Haramukh, Mount, 29
harem, 84
hashish, 242n
headaches, 117
headlamps, 35, 178–79, 240n
in descent, 165, 168–71, 173, 175–76, 186, 208
healing, 16, 69
heart, 117, 163, 182, 201, 202
heart attacks, 117, 153
helicopters, 95, 101, 109, 210–15
on Everest, 212, 256n
helmets, 111, 113, 176, 178
hemoglobin, 65
“hen” metaphor, 74, 246n
herding, 84, 86, 181
Herodotus, 79, 247n
heroes, 6, 217, 224
high-altitude cerebral edema, 117
high-altitude porters (HAPs), 5, 70, 85, 99, 109, 112, 122, 126, 134, 136, 187, 210, 249n
bonus for, 160
of Italian team, 143
Wilco’s blaming of, 218, 257n
high-altitude pulmonary edema, 117, 133
high-altitude workers, 70, 127, 237n, 241n
Highland Sherpa Trekking, 62
Hillary, Sir Edmund, 17, 38, 43, 73–75, 246n
Hillary Step (Tenzing’s Back), 73, 246n
Hilton, James, 84
Himalaya, 12, 29, 31, 41, 95
beyuls on southern flanks of, 14
Guru Rinpoche’s travels in, 15
on maps, xiv, 10
Sherpa migration across, 66
Himalayan Database, 31, 239n–40n
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, 76
Hinduism, Hindus, 21–22, 36, 49, 238n
Hindu Kush, xiv, 95
hippies, 22
Hitler, Adolf, 19
Holland, 222
see also Dutch Norit K2 Expedition; Utrecht
holy water, 127
honeymoons, 5, 84–85
horoscopes, 27, 69
horses, 82
hospitals, 113, 210, 215
Hotel de l’Annapurna, 62–63, 220–21
Hotel Marshyangdi, 224
House’s Chimney, 121, 132
Houston, Charlie, 37, 38
hubris, 6
human rights, 53
Human Rights Watch, 53, 243n
hunger, 1–2, 59–60, 238n
Hungung, 10, 55–58, 60, 69, 229, 243n
Hungung, various meanings of, 243n
Hunt, John, 75, 246n
Hunza, 41, 94, 95, 214
Hunza, Kingdom of, 79, 81, 83–85
as vacation destination, 84–85
Hunza, Mir of, 81, 86, 248n
see also Muhammad Nazim Khan, Mir; Safdar Ali, Mir
Hunza region, 78, 79, 83–86
on maps, 78, 94
politics in, 86, 248n
Hunza Tigers, 85–86
Hussein, Muhammad (Little Hussein), 122, 144, 145, 150, 153, 250n
Hwang Dong-jin, 159, 187
hypothermia, 180, 182, 197
Hypoxia Inducible Factor 2–alpha, 65
ice axes, 2, 3, 4, 24, 34, 41, 73, 104, 130, 145, 149
descent and, 164, 165, 169, 171, 173–78, 183, 189, 190, 194
at Makalu, 229
Pasang’s giving up of, 165, 171, 173, 174, 223–24
ice cream hallucination, 117
ice screws, 143, 148, 155, 170, 196
India, 12, 31, 74, 75
British empire in, 36, 81
flight of the Dalai Lama to, 76
Gwalior state in, 242n
on maps, xiv, 10, 78
Pakistan’s border disputes with, 211
partition of, 36, 85
spies from, 51
Tenzing in, 71, 72
Indian continental plate, xiv, 12, 29
Indus River, 78, 79
Indus Valley, 79
insurance, 62, 89, 100–101, 213, 249n, 257n
of Jehan, 218, 257n
Lahmu Bhoteni and, 221
intermarriage, 66, 70, 71, 73, 75
Internet, 110, 111, 160, 227
see also blogs
Into Thin Air (Krakauer), 42
iPods, 126
Ireland, 159, 216
Islam, see Muslims, Islam
Islamabad, xiv, 100, 101, 134, 216
Danish Embassy bombed in, 107–8
Regency Hotel in, 216
tea party in, 217–19, 257n
Island Peak, 22
Italian Alpine Club, 33
Italian expeditions, to K2, 32–33, 38–41, 85, 117, 143, 241
n, 251n
see also Confortola, Marco
Italy, 38, 40, 159, 216
Japanese, on K4, 88
Japanese expeditions:
to Everest, 22–23
to K2, 41, 86
jeeps, 94, 95–96
Jehan, Shah, 99
journalists, 53, 55
see also media
judgment, impaired, 118
JWH-018 (synthetic marijuana; K2), 127
K1 (Masherbrum), 29, 158
K2 (Chogori), 28–47, 56, 60–63, 65, 89–91
Abruzzi route on, see Abruzzi route
Abruzzi’s attempt at, 32–33
Abruzzi Spur of, 33, 45
approach to, 94, 95–106, 98
Base Camp of, 31, 35, 38, 39, 40, 42
birth of, 28
Bottleneck of, see Bottleneck
Camp 4 of (1995 expedition), 252n
Cesen route on, see Cesen route
Crowley’s attempt at, 31–32
deaths on, 5, 31, 35, 38, 41, 179, 252n; see also specific people
Death Zone of, 1–7, 40, 121, 144, 152, 156, 162, 180, 192, 194
description of, 29
Everest compared with, 2, 26, 28–31, 43, 102, 113, 158, 249n, 251n
fatality rate for, 31
goddess of, see Takar Dolsangma
hostility around, 36
Italian expeditions to, 32–33, 38–41, 85, 117, 241n
K3 compared with, 87
on maps, xiv, 78, 94, 120, 147, 162
Montgomerie’s sketch of, 30
The Motivator on, 146
as The Mountaineer’s Mountain, 43
naming of, 29, 30
North Ridge of, 61
overcrowding of, 41
partition of India and, 36
permits for, 108, 249n
as Savage Mountain, 30, 30, 31, 35, 38, 41, 43, 45, 63, 112, 205
Savoia Glacier of, 33, 102
Shoulder of, see Shoulder
Snow Dome of, 121, 147, 156, 164, 165, 180, 183, 189, 197–98, 252n
storms on, 30–31, 35, 36, 113, 115
summit roll for, 31, 77, 145, 155, 159, 219
Traverse in, 121, 146, 156, 164–68, 170, 172, 180, 194, 197–98
West Ridge of, 86
Wiessner’s attempt at, 33–36, 239n, 240n
K2, 2008 disaster on:
approach to K2 and, 94, 95–106, 98
Base Camp to Camp 4 in, 120, 124–41
Camp 8 of, 34
as deadliest single disaster, 5
description of, 1–7
Dren’s fall and death in, 147, 149–55, 251n
escape from the summit and, 162, 163–74, 252n
Fearless Five and, 210–15
lead team and, 122, 144–46, 147, 148, 251n
Shaheen’s illness and rescue in, 120, 131–36, 138–40, 144–45, 207, 213, 218
Shimshalis at epicenter of, 79
Shoulder to summit and, 142–60
Snow Dome to Bottleneck and, 193–203
survival and, 185–92
survivor behavior and activities after, 217–30
turnaround time disregarded and, 155, 213, 251n–52n
weather and, 106, 112–16, 120, 121, 136–39, 142, 155
Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day Page 27
