K2 The Savage Mountain

Date1978

AbstractK2 The Savage Mountain is a film about a British expedition to K2 led by Chris Bonnington in 1978 which also includes a history of previous expeditions to date. Chris Bonnington’s team included Nick Estcourt, Tony Riley, Jim Duff, Paul Braithwaite, Joe Tasker, Peter Boardman and Doug Scott. They set out to climb the West Ridge of K2. The film is narrated by Chris Bonnington who, along with narration by and interviews with other expedition members, recounts the preparations for the expedition, such as hiring the porters, and narrates footage of the expedition. Ultimately, the attempt failed to reach the summit and cost the life of expedition member Nick Escourt. The film also contains footage from Charles S. Houston’s unsuccessful 1938 and 1953 expeditions. The latter includes narration by fellow expedition members Captain H.R.A. Streather and Robert H. (Bob) Bates about the team’s unsuccessful attempt to save Arthur (Art) Gilkey. Footage is shown from an unsuccessful attempt on the West Ridge led by Jim Whittaker in 1975 as well. Chris Bonnington also narrates accounts of the unsuccessful 1939 expedition, led by Fritz Wiessner, and the Italian expedition in 1954, led by Ardito Desio, which was the first to reach the summit.