K2: Siren of the Himalayas

The premise is very simple, it simply charts the attempts by a group of climbers wanting to tackle K2, one of the most dangerous mountains in the world. Although it wasn't as detailed as I'd have liked in terms of the actual ascent and the specific challenges faced (we go from base to camp 4 in one scene, essentially) it shows the types of people who take in this challenge and does a good job of explaining what motivates them. In some respects, what we lose in terms of a technical/detailed discussion of WHY K2 is the siren of the Himalayas we gain in more personal, human insight. Experienced & avid climbing enthusiasts will probably enjoy it but possibly won't learn anything they don't already know.

I liked the way it used the accounts of the early expedition Abruzzi as a narrative device and showed how similar & yet how different early & modern climbing is.

Overall I thought it worth the download.

Documenting the journey to K2:the drive, the trek, the climb and the camaraderie; this is a great story of what K2 stands for; the dreams it inspire and the hopes the gets lost. This is one of the most challenging mountains in the world climb and the film documents the personal engagement that goes into climbing this mountain whilst also capturing the breath taking scenery of the Karakoram. Being an alpinist and mountaineer myself, I fully identify with the personal challenges that Fabrizio, Gerlinde and the team faced. At this altitude every choice you made has a direct and real consequence on your own and you team's safety. It is really easy to sit in your armchair and judge someone halting their summit bid but not as easy to understand the very lengthy decision process they have gone through before the decision is made and I think that this file captures that very well. Keep in mind that the physical, emotional and financial investment in undertaking an endeavor like this started more than 12 months before they even set foot on the mountain. When the summit attempt is abandoned, they know that they may not be back for years, if ever again. They also know that going against their instinct and pushing for a summit attempt may also mean perishing on the mountain. Only experience and gut-instinct keeps you alive at this altitude so don't think that a decision to abort comes easy. To me, this documentary captured that personal experience and emotional journey that embarking on a journey like this entails and that is why I rate this film a 10/10.

This is not a grand adventure film like "Vertical Limit" (2000) with explosions, stunts, and computer graphics. Nor is it a drama like "K2: The Ultimate High" (1991), nor an inquiry into a climbing disaster like "The Summit" (2012). Instead, it is a documentary about a 2009 expedition to K2. Produced by First Run Features, a small company specializing in documentaries about a wide range of subjects, "K2: Siren of the Himalayas" was actually filmed on location, and the events it records were real.

K2 is the second highest peak in the world. Although roughly 800 feet shorter than Mt. Everest, it is considerably more dangerous. The 2009 expedition included about a half dozen climbers, but "K2" focuses on expedition leader Fabrizio Zangrilli, Austrian Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner (who would become the first woman to climb all 14 of the world's 8,000+meter peaks without supplemental oxygen), and Jake Meyer, a British climber (said to be the youngest person to climb the highest peak on every continent) who had climbed Mt. Everest and came to K2 seeking something that was "much more of a challenge." The perspectives of these climbers are supplemented by insights from Chris Szymiec, who is leading an expedition to Broad Peak, which is on the opposite side of the Baltoro Glacier from K2.

Whereas the budget for "Vertical Limit" has been estimated at $75,000,000, that for "K2: Siren of the Himalayas" was only a little over $200,000. This may explain why, although she is fluent in English, the film incorporates some footage of Kaltenbrunner speaking in German (with English subtitles). This was probably originally filmed for one of several Austrian television shows about her. Its small budget may also explain why this film was shot with small hand held cameras, including a high definition camcorder. In some ways, this is an advantage, because these cameras provide close-ups of climbers in foul weather and on the most precipitous slopes. And, by zooming in on the mountainside, the cameras pick out climbers as tiny figures, invisible to the naked eye, showing how immense K2 really is.

"K2: Siren of the Himalayas" takes us on the journey from Islamabad to K2 over some very primitive roads, one of which is partially blocked by a rock slide. There are an explanation of acclimatization strategy, and descriptions of previous climbs and alternative climbing routes. The great strength of this film is its coverage of the climbers on the mountain, as they make their way up the Cesen (Basque Spur) and the infamous "Bottleneck" through wind-blown snow and around an avalanche, and spend their nights in extremely precarious camp sites. There are also impressive panoramic shots of the neighboring peaks. "K2" utilizes maps, and tags superimposed on the screen to identify individual mountains, camp sites, climbing routes, and climbers.

"K2" includes about 20 brief segments of still and motion pictures taken by photographer Vittorio Sella during the Duke of the Abruzzi's 1909 K2 expedition. The still pictures are mostly sharp and dramatic, but, not surprisingly, the motion pictures suffer from poor resolution. Accompanying these images are portions of Filippo de Filippi's report on the 1909 expedition, read by actor Simone Leorin. One might have preferred to have all the 1909 material in one place, but it has been distributed through the film so viewers can compare the experiences of the 1909 and 2009 expeditions in comparable stages in their work.

Extras include (1) "Rescue in the Karakoram" (13 minutes) uses footage shot after the K2 expedition of the successful rescue of an expedition cook suffering from high altitude cerebral edema, and the unsuccessful attempt to rescue a Spanish climber stranded on Latok II (7,108 meters) after an accident. (2) "Death on Broad Peak" (5 minutes) describes the death of an Italian climber who fell from a mountain next to K2. (3) "Gerlinde on Her 2011 Summit of K2" (9 minutes) consists almost entirely of Kaltenbrunner's description of how she reached the top of K2 in 2011, despite a storm and heavy accumulation of snow. This climb was much more complicated and difficult than the brief segment in "K2" implies. Curiously, Kaltenbrunner continued her climb on this occasion, although her husband considered conditions too dangerous and turned back. (4) "Gerlinde on Dhaulagiri" (3 minutes) presents Kaltenbrunner's comments on her climb on Dhaulagiri, but no film footage. (5) "Bonus Clips" (7 minutes) include outtakes of material omitted from the main feature.

If you want to see what it is like to climb in the Himalayas, you should watch this film.

Good documentary,over all I liked i. However in documentary they said Messner was first to complete Magic Line. Messner did find it himself never finished the route, but was the one to name it.Magic line in fact was first climbed by a Polish/Slovak team.

Many said that Messner called Magic line suicide and most difficult route! However in TV interview he said:I Never called it suicidal: "It's a safe route. The South face (climbed by Kucuczka in 1986 and called Polish route) is too dangerous. In fact so called Polish route was not yet repeated.

Documentary was good however it didn't show real difficulty and human struggle against the mountain. this mountain is definitely very hard but some how that was missing here.

I have enjoyed watching this doc with the different stories and interviews. some of the old stock footage doesn't really go with the material and looks choppy when paired with the newer footage. The biggest criticism I have is that the generic voice-over sounds like a computerized voice and is extremely annoying and takes away from the story. Couldn't these guys hire a real voice-over guy and not a computer!? Kind of ruined the overall experience and I fast forwarded through those spots- This could have been more of a higher quality doc if the editing and voice-over was more professional. I understand it probably was very low budget but some areas shouldn't have been overlooked.