K2 is the second highest peak on Earth at 8,611 meters. It is also one of the most dangerous mountains to climb, with its summit eluding even the most devoted professional alpinists. For every four people who have reached the summit, one person has died trying. Harsh weather conditions and demanding technical climbs have made producing films on K2 extremely difficult, and footage from these expeditions is rare compared to its slightly taller and more frequently scaled counterpart, Mount Everest.
K2: Siren of the Himalayas stars world-class alpinists Fabrizio Zangrilli and Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, National Geographic's 2012 Explorer of the Year and the first woman to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen or high altitude porters. While their summit attempt hangs in the balance, the film examines the risks, rewards and deeply personal nature of exploration in an age when there are few blank spots left on the map.
Director Dave Ohlson joins this group's epic journey on the 100-year anniversary of the Italian Duke of Abruzzi's landmark expedition from 1909. Rare footage and still photographs from the 1909 expedition make this a definitive historical piece on K2, tracing the parallels of high altitude exploration over the last century.
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