K2 and the invisible footmen

K2 and the invisible footmen, Adrian Ballinger’s ascent of K2 without supplementary oxygen and North Face’s Trango Tower Expedition films provide spectacular visuals and a deep understanding of the Karakoram Mountains of Pakistan.

Climbing the world’s second-highest mountain, K2 (8,0611 meters), is much more than a feat of athleticism. It’s a feat of self-motivation, teamwork, logistics and dedication from all the team members who make up a mountain climbing expedition. It’s the mountain climbers who are often the only ones remembered or held as heroes, but despite being paid at rates far below the international expedition leaders, the local high altitude porters, ground porters, and support crew deserve just as much credit. Without those highly dedicated men, critical supplies to the base camp, above base camps and high-altitude tasks that count as some of the most dangerous and difficult work on the Karakoram and the Himalayan mountains for supporting foreign climbers would never get done. These men are the Invisible Footmen of K2 (8,611 meters), and this film tells the true story of their lives in detail.

Click here to watch K2 and the invisible footmen on YouTube.

Film producer Iara Lee dives deep into the lives of Pakistani porters and Sherpas of Nepal who provide vital support to mountain climbing expeditions on K2, Broad Peak, Nanga Parbat, Everest and other peaks. For most Westerners, Pakistan often portrays a nation of conflicts and never-ending wars, but the reality in this part of the world is completely different. K2 and the Invisible Footmen film follows the story of a 2014 Expedition of former Pakistani high-altitude porters who became the first official all-Pakistani climbing team to successfully summit the mountain in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the first summit.

Adrian Ballinger, the Ascent of K2 without O2 in 2019.

More humans have been to space than have summited the mighty K2 (8,611 m). If nothing else, it’s a testament to its danger and difficulty, and might explain why famous American mountain climber George Bell nicknamed it the “Savage Mountain” after a failed 1953 attempt on K2. In 2019, alpinists Adrian Ballinger and Carla Perez set out to climb the world second second-highest peak and were faced with one of the toughest ascents of their lives.

Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

The famous Ed Viesturs, of 8,000-meter climber, narrates the new film by Eddie Bauer spectacular film, a fitting voice for a story of this calibre. It follows the ultimate suffer fest undertaken by Perez and Ballinger as they head to the summit without the use of supplemental oxygen (O2).

The North Face’s Expedition of  Trango Tower

If you have ever looked up a photo of the Trango Towers, the fearsome granite monoliths that stand along Pakistan’s Baltoro Glacier, you might have wondered what it would take to climb them. Trango Towers, the tallest of the pinnacles, is home to the world’s biggest big wall with a vertical section measured at 4,396 feet. It tops out at over 20,000 feet, making this a true challenge for only the best alpinists and rock climbers in the world.

Last summer, a team of 4 Chilean climbers – Diego Sáez, Diego Señoret, Sebastian Rojas and Nicolas Gutierrez – made a 5-day ascent of a route on mighty Trango Tower. The North Face’s film documenting their adventure is in Spanish, but the visuals alone are worth watching. The same film is available to watch with subtitles.

Watch the Film on YouTube