The Process
In 2008 eleven people died on K2. I promised I would never go back. K2 has haunted me ever since. It's "unfinished business," and I needed to confront my demons. In 2017 I returned.
I never thought my return to K2 would be as peaceful as it was.
Living with the disaster from 2008, when eleven people perished on K2 in one of its worst tragedies, has haunted me since. The guilt I experienced for being a survivor, the constant mental battles of what we could have done differently, and what more we could have done to prevent the disaster tormented me for years. Swapping ice-axes and Gore-Tex garments for a costume and traveling the world as a salesperson did not remedy the PTSD I was in therapy for, nor did the notion of raising my own family a relief. I had to go back. I had to confront my demons, and the welcoming warmth when I returned was a surprise.
In this short film, Fredrik Sträng takes you on a short trip through questions about risk, facing our fears, and furthermost understanding that the summit is not the ultimate goal. It's the way towards our goal, how we do it, that matters. The process is paramount.