- 2 days ago
It’s July 29th, 1939. High on K2, three men find a dying climber — and leave him there. Alive.
Four bodies. Zero answers.
This is K2's most controversial betrayal.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Watch More:
Stepping Over The Dying At 26,400 Feet: The Savage Mountain K2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgdtQdoo5hY
2026 is Changing Mount Everest Climbing Forever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M12E06m6y9g
----------------------------------------------------------------
More eXtreme Stories - Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@TheExtreme-Edge
Every month there's a story that never goes on YouTube. You'll find it here: patreon.com/c/TheeXtreme
For business inquiries only - extremeedgeinfo@gmail.com
Voiceover: https://jessegvoiceactor.com/
Four bodies. Zero answers.
This is K2's most controversial betrayal.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Watch More:
Stepping Over The Dying At 26,400 Feet: The Savage Mountain K2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgdtQdoo5hY
2026 is Changing Mount Everest Climbing Forever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M12E06m6y9g
----------------------------------------------------------------
More eXtreme Stories - Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@TheExtreme-Edge
Every month there's a story that never goes on YouTube. You'll find it here: patreon.com/c/TheeXtreme
For business inquiries only - extremeedgeinfo@gmail.com
Voiceover: https://jessegvoiceactor.com/
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00It's July 29th, 1939. High on K2, three men find a dying climber and leave him there, alive.
00:10But, two days later, none of them come back. Four bodies, zero answers.
00:17It's 90 years later, and even now, climbers still argue about what happened up there.
00:23One side calls it a tragedy, the other calls it murder.
00:27This is K2's most controversial betrayal. Welcome to the Extreme Edge, where we tell the story behind the story.
00:37Dudley Wolfe was a wealthy American socialite born in New York City on February 6th, 1896.
00:44His father was a coffee importer who earned a reputation for telling made-up stories about his aristocratic background and
00:51his travels across India hunting tigers.
00:53His mother, on the other hand, was the daughter of a wealthy businessman, Benjamin Franklin Smith.
01:00Alongside his three brothers, they amassed a fortune of around $30 million by the 1880s, which is worth close to
01:07a billion dollars today.
01:08This allowed Dudley to have a lavish upbringing.
01:11He attended prestigious boarding schools, and despite his efforts in his studies, his academic progress was poor.
01:18But he loved sports, and during his time at school, he played football, hockey, and even excelled in boating and
01:25hunting, showing the first signs of his adventurous spirit.
01:29By 1916, he had left school and struggled to find a job.
01:33He wasn't interested in the family business that had since evolved into a real estate and railroad empire.
01:39Instead, young Dudley wanted to help people, and with the ongoing war in Europe, he couldn't think of a better
01:45cause.
01:46After being rejected from the U.S. military due to poor eyesight and flat feet, he didn't give up.
01:52Instead, Dudley volunteered for the Red Cross Ambulance Corps in Europe, something you wouldn't expect from an inherently wealthy young
01:59man.
01:59He even went on to earn the Italian Croce d'Iguera and a campaign medal.
02:04He later joined the French Foreign Legion in October 1918, serving for a month until the fighting ended on the
02:10Western Front.
02:11After the war, Dudley returned to Omaha in the United States, and with nothing else to turn to, he found
02:18himself helping run the family's real estate business.
02:21But his heart wasn't in it.
02:23He wanted more from life.
02:24He loved the outdoors and spent a considerable amount of time fantasizing about jobs that would allow him to work
02:30outside.
02:31Then, out of nowhere, an opportunity fell into his lap, and in 1924, Dudley's life would change forever.
02:40Tiny detour on this chaos train.
02:42If you'd like to be part of the extreme community, see exclusive videos made just for you, get early access
02:48to our other content, and vote on content polls, come join us on Patreon.
02:53See you there.
02:54In 1924, Dudley and his brothers were summoned to their 94-year-old grandfather's enormous main estate.
03:01At this point, he was widely considered the richest man in New England.
03:05None of his grandfather's brothers had any children of their own, so the vast family fortune was passed on to
03:11Dudley and his brothers.
03:13By this time, it's believed the brothers were worth an estimated $100 million, or around a staggering $1.4 billion
03:22today.
03:23Dudley was set to become one of the richest men in America.
03:27No longer did he have to work.
03:29He could spend his time doing what he loved.
03:31But, in a strange turn of events, he decided to apply for Harvard University.
03:36Even without any academic qualifications, Dudley was surprisingly accepted in 1925.
03:43It was during his time at Harvard that he began to explore what would become one of his true passions,
03:48yacht racing.
03:49This is where his love for the extreme became apparent.
03:52In the years that followed, he spent countless hours racing across the open water on the Atlantic, and even won
03:58the Brooklyn Yacht Club's Deep Sea Challenge Cup.
04:01He commissioned a 60-foot schooner named Mohawk in 1929, and became the first person to race a 60-foot
04:08yacht across the Atlantic,
04:09competing in the King and Queen's Cup Classic, and finishing second against much larger vessels.
04:15After graduating from Harvard, Dudley once again found himself at a crossroads.
04:20His love for yacht racing wasn't what it once was, and he became tired of the social circles he found
04:26himself in.
04:27This led Dudley to move to Europe, where he took up mountaineering and skiing.
04:31Dudley was a natural when it came to skiing.
04:34He practiced almost daily, and used it as a release from the pressures of daily life.
04:39In time, he became known for his skills in gliding down the Alps, and even managed to ski across the
04:45Mont Blanc Massif.
04:46At the same time, he began climbing, but he did find the technical aspects of the sport challenging.
04:52Despite his wealth and adventurous spirit, he was described as gentle, cheerful, and rather shy.
04:59But this didn't stop him from finding true love.
05:01In 1934, he married Alice Blaine Damroche, an accomplished skier and outdoor enthusiast.
05:08It's almost as if they were made for each other.
05:11By now, you might be wondering, how did a rich, yacht-owning, inexperienced mountaineer
05:16find himself lost in the death zone of the most dangerous mountain on Earth?
05:20Well, this part of our story began in early 1938, four years into marriage.
05:26One evening, Dudley and his wife invited many people to their bougie 5th Avenue apartment in Manhattan
05:32to show off slides of their time skiing and climbing throughout Europe.
05:36It just so happens that German-American mountaineer Fritz Weissner was invited.
05:41Just a year earlier, Fritz had given a speech at the American Alpine Club,
05:45where he revealed his daring plan to organize an expedition to climb K2 for the first time.
05:51Fritz knew it would be difficult to acquire funding for the expedition,
05:55as the American economy wasn't great in 1938.
05:59So, he would have to find climbers who could pay their own way.
06:02At this time, all in, it would cost around $17,500 per person,
06:08which is equivalent to a whopping $309,000 today.
06:12When Fritz spoke with Dudley in his apartment, he quickly realized he was in luck.
06:17Dudley was immediately hooked on the idea of climbing the world's second tallest mountain,
06:22despite having zero experience in high-altitude regions.
06:26But inexperience had never stopped him from achieving any of his other goals in life.
06:30After all, if he could get into Harvard without any qualifications,
06:34and race a yacht across the Atlantic, a climb up a mountain should be easy, right?
06:39Well, as long-time viewers of the channel know,
06:43climbing one of the world's tallest mountains is no walk in the park.
06:46Climbing any Himalayan peak, whether one of the tallest or not, is way different from the Alps.
06:53At this point in history, none of the world's 8,000 meter peaks had ever been summited,
06:58and K2 itself stood as one of the greatest challenges humans could face.
07:02Towering at over 28,251 feet above sea level, it is only surpassed by Mount Everest in size.
07:11But, despite being slightly shorter, today it's considered far more dangerous.
07:17K2 has a reputation for its extreme steepness,
07:20its thousands of meters of technical rock and ice climbing,
07:23and the potential for blizzards, rock falls, and avalanches at any minute.
07:28For Dudley, he had experienced little of this side of extreme mountaineering,
07:33and if he wanted to survive the expedition, he needed to train harder than ever.
07:38As for Fritz, there was no changing his mind, he needed Dudley's financial contributions.
07:43This was a crucial part of achieving his goal of taking the first Americans to the summit of an 8
07:49,000 meter peak.
07:50At the time, Fritz likely knew his decision to include Dudley could endanger both the team and the millionaire,
07:56but, on the other hand, life's greatest rewards often come with considerable risk.
08:02Dudley might not have been the smartest kid in school, but he wasn't stupid.
08:06In preparation for the climb, he tried to summit Mount Blanc and Peace Palu in the spring of 1939,
08:12but he failed miserably in both climbs, even with the help of a guide.
08:17Things were not looking good, but Dudley remained motivated,
08:21believing that these were only minor setbacks,
08:23and that his strength and willpower alone would take him where no climber had ever been,
08:28to the summit of K2.
08:30By March, Dudley met Fritz in England,
08:32where they began buying all the equipment needed for the expedition.
08:36Dudley had plenty of money, and no expense was spared.
08:40They bought the best gear available at the time,
08:42including heavy tents, inflatable mattresses,
08:45stoves, nailed boots, and sleeping bags.
08:48For food, they brought plenty of dehydrated items, milk, fruits, and vegetables,
08:54but most of the energy they'd consume on the climb was from canned goods and dried meats.
08:59Fritz and Dudley were joined by four other climbers on the team,
09:03including Jack Durrance, Chappelle Cranmer,
09:06George Sheldon, and Tony Cromwell, who served as the deputy leader.
09:10Tony was another wealthy man who didn't need to work a regular job.
09:14Unlike Dudley, Tony spent his time climbing mountains around the world,
09:18and was the perfect sidekick for Fritz.
09:21The team hired nine Sherpas and many more porters,
09:24and together they would attempt to complete the impossible and scale K2.
09:29On March 29th, 1939,
09:32Dudley met up with the rest of the team in Genoa,
09:35and boarded the SS Cunte Biancomano,
09:37which would take them to Bombay, India.
09:39This was the beginning of their six-month expedition and the first step in making history.
09:44From here, the team took a lengthy 40-hour train journey to Rawalpindi,
09:49before two cars took them onward to Srinagar, in the Vale of Kashmir.
09:53By the end of April, the climbers met up with the Sherpas and porters,
09:57but during this part of the 20th century, there was no road to the mountain.
10:02Instead, Dudley and the team had to trek over 330 miles to reach the foot of K2.
10:08As they traveled on foot and by horse,
10:11it must have seemed like a different world to the Western men.
10:14This is apparent in an account by Tony, who wrote,
10:17This is indeed a bleak and barren country,
10:20and how the inhabitants manage to live fills me with a constant admiration and wonder.
10:26The hills are entirely barren of vegetation,
10:28which only exists on the irrigated alluvial fans.
10:32After a month on the road, hiking day after day,
10:35Dudley finally caught the first glimpse of K2 at the end of May.
10:39In good spirits, he and the rest of the team had established base camp at 16,500 feet a short
10:46time later.
10:47Next came the hard part that they came for, climbing the mountain.
10:51Almost immediately, the team was hit with a major blow,
10:54as Chappell Cranmer fell extremely sick.
10:57He was treated by Jack despite having little to no medical training,
11:00even giving him artificial respiration for over two hours, which likely saved his life.
11:06Thus, before they even made it beyond base camp,
11:09they were a man down, and the clock was ticking.
11:12If they wanted to reach the summit in the climbing window,
11:15they had to push worries aside and start making progress.
11:18Over the next month, Dudley and the others did their best to acclimate to the mountain.
11:23They hauled over 700 pounds of goods upwards to Camp 1.
11:27From here, they continued to move goods to Camp 2,
11:30which served as the main low-level location for supplies.
11:34At its greatest extent, over one and a half tons of supplies were stored there.
11:39Everything seemed to be going well for Dudley.
11:41He had held his own during the initial stages of the expedition,
11:44but once they started climbing upwards, things changed.
11:48His inexperience began to show,
11:50and some of the other climbers began arguing that his clumsiness had put them in danger.
11:54But he was well-liked and showed he was a hard worker.
11:58This kept him in the good books of Fritz,
12:00who likely had a soft spot for Dudley because of his financial contributions to the expedition.
12:06By June 21st, the team faced another major setback,
12:09as a severe blizzard hit the mountain.
12:12Temperatures plummeted to minus 2 degrees Fahrenheit,
12:15and the team was confined to Camp 4 for over a week.
12:18The mental toll this took on the rest of the climbers was astonishing.
12:23I mean, can you imagine being stuck on top of a cold, barren mountain,
12:27with little to do to pass the time, as strong winds batter into your tent?
12:32Many likely wondered if it was a sign to return home after the storm abruptly ended on June 29th.
12:39But, unlike the rest of the team,
12:41Dudley and Frisk remained as motivated as ever,
12:44and helped encourage the team to keep going.
12:46Remarkably, the team continued to make great progress.
12:50By the end of the month, Fritz scaled the infamous House Chimney,
12:54a hundred-foot-tall crack in a rock wall.
12:57This is an extremely dangerous and technical part of the climb,
13:00but luckily for Dudley,
13:02Fritz had set up tightropes from which he could pull the inexperienced climber up.
13:07The pair was joined by two Sherpas,
13:09and together they established Camp 5.
13:12But despite the initial joy of the team,
13:14the grueling climb had begun to take its toll on Dudley.
13:18When Jack arrived at Camp 5,
13:20he inspected Dudley's feet,
13:22and to his shock, he discovered signs of frostbite.
13:25This was a serious problem.
13:27If left untreated,
13:28the skin and tissue would begin to die,
13:30and the affected body part would have to be removed.
13:33But Dudley seemed unfazed.
13:35Instead, he mustered up some courage,
13:37and pushed on to Camp 6,
13:39albeit at a slow pace.
13:42Jack initially suggested Dudley should retreat back down the mountain.
13:45However, he was overruled by Fritz,
13:48who allowed him to continue.
13:49Some consider this a reckless decision.
13:52But what do you think?
13:53Should Dudley have turned back at this point,
13:55considering his condition?
13:57Nonetheless, Dudley pushed on beside the team.
14:00Every day was now a battle against the elements,
14:02and their own minds.
14:04His climbing skills were not the best,
14:06but what he lacked in this department,
14:08he made up for with his drive and strength.
14:10By July 14th,
14:12after several brutal months on the mountain,
14:14they had finally established Camp 8.
14:17But by now,
14:18Dudley's body began to turn on him.
14:20Early in the 20th century,
14:22bottled oxygen had not yet become as popular
14:24as it is today in the mountaineering world.
14:27Climbers like Dudley had to ensure
14:28they properly acclimated to the mountain,
14:31but even then,
14:32spending so much time
14:33tens of thousands of feet above sea level,
14:36is both incredibly dangerous
14:37and tough on the body.
14:39By this point,
14:40both Dudley and Fritz
14:42had spent an astonishing three weeks
14:44above 22,000 feet.
14:46From here,
14:47the team was now close enough
14:48to make a push for the summit,
14:50but down below,
14:51things were falling apart.
14:53Jack was forced to retreat down to Camp 2,
14:55as he began to suffer from hypoxia
14:57due to a lack of oxygen.
14:59When he arrived,
15:00he found the camp in a mess,
15:02and Tony had lost all motivation
15:04to continue with the expedition.
15:06This was a serious problem,
15:08as now there was no link
15:09between those high on the mountain
15:11and their vital supply line below.
15:14But high on the mountain,
15:15where Dudley,
15:16Fritz,
15:17and several of the Sherpas
15:18were preparing to climb
15:19the last 3,000 feet,
15:21little did they know
15:22they had greatly outpaced
15:24their supply lines.
15:25This would come back
15:26to haunt them later.
15:27On July 17th,
15:29Dudley,
15:29Fritz,
15:30and Pasang Lama
15:31began their final push on K2.
15:33This was it.
15:34Could they make history
15:36by becoming the first climbers
15:37to reach the summit
15:38of one of the world's
15:398,000 meter peaks?
15:41This was everything
15:42they had worked for,
15:43and now it was within their grasp.
15:45But as they pushed on
15:46from Camp 8,
15:47Dudley had reached his limit.
15:50His body could take no more,
15:52and he returned to camp.
15:53For over a week,
15:54Dudley remained in Camp 8 alone
15:57as Fritz and Pasang
15:58pushed for the summit.
15:59I find it difficult to imagine
16:01just how isolated
16:02Dudley must have felt.
16:04By then,
16:05he was likely delusional
16:06and in serious pain
16:07from the frostbite
16:09that was slowly
16:09eating away at his feet.
16:11The only sound
16:12was the biting wind
16:13that whipped against his tent.
16:15Below,
16:16a dizzying expanse
16:17of jagged peaks
16:18stretched to the horizon
16:19and served as a terrifying
16:21reminder of his isolation.
16:23He was all alone
16:24on the savage mountain
16:25with nowhere to go.
16:26All he could do
16:27was hope
16:28either the Sherpas
16:29or one of the climbers
16:30would return.
16:31Higher up the mountain,
16:32Fritz and Pasang
16:33made their final summit push
16:35on July 19th,
16:36and despite getting
16:37within 800 feet
16:38of the true summit,
16:40they decided to retreat
16:41as Pasang refused
16:42to continue out of fear.
16:44Speaking on the decision,
16:46Fritz later wrote,
16:46I regretted many times
16:48on the way down
16:49that I had given in.
16:50It would have been
16:51so much easier
16:52for us to go on
16:53to the summit
16:54and return
16:55over the difficult part
16:56of the route
16:57the next morning.
16:58Even with the retreat,
16:59the dream
17:00wasn't over for Fritz.
17:02He believed
17:02they could just
17:03return to Camp 8,
17:04collect supplies,
17:06and push for the summit
17:07once more.
17:08But when he arrived,
17:09he was horrified
17:10to find Dudley
17:11had been alone
17:12the entire time.
17:13Fritz couldn't understand
17:15why the crew below
17:16hadn't brought up
17:17further supplies,
17:18nor why no one
17:19had come to check on them.
17:21By this point,
17:22Dudley had completely
17:23run out of matches,
17:24meaning he couldn't cook
17:25or even melt snow
17:27for water.
17:28Dudley and Fritz
17:28were unaware
17:29at this point
17:30that the rest
17:30of the team below
17:31was under the impression
17:33that everyone
17:33high on the mountain
17:34had perished.
17:35Several days earlier,
17:36one of the Sherpas
17:37had got to within
17:38500 feet of Camp 8
17:39and called out
17:41three times,
17:42but Dudley
17:42didn't hear his call.
17:44After seeing signs
17:45of a recent avalanche,
17:46he presumed
17:47the climbers had died
17:48during their push
17:49up the mountain.
17:50Dudley was now
17:51in a bad way,
17:52but managed
17:53to get to his feet,
17:54and together,
17:55all three men
17:56descended to Camp 7,
17:58but on their way down,
17:59disaster struck.
18:00Dudley's clumsiness
18:02led him to fall,
18:03almost sending
18:04all three men
18:05down the Godwin-Austin glacier.
18:07Luckily,
18:07they managed to survive
18:09and made it to Camp 7 safely,
18:11but when they arrived,
18:12they were horrified
18:13to find few supplies
18:14and their tents
18:15buried under snow.
18:17Now,
18:17it was a fight
18:18for survival.
18:19The climbers knew
18:20they had to trek
18:20to lower camps
18:21for supplies.
18:23Fritz claimed
18:23Dudley offered
18:24to remain behind
18:25at Camp 7
18:26while he and Passong
18:27descended,
18:28but after spending
18:29such a long time
18:30at altitude,
18:31it's possible
18:32neither of the men
18:33were thinking straight.
18:34Dudley was clearly
18:35suffering from both
18:36the freezing temperatures
18:37and the altitude.
18:39As Fritz and Passong
18:40went down the mountain,
18:42camp after camp
18:42they found abandoned
18:43with little food,
18:44and by the time
18:45they reached base camp,
18:46they were exhausted
18:47and could barely walk.
18:49Fritz was enraged
18:51with the rest of the climbers,
18:52claiming they had left them
18:53to die on the mountain
18:54and even threatened
18:55to sue them.
18:56Tony fired back at Fritz,
18:58claiming he had abandoned
18:59Dudley high on the mountain,
19:01and to some extent,
19:02he wasn't wrong.
19:03From this point onwards,
19:05Fritz and Tony
19:05became mortal enemies.
19:08But,
19:08despite their differences,
19:09there was a greater
19:10and more important problem.
19:12Dudley.
19:13Once again,
19:14he was alone on K2,
19:15and this time,
19:16the climbers would have
19:17to travel back up
19:18the dangerous mountain
19:19to rescue him.
19:20On July 25th,
19:22Jack and three Sherpas
19:23started to make
19:24their way up the mountain,
19:25but they only made it
19:26as far as Camp 4.
19:28From here,
19:29only two Sherpas
19:30had the strength
19:30to continue
19:31and push onwards
19:32to Camp 6.
19:34A few days later,
19:35Pasang Kikuli
19:36and Tsering Norbu
19:37left base camp
19:38as reinforcements
19:39and managed to climb
19:40an astonishing 7,000 feet
19:42in one day
19:43to reach Camp 6
19:45by nightfall.
19:46This kind of climb
19:47was comparable
19:48to the much later
19:49Alpine style
19:50that would soon shape
19:51the mountaineering world.
19:52On July 29th,
19:54Pasang Kikuli,
19:55Pasang Kitar,
19:56and Finsu
19:57set off from Camp 6,
19:58whereas Tsering Norbu
20:00remained behind.
20:01They finally made it
20:02to Dudley.
20:03They expected to be met
20:04with excitement
20:05as they came
20:06to bring him down
20:06the mountain
20:07and back to his life
20:08of luxury,
20:09but this was not the case.
20:11By now,
20:12he was clearly suffering
20:13from altitude sickness.
20:15When they approached
20:15his tent,
20:16they found him
20:17huddled up inside,
20:18and the floor
20:19was covered in his own
20:20urine and feces.
20:21He had no water
20:22or warm food,
20:23and he wasn't thinking
20:24clearly as he refused
20:26to leave.
20:27Instead,
20:27he asked the Sherpas
20:28to come back
20:29the following day,
20:30and he would be ready
20:31for the descent.
20:32It likely was
20:33the altitude sickness
20:34talking,
20:35not him.
20:36As wild as this story is,
20:38I'm not sure
20:38I was prepared
20:39to learn about
20:40the events
20:40that would unfold next.
20:42The Sherpas actually
20:43did leave him,
20:44and they couldn't return
20:45until July 31st
20:47due to a storm,
20:48two days after
20:49they found him
20:50in that horrifying condition,
20:51but when they did set off,
20:53it was the last time
20:54any of them
20:54were seen alive.
20:56It's uncertain
20:56what happened
20:57to the Sherpas
20:58as they bravely
20:59traveled back up
21:00to the next camp
21:01in hopes of saving
21:02Dudley's life,
21:03but after two days,
21:05Tsering realized
21:06they were not coming back,
21:07and he quickly made
21:08his way back down
21:09to base camp.
21:10Jack and the others
21:11were shocked
21:12to see Tsering return alone.
21:14Writing in his diary,
21:16Jack shared his thoughts
21:17on the news
21:17that no one returned
21:18from Camp 7.
21:20He said,
21:20The Sherpas are certain
21:22something awful
21:22has happened.
21:23Weissner thought differently.
21:25No,
21:26it seems impossible
21:27that anything
21:28should have happened
21:28to such an able group.
21:30Fritz's thoughts
21:31at the time
21:32might seem absurd,
21:33but remember,
21:34even he didn't know
21:35just how deadly
21:36this mountain
21:37would become
21:37to future climbers.
21:39Fritz decided
21:40to organize
21:40a third rescue attempt,
21:42possibly because
21:43he felt guilty
21:43for leaving Dudley alone
21:45at Camp 7.
21:46Guilt can be
21:46a strange emotion
21:47for an individual.
21:48Imagine a weight,
21:50not a physical burden,
21:51but something far heavier
21:52pressing down
21:53on your soul.
21:54It's the ghost
21:55of a past mistake.
21:56A moment
21:57you wish you could erase.
21:58This is guilt.
22:00And for some,
22:01this crushing burden
22:02doesn't lead
22:03to quiet reflection,
22:04but to a dangerous,
22:06desperate dance
22:07with recklessness.
22:08Maybe now,
22:09Fritz had to believe
22:10he could rescue Dudley.
22:11If not,
22:12he'd have to accept
22:13his role in his death.
22:15Fritz was the only climber
22:16strong enough
22:17to attempt another trip
22:18up the mountain.
22:19So on August 3rd,
22:20he set off with
22:21Tsering and Dawa
22:23Thondap Sherpa.
22:24But progress
22:24was painstakingly slow,
22:27and they only made it
22:28to Camp 1
22:28after climbing all day.
22:30Then,
22:31another storm
22:32hit the mountain,
22:33causing the men
22:34to become stranded
22:34once more.
22:36It was at this point
22:37that it appears
22:37Fritz had lost
22:38all hope,
22:39and finally came
22:40to the conclusion
22:41that Dudley
22:41and the three Sherpas
22:43had all lost their lives.
22:45There was nothing more
22:46they could do,
22:46and so Fritz decided
22:48they would return
22:49to base camp.
22:50When they arrived,
22:51they were in a pitiful state.
22:52The men packed up
22:54what they could
22:54and began the long trek
22:56back to Srinagar,
22:57where Fritz would have
22:58to face the first
22:59of many controversies
23:00centered on the idea
23:02that he was responsible
23:03for not only Dudley's death,
23:04but, by association,
23:06the deaths
23:07of the three Sherpas.
23:08This idea was pushed
23:09heavily by Tony,
23:11who had continued
23:11to argue that Fritz
23:12had murdered Dudley.
23:14During his time
23:15in Srinagar,
23:16Tony had even spoken
23:17with the British community,
23:18claiming Fritz's leadership
23:20skills were appalling.
23:21In the years that followed,
23:23Fritz would have to explain
23:24what happened on the mountain
23:25time and time again,
23:27with some reports
23:28implying he was responsible
23:29for the deaths.
23:31After all,
23:31he was the only experienced
23:33climber.
23:34Critics argued
23:35he was too focused
23:36on the summit,
23:36and that his leadership
23:38contributed to the tragedy.
23:39The initial accounts
23:40of the climb
23:41placed much of the blame
23:42on him.
23:43Some even claimed
23:44Fritz's desire for glory
23:46overshadowed the safety
23:47of his team.
23:48When he returned to the U.S.,
23:50Fritz sat down
23:51for an interview
23:51with the New York Times,
23:52in which he compared
23:53the K-2 expedition
23:54to that of war,
23:56where we must expect casualties.
23:58This didn't sit well
24:00with many in the mountaineering
24:01community who believe
24:02he was making excuses
24:03for abandoning Dudley.
24:05However,
24:06others did take Fritz's side.
24:08Looking back,
24:09it's a really tough situation.
24:11On one hand,
24:12you have the leader's responsibility.
24:14On the other hand,
24:15you have the brutal realities
24:16of high-altitude climbing.
24:18Was it a calculated risk
24:19that went wrong,
24:20or was it a lapse in judgment?
24:22There's no definitive answer
24:23that everyone agrees on.
24:25The debate continued
24:26for decades.
24:27Some saw Fritz Weissner
24:28as a hero
24:29who pushed the limits,
24:30while others saw him
24:31as a reckless leader
24:32who sacrificed a team member.
24:34The tragedy of Dudley Wolf's death
24:36remains a somber chapter
24:38in the history of K-2 climbing,
24:40and the question
24:40of Fritz's responsibility
24:42is still discussed today.
24:44One thing we know today
24:45is that it's surprising
24:46anyone made it back
24:48from the expedition.
24:49As the decades passed
24:50and humans climbed
24:51to the peak
24:52of the world's tallest mountains
24:53like Everest,
24:55Kanchenjunga,
24:56and Lhotse,
24:57K-2 itself stood out
24:59for its particularly
25:00dangerous nature.
25:01Today,
25:02Karakorum-2
25:03is regarded
25:03by most mountaineers
25:05as the most dangerous
25:06mountain on planet Earth.
25:08The bodies of Dudley
25:09and the three Sherpas
25:10who went to save his life
25:12were never found,
25:13and they became four
25:14in a long list of deaths
25:16that would earn K-2
25:17the name Killer Mountain.
25:19Thanks for watching,
25:20and I'll see you in the next one.
25:22Stay bold,
25:23and live brave.
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