"One Mountain Thousand Summits" - with author Freddie Wilkinson
Wednesday, September 22 at 7:00PM
REI Austin Gateway

August 1, 2008 started like any other day on top of one of the highest peaks in the world. The weather forecast for the summit of K2 was perfect. Several international expeditions were attempting to summit that day, with the various teams seemingly well-equipped with members whose experience, technical ability, and familiarity with this mountain, would make this final push relatively smooth. But during a 30 hour period, eleven of those climbers lost their lives and three others were seriously injured in what would become one of the deadliest climbing accidents in mountaineering history.

Freddie Wilkinson is a New England-based professional climber, mountain guide, and outdoor writer. He has made numerous first ascents on difficult peaks in Alaska, Patagonia, and the Himalayas. In 2007, the American Alpine Club awarded him the Robert Hicks Bates Award for outstanding accomplishments by a young climber. His writing frequently appears in the climbing media, including, Climbing Magazine, Rock and Ice, Alpinist, and the American Alpine Journal. Wilkinson lives in a 12x12 cabin with no running water and a "super-fast" wireless internet connection in North Conway, New Hampshire.