One Man’s Climb: A Journey of Trauma, Tragedy and Triumph on K2

A deeply moving story of the beauty and brutality of life, and death, on the world’s most unpredictable and perilous mountain.

Hayes details an intensely personal account of his attempts to climb K2 - the notorious second highest mountain in the world - in 2013 and again in 2014. In this gripping narrative, he seamlessly shifts between his guilt and struggles as a father amid tumultuous personal circumstances, the profound events on K2, and the powerful lessons for our lives in the world below.

In 2013 Hayes, together with Al Hancock and four Sherpa, reached Camp 3 on their summit push but decided to descend due to heavy snowfall. Their decision to retreat was confirmed when Marty and Denali Schmidt were killed in an avalanche at Camp 3. In 2014 Hayes and Hancock returned to K2, joined by Chris Burke and a larger support team. They succeeded in reaching the summit but had to endure a very difficult descent.