The Ethical Dilemna of Rescue

    Our latest documentary was called The Summit and documents the tragedy that occurred on August 1 & 2, 2008, on the K2 mountain of Pakistan and China. K2 is the second highest mountain on earth and with a 25% death rate, is deadlier than Everest.
    This documentary was very hard to follow. This was partially due to the way they told the story (starting in the middle) and partially due to the fact that to this day, what happened on K2 is largely a mystery. All in all this is a very interesting and saddening documentary. It seemed like it was trying very hard to be Touching the Void (A similar mountaineering documentary. This one is MUST SEE!) though it was not nearly as good. The film explores the mystery behind accidental deaths and some unexplained deaths and attempts to fill in the blanks. It is shot through a combination of actual footage of the event and what I presume were reenactments (?) though which is which is never made entirely clear.
    The film also underlines the debate amongst climbers of whether there is a responsibility to rescue fellow climbers if there is a high risk of personal injury or death. When several Korean climbers were stranded on the mountain due to injury the vast majority of climbers at the next lowest camp refused (with apparently legitimate excuses) to make the climb to rescue them. Of the five that did attempt the rescue, three of whom were unequipped hired sherpas, three died, including both sherpas.

    A previous generation might have suggested that the only "right" thing to do would have been to risk it all to rescue the other climbers, regardless of whether or not they were part of your group or nationality. I believe that many of today's generation, which apparently includes the climbers on the mountain that day, would say that they knew the risks when they made the climb and it would be stupid to attempt an ill-fated rescue. I am not sure what I would do if put in their position, and I never have to know.  If you were put in a similar situation, would you be able to live or die with the consequences?