Mountain Do

In January 2021, ten Nepali climbers solved what mountaineers liked to call “the last great problem”: a winter ascent of the notorious K2. On this expedition, in contrast to many others, no Western “clients” accompanied the Sherpas, some of whom celebrated by dropping their oxygen masks and singing their national anthem on the summit, the world’s second highest. Millions of viewers on social media were captivated by their obvious pride and joy atop a peak where temperatures can reach minus 60 Celsius.

The story of that K2 climb is detailed, along with many others, in Bernadette McDonald’s riveting book Alpine Rising: Sherpas, Baltis, and the Triumph of Local Climbers in the Greater Ranges. The author from Banff, Alberta, interprets the Nepali ascent as marking a cultural shift in addition to a significant mountaineering achievement. Among those ten men were superstars of the sport: national heroes with large online followings. Many were second- or even...