Vertical Limit: K2, The Savage Mountain

Vertical Limit was not filmed on K-2. It would have been too dangerous for many reasons.

The crew needed a mountain with sharp peaks, steep inclines, perilous crevasses, and killer avalanches that resembled the mighty granite massif K2. Only Viesturs is a professional climber. Filming would be dangerous enough for climbing and action scenes. Mt. Cook, in the "Southern Alps" of New Zealand, was chosen.

Instead of filming at K2's actual base camp, the production team selected "The Remarkables," a mountain range near Queenstown.  Some of the film’s non-mountain scenes were also set in this incredibly beautiful New Zealand resort town.

Why make a film that takes place on such treacherous terrain? Why tell a fictional story of sibling rivalry (between Peter Garrett and Annie Garrett) set against the backdrop of the most savage mountain on earth?

Because K2, the commanding tower of terror in the stunning Karakoram Range, demands the best of a human being. Its very existence reminds us that stripped down, unvarnished courage is needed to even THINK of tackling its spires.

If human beings can respond that way to a mountain, how much more could we give to each other?