K2, poslední klenot mé koruny Himálaje – Jaroš Radek (2015)

The book concludes with the story of the twenty-year Himalayan adventure of the most successful Czech mountaineer Radek Jaroš. It is a loose continuation of the publications 'Mountains from Above' and 'Mountains from Above 2', which describe his ascents of the previous thirteen eight-thousanders on the planet. Radek Jaroš was close to the summit of K2 during his first expedition to this mountain in 2001 when he ascended the Česen Pillar to its shoulder. At that time, he had to return from an altitude of 8000m to base camp due to an unexpected change in the weather. Subsequent attempts in 2003 and 2005 were also thwarted by the weather. In 2007, he was injured in base camp and had to end the expedition. While descending from the summit of Annapurna in 2012, he suffered severe frostbite on his feet and underwent several surgeries over the next two years, during which the tips of his toes on both feet were amputated. Despite this handicap, he continued preparations for the ascent of his last eight-thousander, which he needed to achieve the Crown of the Himalayas. He reached its summit on July 26, 2014, thus becoming only the fifteenth climber in the world and the first Czech to ascend all fourteen of the world's eight-thousanders without the use of oxygen and, unlike many others, without the help of high-altitude porters.