K2

Baltimore County Council member Kevin Kamenetz's proposal to criminalize K2 ("Days of 'legal pot' could be number in Balto. County," Aug. 17) ignores our nation's experience with nearly forty years of a disastrous war on drugs. Making criminals out of sellers and users of a product that is said to imitate the effects of marijuana will not reduce the demand for K2. Banning K2 may also frustrate efforts by local universities to research potential medicinal benefits of the chemical compounds these products contain.

LONDON -- Remember her at the summit, at the craggy, forbidding edges of the planet, where life is grasped in short gasps of thin air, and where death is but a step away.Alison Hargreaves, mountain climber and dreamer, would have it no other way.The 33-year-old mother of two from Scotland lived to conquer mountains. And she apparently died in an avalanche last Sunday after reaching the 28,250-foot summit of K2, the world's second-highest mountain, which straddles the Pakistan-China border.

I definitely support City Council member Kevin Kamenetz's plan to bring about a law making K2 and chemicals that have similar effects illegal ("Days of 'legal pot' could be numbered in Balto. County," Aug. 17). I think that if marijuana is outlawed, substances that share its effects should be too. They seem as if they are equally dangerous, having the same side effects such as racing heartbeats, headaches, and high blood pressure. If they have that much in common, it is possible that K2 and the like may be every bit as addicting as pot. Finally, the fact that K2 is so readily available is frightening; at least marijuana isn't so easy to get a hold of. The fact that it is in Ocean City is also a great cause of concern, given how many recent graduates go there for senior each year.

Maryland mountaineer Chris Warner is already a seasoned adventurer. Next, he also might get to play one on TV. The Annapolis resident, who in 2001 conquered Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain, is taking aim this summer at No. 2, the much deadlier K2. He set off this past week for the Pakistan-China border, and is expected to return in August. When he does, Warner hopes to play host for a new television series, Risk Takers/History Makers, that its producers aim to make part of the History Channel's lineup.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - At least nine climbers were reported dead yesterday on K2, the world's second-highest mountain, after an avalanche struck them on a steep gully at a height of about 27,000 feet, just below the summit, mountaineering officials said. Those who died included South Koreans and Nepalese, the Pakistani television station ARY reported. Serbian, Norwegian, Dutch and French climbers were also near the summit, according to ARY. Other climbers are believed missing. The accident occurred when a chunk of an ice pillar snapped Friday, breaking fixed ropes on the area of the peak just below the summit, known as Bottleneck, according to expedition organizers.

A program discussing the growing use of synthetic drugs will be held Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m., at the Westminster Library, 50 E. Main St., Westminster The program is for adults, and will discuss the dangers of bath salts, Spice, K2, and other synthetic drugs. Charles Bosley, addictions coordinator at Carroll Hospital Center, will discuss the effects of synthetic drugs on the body, the warning signs of use, and how to talk to teens about these and other drugs. The talk is free.

There's something to be said for picking the right profession. Sitting at a computer and punching numbers, for example, won't get you trapped in a narrow, icy cave, 26,000 feet high on K2, the world's second highest and most challenging mountain. At least, that's what I took to be the moral of the story in "Vertical Limit." Directed by Martin Campbell ("The Mask of Zorro"), "Vertical Limit" is a mountain-climbing action flick so packed with suspense and surprise avalanches that some parts will have you crouched in your seat, gasping from the thrills per nanosecond.

He's clung to the side of Mount Everest, felt the deadly pull of avalanches and taken a nearly fatal fall at 21,000 feet. But on a recent night in Essex, climber Chris Warner faced perhaps a more demanding test. At The Sun's request, the Baltimore County resident sat through a screening of "Vertical Limit" to assess the new action-packed film that answers the question: What would happen if Wile E. Coyote tackled the K2, the world's second-highest mountain? "If climbing was like that, I'd give it up," Warner scoffed as the credits rolled.

Few women have husbands who punch the clock in the "Death Zone." But when Melinda Warner married Maryland's top mountaineer nearly three years ago, she knew a large portion of every year would be spent waiting for her spouse to return from on high. This week is no different as Chris Warner gets closer to his goal of adding K2, the world's second-highest mountain, to a resume that includes Mount Everest and other massive peaks. High winds and plummeting temperatures yesterday forced the climbers to retreat to base camp and await the next window of good weather.

Never get into a game of "can you top this" with Chris Warner. But especially not this year. You've finally downloaded and cataloged all your vacation photos. He has shot a television pilot on the gushing rapids inside the Grand Canyon. You've finished a home-improvement project. He's opening a third climbing gym. You've increased your walking routine. He came close to conquering K2, the world's second-highest mountain and considered its most dangerous. Except it's never like that when you talk to him. Funny, thoughtful, self-deprecating, well-read and modest, Warner is one of those guys you love listening to whether it's on the phone or over a cup of coffee.