Read Bormio: "K2. Two friends and a dream"

Read Bormio

The Department of Culture organizes "Read Bormio", a series of meetings with various authors.

Reading and discussion of the book "K2. Two Friends and a Dream" by Marco Majori, Federico Secchi, and Ettore Zorzini, published by Rizzoli, 2025.

Plot

If you ask a child to draw a mountain, they will likely, without knowing it, sketch the profile of K2, a perfect triangle of ice and rock, sculpted by the wind and silence.
Considered by many to be “the perfect mountain,” it was first conquered in 1954 by Italians Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli with the crucial help of Walter Bonatti. But K2 is also known as “the wild mountain,” and those who attempt the summit without supplemental oxygen know this well.
In June 2024, seventy years after the first ascent, two friends and experienced climbers, Marco Majori and Federico Secchi, attempt a unique feat: the first Italian ski descent from K2, without oxygen. Along with them is Ettore Zorzini with a drone, essential for capturing the right perspective during the descent and documenting the endeavor.
On the day of the final ascent, the weather worsens. Only Federico reaches the summit and puts on skis to begin the descent. Marco, the following day, falls into a crevasse, risking death. The incident, for better or worse, makes him confront one of the greatest paradoxes of mountaineering: a discipline sometimes so close to death but also, perhaps, the most intense form of contact with life.
K2. TWO FRIENDS AND A DREAM is the story of how dedication and skill can lead to confronting one of the most incredible mountains in the world, but it is also a tale of how, at times, rigorous training at high altitude matters little without a good dose of trust, introspection, and humility.

Upcoming events with "Read Bormio"

Sunday, January 4, 2026 | Cortina 1956. Un'Olimpiade tra Guerra fredda e Dolce vita (Cortina 1956. An Olympics between the Cold War and the Dolce Vita)| by Andrea Goldstein, Rubbettino, 2025
Saturday, March 21, 2026 | L'arto fantasma e le mie paure (The Phantom Limb and My Fears) | by Moreno Pesce, moderated by Tiziana Compagnoni, Michael Edizioni, 2021

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