 A second attempt on K2 in 1980 saw Tasker almost wiped out by an avalanche and was ultimately unsuccessful.In the winter of 1980-1981 Tasker was part of an eight-man team (with Alan Rouse, John Porter, Brian Hall, Adrian Burgess, Alan Burgess, Pete Thexton and Paul Nunn) attempting to make a difficult winter assault on the West Face of Mount Everest; this was unsuccessful but was recounted in Tasker's first book "Everest the Cruel Way".In 1980, Tasker met Maria Coffey, the girlfriend who wrote about her grief following his death in "Fragile Edge".