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A history of Mount Everest expedition is intertwined with the disastrous expedition the author was a part of, during which five members were killed by a hurricane-strength blizzard. When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. As he turned to begin his long, dangerous descent from 29,028 feet, twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly toward the top. No one had noticed that the sky had begun to fill with clouds. Six hours later and 3,000 feet lower, in 70-knot winds and blinding snow, Krakauer collapsed in his tent, freezing, hallucinating from exhaustion and hypoxia, but safe. The following morning he learned that six of his fellow climbers hadn't made it back to their camp and were in a desperate struggle for their lives. When the storm finally passed, five of them would be dead, and the sixth so horribly frostbitten that his right hand would have to be amputated. Krakauer examines what it is about Everest that has compelled so many people - including himself - to throw caution to the wind, ignore the concerns of loved ones, and willingly subject themselves to such risk, hardship, and expense. Written with emotional clarity and supported by his unimpeachable reporting, Krakauer's eye-witness account of what happened on the roof of the world is a singular achievement.… (more)
marzipanz: It may seem like an obvious recommendation, but I would really urge everybody to read The Climb instead of or in addition to Into Thin Air. It really sheds a completely new light on some of what Krakauer writes, and - to me - seemed a far more convincing account of some of the events.… (more)
oregonobsessionz: While The Climb is not an easy read like Into Thin Air, it does provide a different perspective on the disaster, and answers some of Krakauer's criticisms of Boukreev's actions.
bluepiano: I may be the only reader of Krakauer's book who thought Boukreev came across as a hero in it. The Climb is a heartening reminder that experience, intelligence, and calm can be the makings of heroism, and it's quite interesting as well.
BookWallah: If you liked Into Thin Air, then you are ready for the mountaineering classic, Everest: The West Ridge. This sparse first person account of the other American team that came after Whitaker in 1963 and put up a route that has seldom been repeated.
normandie_m: The events in this book re-opened discussion of the controversies surrounding the 1996 disaster. Heil examines similar themes, particularly the ethical dilemma of whether or not to offer assistance to/rescuing sick climbers when one's own health and supplies such as oxygen are depleted.… (more)
I read this while on holiday. I've always been very fascinated by Mt. Everest. I'm not sure why as I'm not a mountain climber and reading about the awful conditions that climbers have to endure does not seem appealing at all. But it's interesting to read about while I'm sitting warm and cozy with a hot tea and my fireplace on! I really enjoyed this account (actually I don't know if enjoyed is the right word for reading about this tragedy) I was thoroughly interested in reading about how things came about and things that maybe could have been done differently. It was also interesting to read about the different climbers and the ones that are willing to admit this isn't going to happen today while others put their lives in danger just to accomplish their goal. A very sad story but I thought it was well written and it seemed fairly objective to me. This book was reviewed on the Literary Club Podcast episode 57 https://www.buzzsprout.com/1984185( )
Reread during fall 2024. Truly a gut wrenching and heart breaking story. Unbelievable misery they went through to complete the climb of Everest. Krakauer leaves no stone unturned in analyzing this event. Speaks to motives and actions that caused this catastrophy ( )
A clear, chilling, and gripping account of a fateful climb of the tallest mountain on the planet. Pulling in memories of his own and interviews with others that experienced the events in the spring of 1996, the author relays triumphs, fears, defeat, and death on the mountain. ( )
a difficult read, when you know how it ends before you even begin. It's hard to not spend a moment or two just gazing at the photos in the beginning of the book and realize what they must have gone through.
When they paid to charter that climb to Mt. Everest, they never believed they wouldn't come back. How quickly that changed, how quickly it can all turn - in just as quick as a rumble of some clouds and a darkening of the sky.
It reminds you of just how precious life is. And how even a small mistake can be the difference of life and death. ( )
Read the book, then saw the movie, then watched the Bonus Tracks.... This is a story that needed to be told, of bravery, foolhardiness, wonder, self-challenge, and survival. I think it was all the better that I knew nothing about the outcome when I started it.
I love that it's also a bird's-eye view of what it's actually like to try to climb the tallest mountain in the world--especially for those of us who know we would never in a million years try it. ( )
An experienced climber himself, Mr. Krakauer gives us both a tactile appreciation of the dangerous allure of mountaineering and a compelling chronicle of the bad luck, bad judgment and doomed heroism that led to the deaths of his climbing companions.
Men play at tragedy because they do not believe in the reality of the tragey which is actually being staged in the civilised world. —José Ortega y Gasset
Dedication
For Linda; and in memory of Andy Harris, Doug Hansen, Rob Hall, Yasuko Namba, Scott Fischer, Ngawang Topche Sherpa, Chen Yu-Nana, Bruce Herrod, and Lopsang Jangbu Sherpa
First words
Straddling the top of the world, one foot in China and the other in Nepal, I cleared the ice from my oxygen mask, hunched a shoulder against the wind, and stared absently down at the vastness of Tibet.
Quotations
Getting to the top of any given mountain was considered much less important than how one got there: prestige was earned by tackling the most unforgiving routes with minimal equipment, in the boldest style imaginable. John Krakauer
Last words
Beidleman paused. "But I can't help thinking about Yasuko," he said when he resumed, his voice hushed. "She was so little. I can still feel her fingers sliding across my biceps, and then letting go. I never even turned to look back."
A history of Mount Everest expedition is intertwined with the disastrous expedition the author was a part of, during which five members were killed by a hurricane-strength blizzard. When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. As he turned to begin his long, dangerous descent from 29,028 feet, twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly toward the top. No one had noticed that the sky had begun to fill with clouds. Six hours later and 3,000 feet lower, in 70-knot winds and blinding snow, Krakauer collapsed in his tent, freezing, hallucinating from exhaustion and hypoxia, but safe. The following morning he learned that six of his fellow climbers hadn't made it back to their camp and were in a desperate struggle for their lives. When the storm finally passed, five of them would be dead, and the sixth so horribly frostbitten that his right hand would have to be amputated. Krakauer examines what it is about Everest that has compelled so many people - including himself - to throw caution to the wind, ignore the concerns of loved ones, and willingly subject themselves to such risk, hardship, and expense. Written with emotional clarity and supported by his unimpeachable reporting, Krakauer's eye-witness account of what happened on the roof of the world is a singular achievement.
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A very sad story but I thought it was well written and it seemed fairly objective to me.
This book was reviewed on the Literary Club Podcast episode 57
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1984185 (