Mountain Madness
by Robert Birkby
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robert BirkbyEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-02-01
ISBN: 0806528753
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Citadel
Book Reviews of Mountain Madness
Book Review: Rules are for fools
Summary: 4 Stars
Much has been written (Jon Krakauer's `Into Thin Air, Anatoli Boukreev's `The Climb' etc.) about the 1996 tragedies on Mount Everest when many lives were lost including that of Scott Fischer. Robert Birkby's `Mountain Madness' adds little to the conflicting accounts but it sets down particulars of Fischer's energetic and enterprising life leading to his fatal climb. Birkby's homage to Scott Fischer borders on hero-worship, and as a close friend he admires Fischer for his skills and strength, respects him for his courage and willpower, and he praises him for his charismatic presence and his ability to motivate others. His writing style may appear a little brash to British readers, and certainly the language is `American', but generally `Mountain Madness' is an easy and engaging read - in spite of heavy reliance on quoting others.
Birkby begins and ends his biography reminiscing and referring to Kala Patar, a trekker's peak looking across to Everest, and in between he spans Scott Fischer's family life, his early introduction to mountaineering via the National Outdoor Leadership School, his numerous exhilarating exploits and experiences, and his creation of the guiding enterprise Mountain Madness. This was neither overtly skills-orientated nor character-building - but aimed to provide logistical support for adventure seekers to fulfil dreams by enabling them to go as far and as high as they individually could. There seems little doubt that in its early years emphasis was on the guides (Bruces) getting themselves onto the mountains where Scott was usually up front, and his desire to climb Everest was to reinforce promotion of his business, but perhaps towards 1996 this evolved to getting the greatest proportion of clients to summits.
Along the way there were failures as well as successes - not least Fischer's history of falling-off and his reputation as `the fallingest man in climbing'. From teenage days onwards Scott Fischer pursued a continuous and enviable life of adventure This is ably chronicled by Birkby, though life was so full it is difficult in 342 pages to cover in depth, and he somewhat makes light of Scott's weaknesses. Examples include leadership and organizational skills lacking (North Face Everest), reluctance to take direction (Pik Kommunizma), flouting the law (Khumba icefall), poor decision making (K2) - and more. These link closely with risk-taking (Kilimanjaro's Breach Wall, Annapurna Fang - and more), demonstrating thrill-seeking willingness to push limits in dangerous places. All this makes for an exciting read, and though Robert Birkby may view his subject through rose-tinted glasses, few punches are pulled.
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