Mountain Madness Summary and Reviews

Mountain Madness
by Robert Birkby

Mountain Madness
List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $11.90
You Save: $13.05 (52%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $9.89 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Robert Birkby
Edition: 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.

Biographies & Memoirs Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Biographies & Memoirs Books
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance ImageDreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
by Barack Obama
Crown; Published: 2007-01-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.53
Price in other shops: $25.95
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia ImageEat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
by Elizabeth Gilbert
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2007-01-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops: $15.00
The Wordy Shipmates ImageThe Wordy Shipmates
by Sarah Vowell
Riverhead Hardcover; Published: 2008-10-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.97
Price in other shops: $25.95
Letter to My Daughter ImageLetter to My Daughter
by Maya Angelou
Random House; Published: 2008-09-23; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.09
Price in other shops: $25.00
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage) ImageThe Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage)
by Barack Obama
Vintage; Published: 2008-07-15; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.04
Price in other shops: $7.99
Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice ImageHere's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice
by Maureen Mccormick
William Morrow; Published: 2008-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.78
Price in other shops: $25.95
A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity ImageA Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity
by Bill O'Reilly
Broadway; Published: 2008-09-23; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.67
Price in other shops: $26.00
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World ImageDewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
by Vicki Myron
Grand Central Publishing; Published: 2008-09-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.89
Price in other shops: $19.99
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time ImageThree Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
by Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2007-01-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.25
Price in other shops: $15.00
The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life ImageThe Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life
by Alice Schroeder
Bantam; Published: 2008-09-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.25
Price in other shops: $35.00
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Doctor on Everest: A Memoir of the Ill-Fated 1971 International Everest Expedition ImageDoctor on Everest: A Memoir of the Ill-Fated 1971 International Everest Expedition
by Peter Steele
Raincoast Books; Published: 2005-07-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.25
Price in other shops: $16.95
The Other Side of Everest: Climbing the North Face Through the Killer Storm ImageThe Other Side of Everest: Climbing the North Face Through the Killer Storm
by Matt Dickinson
Three Rivers Press; Published: 2000-05-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.20
Price in other shops: $13.95
Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes ImageFallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes
by Maurice Isserman, Stewart Weaver
Yale University Press; Published: 2008-07-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $24.75
Price in other shops: $39.95
High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places ImageHigh Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places
by David Breashears
Simon & Schuster; Published: 2000-05-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.28
Price in other shops: $16.00
No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks ImageNo Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks
by Ed Viesturs, David Roberts
Broadway; Published: 2007-11-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.39
Price in other shops: $14.00
Forever on the Mountain: The Truth Behind One of Mountaineering's Most Controversial and Mysterious Disasters ImageForever on the Mountain: The Truth Behind One of Mountaineering's Most Controversial and Mysterious Disasters
by James M. Tabor
W. W. Norton; Published: 2008-06-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.72
Price in other shops: $15.95
Forget Me Not: A Memoir ImageForget Me Not: A Memoir
by Jennifer Lowe-anker
Mountaineers Books; Published: 2008-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.21
Price in other shops: $24.95
Dead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest ImageDead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest
by Lincoln Hall
Tarcher; Published: 2008-05-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.67
Price in other shops: $24.95
Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season ImageDark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season
by Nick Heil
Henry Holt and Co.; Published: 2008-04-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.53
Price in other shops: $26.00
High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed ImageHigh Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed
by Michael Kodas
Hyperion; Published: 2008-02-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.08
Price in other shops: $24.95