The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev, G. Weston DeWalt Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Climb
Book Review: The Climb to sucess
Summary: 4 Stars
The climb tells this real life drama in a way that not only brings home the heroics of all involved but also how frightening the situation was to all concerned.I came away from this book with the utmost respect for all parties involed and the knoledge that if I were ever in that situation I would find it dificult to cope as well as they did.
A griping read.
Book Review: AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH...
Summary: 3 Stars
This is the story about the 1996 Everest tragedy told from the perspective of Anatoli Boukreev, who was one of the guides on the ill-fated Mountain Madness expedition. It is written almost as a rebuttal to the perceived criticism by Jon Krakauer (Into Thin Air) of Boukreev's actions on that ill-fated Everest climb.
This is a poorly written account that is oftentimes confusing. It has none of the clarity of prose found in Krakauer's "Into Thin Air". It is, however, an important chronicle from someone who was there on Everest, and who had a pivotal role in the tragic events. Boukreev provides an insider's view of the Mountain Madness expedition itself and of the preparations which go into such a journey. It is packed with many interesting details which will delight Everest junkies.
Whether Boukreev's actions on the mountain were irresponsible, in that he did not use supplementary oxygen to summit and immediately returned to camp after reaching the summit, rather than remain with the expedition's clients, or whether he was just following the orders of the expedition leader, Scott Fisher, who himself died on Everest, is an issue which will long be debated in mountaineering circles. There is no doubt, however, that Boukreev did, in fact, single handedly rescue three of the climbers during a raging blizzard; climbers who without his intervention would have died. Given the extreme weather conditions, his foray up the mountain to rescue climbers is nothing less than heroic.
Boukreev's is an important voice in the Everest annals, more so now that his voice has been silenced. On Christmas day, 1997, Boukreev died in an avalanche on Annapurna. RIP.
Book Review: So good, i'm reading it again
Summary: 5 Stars
When i bought this book i had no idea that it would keep my gripped for more than a 24 hours on a flight, reading without a pause but it did. Great book, well written (i am currently reading it for a second time). In addition it also provides a counter view to the contentious views that are expressed in 'into thin air'. A true story of human endurance, bravery, extreme conditions and business competition in a world where the price of failure is death. A truely human story about one of the great mountaineers of all time, who climbed without O2. Great read and everyone i know who has read it say the same, you just can't put it down until the story has been told in full.Book Review: A gripping tale of the Everest disaster
Summary: 5 Stars
Having read 'Into thin air' and other accounts of the doomed accent of Everest, this book is by far and away the most objective and humble portrait of tragic events. Other books might be more 'dramatic' and 'colourful' but I felt I understood what was envolved and expected in high altitude mountaineering and guiding after reading this. Boukreev was a great man with a genuine and clear passsion of the mountains. He has been cast as the villain in various articles about his conduct, but the reverse is true; he was a hero.Book Review: A compelling read... Hard to put down...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the best book I have ever read - in it G.W. DeWalt and Boukreev, one of the legendary climbers of his time, have combined to make this book a gripping, compelling read. It was immensely difficult to tear myself away from it. Having read Into Thin Air by John Krakauer, which gives Krakauer's version of events on that fatal day, this book contrasts heavily to Krakauer's style of writing, in as good a way as possible. G.W. DeWalt has put Boukreev's account forward so well, I am moved to feel for Boukreev - who pulled off one of the most astounding mountaineering rescues of all time without oxygen - because he is unjustly villified over his actions on that fatal day by the media. In reading this, I have been compelled to change my mind over certain things - showing how well his account has been put across.