The Climb

Rating:
Summary: An annoying, carelessly written book
Review: It's not surprising that accounts by different authors would result in different versions of the 1996 Everest disaster. John Krakauer offers his version in "Into Thin Air." The Russian guide Anatoli Boukreev offers a somewhat different version in "The Climb." But Boukreev is not very fluent in English, so he hired G. Weston DeWalt to write the book in his name, and that's where the problems with "The Climb" begin.

DeWalt is a novice writer with no knowledge of mountain climbing and no legitimate connection to the Everest tragedy. According to "The Climb," he hadn't even met Boukreev until after the disaster. An unskilled researcher, he didn't interview any of the guides who survived the tragedy except Boukreev, so we only get Boukreev's point of view. Even worse, it seems pretty obvious that DeWalt decided to greatly overstate certain controversial aspects of the Everest tragedy in order to make "The Climb" stand out from the crowd of Everest books trying to cash in on the massive popularity of Krakauer's "Into Thin Air." DeWalt drones on and on in "The Climb" about how Krakauer supposedly went out of his way to give Boukreev a bad rap. Having just read the Illustrated Edition of "Into Thin Air," I found this claim to be completely unfounded. It made me doubt a lot of DeWalt's other claims.

The tactics DeWalt employed in "The Climb" reminded me of a slippery lawyer trying to con a jury that he thinks is too stupid to see what he's up to. Subtlety and understatement are apparently not concepts that DeWalt is familiar with. Too many times I wished he would let me make up my own mind instead of bludgeoning me over the head with his pompous, self-righteous diatribes. I also felt like he was constantly trying to divert my attention from the important issues by slinging mud at Krakauer and debating small, trivial points until my eyes glazed over. What's hard to figure is why Boukreev agreed to let DeWalt fill the book with so much mean-spirited hectoring. Why didn't Boukreev insist that DeWalt stick to the high road? Maybe, due to language problems, Boukreev didn't fully understand what DeWalt had written. When I read "Into Thin Air," I thought Krakauer portrayed Boukreev as an imperfect hero, but a hero nonetheless. Then I read "The Climb" and, thanks to DeWalt's heavy-handed portrayal, began to see Boukreev as a thin-skinned egomaniac incapable of handling even the slightest criticism.

"The Climb" offers a perspective of the Everest disaster not found in "Into Thin Air." But Krakauer's book seems to be a much more truthful account, because Krakauer did such thorough research and fact checking. Before you decide which book is more honest, you need to read the Illustrated Edition of "Into Thin Air," which has a newly added chapter at the end that reveals DeWalt's many errors, omissions, and falsehoods. It convinced me that "The Climb" was a cynical attempt by DeWalt to mislead the public. It also convinced me that although "Into Thin Air" is simply Krakauer's version of an incredibly complicated tragedy, it is a sincere, painfully candid account that deserves all its accolades. It's pretty obvious why Krakauer received several prestigious writing awards, including a Pulitzer Prize nomination.

Rating:
Summary: Mistakes Were Repeated
Review: What amazed me about The Climb was that Boukreev repeated many of the same mistakes in his 1997 Everest expedition, summitting with an inexperienced Indonesian group after 3:00 p.m. While he did establish a Camp 5 at 8,500 meters, he would not have made it back to that camp with all climbers had he faced either the weather or health problems that occurred on May 10, 1996. And then Boukreev kills himself in an avalanche. I think all these people have a death wish.

Rating:
Summary: Everest 1996: Who was to blame?
Review: Reading both Into Thin Air and The Climb, both thrilling and breathtaking accounts of one of mountaineerings worst tragedies, one can only conclude that the persons who could answer the questions remaining and who were, in the end, really to 'blame' for what happened, are dead: the expedition leaders Rob Hall and Scott Fisher. When the tragedy unfolded, people did what people usually do: make the best of it given the circumstances and this holds for both Anatoli Boukreev and Neil Beidelman as guides and John Krakauer as a client/journalist. Looking at the facts it is remarkable though that all of Mountain Madness' clients survived, while two of Adventure Consultants' clients perished. As an outsider, an armchair mountaineer, one can only wonder why unexperienced people risk their lives for a few moments of breathless glory at 8848 metres (okay, I admit, sometimes I would like to go there too). But to make judgements, while everybody knows that no way you can make somebody else responsible up there for what you do and how you do it, makes clear that this tragedy is not being used primarily to learn lessons for the future (which from the accounts given in both books are pretty clear), but to shed some blame on certain people because this 'sells' better commercially. This is the real pitty of it all.

Rating:
Summary: Somewhat Tedious Reading
Review: If you have read Into Thin Air, then this is a must read. However, I had a hard time following Boukreev's broken English, especially the transcript chapter. The book at times read more like a sales brochure for Boukreev and justification for decisions made on Everest, especially the whole chapter on his successful climb with the Indonesian team. I respect his overwhelming high-altitude climbing experience and passion for the mountains and his later death was very unfortunate, but the tragedy on Everest in 1996 was much more than simply what Boukreev did or didn't do or whether he used oxygen or not or whether he was dressed properly...it was a complex combination of a number of things.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Story by an Amazing Man
Review: The Climb may have been written to refute Jon Krakauer's book Into Thin Air; but it goes beyond. Boukreev was an elite climber with the 20 years experience, knowlege of the mountains and the bravery to do what no one else could have- bring climbers stranded high on Everest in a storm to safety. While the writing style of the book got a little tedious ( G. Weston DeWalt narrates with inserts in broken English from Boukreev); nothing can take away from its scope. The part where Boukreev describes his regret at not being able to save Scott Fischer and Yasuko Namba are extremely moving. It is clear that he was a strong, elite climber caught up in an expedition that wasn't well organized with climbers who probably weren't totally suited for Everest. It seemed many of the climbers didn't like him because he didn't hold their hands and pamper them throughout the climb. He lamented at one point that he felt he had been hired to " prepare the mountain for the climbers"- something it is impossible to do. It is the climbers who need to be ready for the mountain.If the climbers aren't prepared for the mountain and able to take some actions independently; even the most elite guides cannot ensure their safety. Yet Boukreev did what Jon Krakauer and others didn't have the strength, courage, or ability to do- save lives at great risk to his own. Having read Into Thin Air, too, I am well aware of the allegations Krakauer makes regarding Boukreev's responsibilities that day and his climbing without oxygen. But Boukreev was, by all accounts, in such amazing physical shape and had attuned to functioning well at altitude without it. (He even had strength to help Sherpas pitch tents and fix ropes.) I believe Boukreev's explanation that it is better for him to guide without O2, since that is what his body is accustomed to; than to use it and crash when it runs out. And he did carry a bottle on summit day for emergencies. In the second conversation between Boukreev and Scott Fischer on summit day; Fischer agreed that it was best for Boukreev to descend quickly to be available to bring O2 to climbers in case of an emergency. Yet Krauauer insists this second conversation NEVER HAPPENED. How does he know? Was he dogging their heels every minute of the descent? If Boukreev HAD stayed high on the mountain that day, he would've been trapped in the same situation as the stranded climbers and probably wouldn't have been in a position to help anyone! Perhaps Mr. Krakauer felt a bit ashamed that even after guiding Everest without O2, Boukreev had the necessary physical and mental energy to make several forays into the storm to rescue lost climbers and even attempt a last ditch effort to rescue Fischer and all Krakauer did was sleep as people were dying on the mountain. In fact, by Krakauer's own admission in Into Thin Air; the climbers on his expedition were even less prepared and experienced to take on Everest than Fischer's were. Could it be he feels some guilt at being unable to react to the situation because he was out of his league and he therefore must assign blame elsewhere? Certainly Krakauer realizes that even in an organized expedition, things happen that cannot be planned for or controlled. All guides can do is make the best decisions in difficult circumstances- which Boukreev did. Boukreev offered his expert advice on the lack of preparedness of the clients, the acclimatization routine, the lack of radios, etc. and was ignored. He was thrust into an expedition fated for disaster and, when the chips were down, showed his bravery and true character. Just as Krakauer showed his by doing nothing when it mattered and criticizing later. I was devastated to hear of Anatoli Boukreev's death in an avalanche on Annapurna on Christmas Day 1997. He died in the way I'm sure he would've wanted to; a daring, almost unheard of attempt of man against the mountain in winter. It is fitting that he died doing what he was best suited for- well prepared challenge of man against mountain; instead of while guiding the ill prepared up the peaks. He died doing what he loved most and he remains forever, body and soul, in the place he loved best; the only place he felt "my shoulders straightening, squaring, like the birds as they straighten their wings." I am sure he is greatly missed by his family, friends, and climbing affectionadoes. I feel cheated that I will not get to read any more about his determined, hubris-filled assaults on the 8,000m peaks. He died as he lived; a courageous, determined, magnificent athlete; and a true hero. Rest in peace, Anatoli- you and your heroism won't be forgotten.

Rating:
Summary: A Nit-Picking, Profit-engineering diatribe
Review: This add-book by deWalt attempts to stir up more money by scraping the bottom of the barrel to bring up transcripts of altittude-addled interviews. Worse, the Salon sword-crossing with Jon Krakauer is so phony that deWalt appears mostly to be clutching at straws to defend a man whose biggest mistake wasnt that he did not fulfil his guiding duties - but rather the inability to admit a mistake. And the Salon excerpts do go on interminably.

Boukreev is a flawed hero but a hero nonetheless.

Krakauer's own compelling version of the events bear testimony to this. And as for the sniping by deWalt, has he donated even a dollar of his profits to various mountaineering causes or organisations?

The very silence on this issue begs the question whether or not such a book should ever have come out.

I suggest all armchair climber thinking of buying this spend their money on World Mountaineering by Audrey Salkeld instead

Rating:
Summary: Inept writing, excessive bile
Review: In one sense this is a fascinating book, but for all the wrong reasons. For an armchair mountaineer/Everest-addict like me, it did provide new information about the 1996 disaster, adding some interesting details that were not included in "Into Thin Air." This new info is why I gave the book 2 stars instead of none. But G. Weston DeWalt is such a ham-handed writer, and he has such a big axe to grind, that the book probably doesn't really deserve even 2 stars. I couldn't figure out why the late great Anatoli Boukreev, who was one of the world's top mountain climbers, teamed up with such a mediocre talent as DeWalt for his ghostwriter. It's a pity that a real mountaineer and/or a skilled author (Greg Child, David Roberts, Jim Curran, or John Hart would have been perfect) wasn't chosen to write the book instead. It would have been a much more readable tale (and probably a lot more believable, too). As another reviewer commented in one of the entries posted below, Boukreev deserved a lot better than he got from this fellow DeWalt.

The main problem with "The Climb" is that Boukreev's heroic story is tainted by DeWalt's incessant sniping at John Krakauer, the author of "Into Thin Air." In a tone of voice that drips with smug indignation, DeWalt never passes up an opportunity to get in a nasty dig at Krakauer. DeWalt really lays it on thick, and his sanctimonious diatribes come across as cynical and phony. I was left with the impression that he must have been motivated by an intense personal hatred or resentment of Krakauer. DeWalt's bile seeps into too many pages of "The Climb," poisoning the entire book. His tiresome refrain is that Krakauer's mission in writing about Everest was to destroy Boukreev's reputation. Anybody who has read the recent illustrated edition of "Into Thin Air" (which has a long new chapter at the end where Krakauer very convincingly refutes DeWalt's charges and offers sympathetic insights into Boukreev's life) will realize that DeWalt's claims are so exaggerated that they seem downright nutty. The net effect is that DeWalt's credibility is badly undermined. After finishing this book, I wondered whether he and his publisher decided beforehand to write and market "The Climb" specifically as an attack on Krakauer, hoping to create as much controversy as possible, capitalize on the amazing popularity of "Into Thin Air," and get more attention for their own book. Heck, my paperback copy of "The Climb" even had a big red sticker on the front cover hyping it as a "response to John Krakauer from G. Weston DeWalt". It's almost like the publisher didn't have confidence that readers would buy DeWalt's book unless they slapped Krakauer's name prominently across the cover! Using Krakauer's name to sell books was perhaps a shrewd marketing decision, but the pandering, self-congratulatory, attack-dog tone of "The Climb" wasn't any favor to Boukreev, may he rest in peace.

Rating:
Summary: Boukreev leaves his last word for the history books.
Review: I found this book to be most facinating. Dewalt seems to be able to do what others on the moutain and in the press could not. That is understand Boukreev. Antatoli admits that his english was not that good so he was not that comfortible in guiding clients in the western way. He was able to communicate with Gammelgaard, a Dane, when Fischer could not.

Though Boukreev has the main authorship line, Dewalt is the man who really writes this book in inserts from Boukreev. The tape version is well done. With the two voices you can really hear the narative.

Boukreev's actions on summit day will be debated for as long as people are climbing everest. Due to Boukreev's untimely death, this book will have to serve as his last statement on the issue. This is a well written book and should be read by anyone who is planning an expedition. There were many problems on the trip but in the end, only one from Boukreev's team died. Most survived due to the heroic actions of this climber who will forever live in Everest folklore.

His narrative of the 1997 summit of Everest using all the lessions he learned in the 1996 attempt shows that even with experience, you can always learn something for the next climb.

Rating:
Summary: You need to read all the books to make your judgements...
Review: After having read "Into Thin Air" I was satisfied as to what went on at Everest that fateful day. I have attended lectures by 2 of the climbers from the Imax film climbing team who rightfully decided not to climb that day(Ed Viesters and Jamling Norgay) son of Tenzig Norgay.They were on the mountain and have differing views as to what happened that day. I think anyone who tries to recall a day like that from memories of an oxygen starved brain aren't always going to recount the circumstances as they happened in reality. I truly believe that both men feel their stories are true to the best of their recollections which is where the problem arises. Could anyone who lived through the "death zone" in such tragic circumstances hope to know what went on during that day? I think not. It was an unprecedented tragedy in Everest history ,but I feel that the only way to do justice is to read all books regarding that day and make your own judgements. Another new book about that day was written by Lene Gammelgaard the first Scandanavian woman to set foot on the summit of Everest that day ,her book "Climbing High" is yet another saga to add to this continuing tragedy. I feel that all these books were written with honesty and good intentions,but one must weigh what actually happened with what was perceived by the authors.All people will tell the same story differently,it's up to us to take what we can from these books and form our own opinions. They are all great books but all need to be read in order to get all the authors perceptions of that fateful day. [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: A Great Hero, A Compelling Tale
Review: The 1996 tragedy on Everest makes for compelling reading, regardless of the teller. Boukreev's admittedly limited English (a problem, both during the expedition & in this re-telling), even when cleaned up by DeWalt, certainly makes this, from a pure writing point of view, a less than great book. But clearly Boukreev was a great mountaineer, and performed heroic deeds on Everest on May 10 & 11, 1996. Krakauer apparently was more critical of Boukreev in the Outside article than he was in Into Thin Air, but the suggestion which remains -- that Boukreev's insistence to climb without oxygen somehow contributed to the tragedy -- seemed unfounded when i read it in ITA & seems even more ludicrous after reading Boukreev's account. DeWalt's little Greek chorus thing seems forced and unduly defensive. Don't read this for the writing. Read it to get a first hand account from the hero of the Mountain Madness 1996 Everest expedition.