The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest

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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]

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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.

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Summary: Authentic account of the Tragedy in everest
Review: From his own words Jon Krakauer was not in a position to evaluate the incidents . He should have stuck to the facts rather than accusing boukereev without even bothering to get the other side of the story.Boukereev's account appears to be genuine .

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Summary: Good rebuttal to Krakauer's "Into Thin Air"
Review: Anatoli Boukreev, one of the guides on Scott Fischer's ill-fated 1996 Mountain Madness Everest expedition, feeling much maligned by Jon Krakauer's article, and subsequent best-seller, "Into Thin Air" (ITA), sets out to set the record straight in "The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest" (TC).

While ITA is a first-person account, TC is written from a third person POV, with long passages of Boukreev recounting the events and his impressions of the events of May 1996 (translated from Russian). What comes through most is Boukreev's wish to clear his name. Having read both books, I believe that Mr. Boukreev has accomplished his goal. He did save several clients of Fischer's expedition and assisted several of the climbers from Rob Hall's Adventure Consultants expedition. Although he was not able to rescue Scott Fischer, neither were Lopsang Jangbu Sherpa or Ed Viesturs and Todd Burleson. It seems clear that Fischer succumbed to high-altitude cerebral edema.

What is most amazing is how lucky the Mountain Madness expedition was. The early sections recounts the logistical problems the team faced, including problems obtaining adequate supplies of oxygen, and the toll they must have taken on Fischer. However, the only casualty of the Mountain Madness expedition was Fischer himself. In contrast, Adventure Consultants lost their leader, Hall, guide Andy Harris, and clients Doug Hansen and Yasuko Namba.

In terms of readability, I believe ITA's first-person view makes it a more gripping account. Boukreev's book is too obvious an attempt to refute Krakauer. (The article Krakauer initially wrote for "Outside" must have been more critical than the book because I don't recall the latter particularly assigning blame to Boukreev.) As I said earlier, I believe Boukreev did everything within his power to prevent the disaster, and to assist other climbers, but through the book he comes across as more detached; less involved than Krakauer, who makes it clear at the end of ITA that he has unanswered questions about his own role in the events of May 1996.

I did enjoy learning about Boukreev himself. He is an interesting man, and an amazingly accomplished climber. I was particularly impressed by his efforts to bury the remains of Fischer and Namba, who he felt responsible for since he was unable to save them. I would have enjoyed more biographical material about him.

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Summary: An excellent antidote to 'Into Thin Air' - from a real hero
Review: After the controversy over Krakauers' comments that originally cast Bourkeev as some type of ignorant, uncaring third world guide, I found "The Climb' an intriguing, passionate account of the developments, preparations, and problems that led to the '96 tragedy. The esteemed climber -photo journalist Galen Rowell did a great justice in his review of Krakauer's book which set the stage for my own interest in 'The Climb'. The fact that Anatoli Bourkeev received the American Alpine Associations highest award for heroism for his actions on the '96 expedition seem to be lost in the public interest spawned by Krakauers well written account. For all of you who read "Into Thin Air", I strongly recommend that the next book be "The Climb". If you haven't read 'Thin Air" yet, try reversing the order - you will have a different perspective...

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Summary: Interesting, but doesn't hold up to scrutiny
Review: Yes, you should definitely read this book if you've read Into Thin Air. But before you buy into DeWalt's claims that Krakauer slandered Boukreev, read Krakauer's answers to DeWalt's trumped-up charges. Krakauer's rebuttal is crucial reading if you want to judge who's spinning the facts to look good. The rebuttal was published in the illustrated edition of Into Thin Air. If you stop and compare both books carefully, Boukreev's claims just don't hold water. Krakauer didn't tell a pretty story, but he told the truth, and now DeWalt is attacking him for it. It's a horrible loss that Boukreev died shortly after his book was published, but that shouldn't exempt his actions on Everest in 1996 from scrutiny. What's a shame is that all this debate has done a lot more to harm Boukreev's reputation than Into Thin Air ever did. If DeWalt is really interested in Boukreev's best interests instead of stirring up controversy to sell books, before he continues to bash Krakauer, he should think about all the fallout that's come back to harm Boukreev when Krakauer decided to publicly refute DeWalt's exaggerated claims.

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Summary: A more honest and accurate portrayal of the '96 tragedy.
Review: Having read The Climb and Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air back to back for the second time, I have not moved from my opinion that this is the more truthful telling of the Everest saga. As Krakauer himself admits, he was no more experienced on 8,000 meter peaks than any of the other Everest rookies, and he further admits that, once one gets into the "death zone" on Everest, all the low-altitude climbs in the world won't help you much when storm- and altitude-related disasters strike. That fact alone allows the late Boukreev, an experienced, respected, professional climber and guide, to paint a more accurate, believable picture of what went on during that expedition than Krakauer, who is still, all this time later, trying to pin blame on Boukreev for both some of his own shortcomings and for events which Bourkeev could not possible have controlled.

Fortunately for us, Boukreev was able to complete this answer to Krakauer's ugly accusations before he died. Into Thin Air, unfortunately a much better written book (unfortunate because it remains much more widely read and accepted) is a series of guesses, gossip and innuendo by a man who admits to being nearly incapacitated during the return climb when tragedy struck, someone who relied on still more accusations from other climbers who were equally incapcitated. Worse, as Bourkeev explains in his book, Krakauer and his editors flatly ignored corrections he offered for most of Krakauer's serious innaccuracies and accustations.

Boukreev, an experienced climber in control of his faculties on Everest, was doing what he should have been doing, which included following orders from the man who paid him--orders such as Fischer's sending him down the mountain to wait for clients, an act Krakauer most takes issue with. Bourkeev's book peels back and layers of narcissism and hyper-thesaurusism inherent in Into Thin Air, presenting what reads in contrast as far more truthful and sincere.

Boukreev was the hero of this piece; Krakauer, who continues to disparage Boukreev even after the guide's death, was just another Everest amateur who probably shouldn't have been on the mountain to begin with. Unfortunately, after reading The Climb, he comes across as one who, along with the typical Everester's obsession to climb the peak, took along with him a poisonous, near-libelous pen.

Read both books--and make your own conclusions.

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Summary: READ THIS BOOK FIRST!! before any other Everest book
Review: This was a truly captivating book. It is in chronological order and gives a much clearer picture with regards to the time frame of the entire event. Unlike Krakauer's rendition, which tends to wander and contain (hypocritical) slandering, the descriptions of the individuals and events seem more based on fact than emotion. It's very easy to read (and read..and read)especially after you've learned the names and roles of the individuals, which is clearly stated early on, in The Climb.

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Summary: More honest than Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air
Review: This book is not as slickly written as INTO THIN AIR; however, it seems to present a much more honest account than that other rather self-aggrandizing tome. Boukreev is not the selfish guy painted in INTO THIN AIR.

Very, very interesting to read CLIMB AND INTO THIN AIR close to each other. Same story, mountain, characters, but much different views. Peace out.

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Summary: An exceptional book!
Review: Once I started reading the book, I can't help but finish it before putting it down.

On top of admiring Anatoli's courageous and heroic deeds he had done in the expedition, I can relate a lot of events and circumstances mentioned in the book, not only from a climber's perspective, but also relate it to my work and the life that I live.

I can see reflections in those around us, and perhaps, including you and me.