Rating: 
Summary: Companion to INTO THIN AIR--Judge for yourself
Review: I read CLIMB almost a full year after reading INTO THIN AIR. Part of me wished I'd read them closer together, as I would've been able to compare the two accounts.I personally felt sympathetic towards Boukreev after reading the book--suspecting that Krakauer had given him an invalid assessment in his account of the Everest tragedy (can it really be considered a tragedy when people intentionally put themselves in a dangerous situation?). The story was well-told and vivid. Though I already knew the story and knew everyone's fate, I was still on the edge of my seat. My one complaint is that Boukreev seemed to come after the story in a defensive stance. All too often, he was directly presenting his counter-argument for accusations made by Krakauer. However, the evidence does show that Krakauer did not have the whole story. Human nature. But also, I think it was one of the side effects of putting one's mind and body through such an endeavor.
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Summary: the real hero of Everest
Review: This is an absolute must-read for Everest fans and especially for anyone who's read Krakauer's Into Thin Air. Using Bourkreev's own narrative and debriefing interviews of Everest '96 survivors, it makes a completely convincing case for Boukreev as the hero of the disaster. It leaves me shaking my head, dismayed at how Krakauer could have gotten it so wrong. It leaves me thinking Boukreev was the greatest mountain climber alive, until buried in an avalance on Annapura a year later. It also sheds light on the clouded judgement of Fisher and Hall (esp. the former), the financial pressures Fisher was under, and the questionable behaviour of some of the sherpas. Boukreev is my new hero!
Rating: 
Summary: Filter this one.
Review: Krakauer wrote a stunning account of Everest in 1996 and Boukreev was there. Dewalt wasn't there. Boukreev is no longer with us. This book contains some of Boukreev's accounts of his experiences on Everest in 1996 and therein lies its value. Skip Dewalts editorializing but be sure to read an updated version of Jon Krakauer's book as he sets the record straight as to the situation with Boukreev and himself.
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Summary: Much ado about...what?
Review: For those new to the events contained in this book, here is a (very) brief chronology: 1...The 1996 expeditions took place. 2...Krakauer's first account of the expedition appeared in a magazine, containing some criticism of Boukreev's actions. 3...Krakauer's book is published, containing a few seemingly honest revisions of what had been written in the magazine article, some of these revisions being the result of further interviews by Krakauer of the 1996 expedition participants. 4...DeWalt's book "The Climb" is published, slamming Krakauer's account. (Yes, "DeWalt's book", since Boukreev had already perished on another expedition in 1997.) So, here we have "The Climb", which is primarily an answer to perceived accusations against Boukreev that were contained in a magazine article. (Accusations that, it could be argued, were never really accusations in the first place, but that were nonetheless revised or clarified in the Krakauer book.) To make things more complicated, the so-called "author" of the book, Boukreev, is dead, and only short quotes from him are used by DeWalt as evidence against Krakauer's magazine article accusations. ...are you still with me here? Anyway, I gave "The Climb" three stars simply for the climbing information contained within, but no stars for journalistic excellence and/or honesty. It is simply a slam-piece, aimed at Krakauer's quickly published first-person magazine account of the 1996 tragedy, an account that was later revised in Krakauer's book. For trilogy fans, I'd suggest first reading Krakauer's original magazine article "Into Thin Air", and then his book of the same title, and then "The Climb". If nothing else, you'll come out of it all realizing that good and bad decisions made at those altitudes are essentially indistinguishable from one another, no matter how "expert" you may be at mountain climbing. And trying to place blame for mistakes made on mountain tops, after the fact, is futile, though it does make for interesting reading.
Rating:
Summary: The Climb
Review: A gripping account of the tragedy of 1996, as well as some beautiful descriptions of the beauty and love of mountaineering, as well as the sacrifices you must make to accomplish climbing the 8,000 meter giants. Certainly, a different perspective than 'Into Thin Air' How tragic Anatoli died shortly afterward. I would have chosen him as my guide any time.
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Summary: He missed his chance to be a hero
Review: Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air is one of my favorite books and got me reading a great deal of books on high-altitude climbing...on Mount Everest as well as elsewhere. I looked forward to The Climb as being a different point of view of the tragedies on Everest in May of '96. Sadly, Bookreev is more obsessed with refuting Krakauer's claims than painting an honest picture of what happened. Had he simply told his story, I believe that he would have been seen for the flawed hero that he was. Instead, he comes off as anti-American and defensive. He refuses to admit that he could have done anything differently. Problems were always with other people, not him. The sad part is that I never came away from reading Into Thin Air thinking that he was a "villian". I thought that Krakauer questioned some decisions made in hindsight for the purpose of learning and discussion...and he praised Boukreev when praise was warranted. Krakauer wasn't afraid to blame himself for poor decisions that he had made, and Boukreev was not the only person whose judgement he questioned. I think Boukreev would have had a lot more peace in his own heart as well as admiration from the American public had he not been so obviously obsessed with refuting Krakauer's claims. I also take issue with the reference to himself as the "Tiger Woods" of high-altitude mountaineering. He certainly deserves accolades, but there are many, many strong mountaineers (Ed Viesturs comes to mind) who are or have been just as accomplished. A true hero is one who can admit their weaknesses and learn from their mistakes. Jon Krakauer is not the only one who criticized Boukreev's actions. Many respected mountaineers pointed out that a guide on Everest has no business guiding without oxygen no matter how strong they are. Boukreev needed only to have conceded that point, need only have told his story instead of worrying constantly about another book, and he could have come across as a true hero to me. How sad to his memory now that he missed the mark.
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Summary: Exhilerating
Review: This is a book for the adventuresome. While the writing is not as polished as the effort by Krakauer, it does indeed convey what it needs to, adequately enough that an interesting story unfolds. At the very heart of the book are interesting questions about the commercialization of high altitude climbing (nowhere more obscenely displayed than on Everest) and the commitment level of those that choose to undertake such a climb. Everest attracts thrill-seekers, as well as those who want to engage a challenge. Anatoli Boukreev, lead climber on the Mountain Madness team, definitely falls into the latter camp (as do most mountain guides). As someone that worked up to big mountain climbs over many years of climbing, continuously pushing his self-reliance in a measured manner, he is the epitome of what is to be a climber. The clients he led on Everest, however, came from various backgrounds, with varied levels of conditioning, mountain proficiency, etc. As much as Everest clients may believe that they have an understanding of the danger and hardship that such a climb proposes, it is difficult to do so without the context that comes from years of experience. This book was written as a rebuttal to claims made by Krakauer in his book but its true rewards to the reader lie elsewhere. The sad truth of the matter is that only the individuals on the mountain will ever really know what was running through their own heads at the time that critical decisions were made. Having a coherent thought above 8,000 meters is enough of a challenge without having the lives of clients in your hands. At some point, a decision was made for Anatoli to descend in front of his clients. We will never know whether this was right or wrong, but we do know its outcome. Anatoli, as a mountaineer, is legendary, and this book gives real insight into how he climbed and the way he thought about and appreciated the mountains in which he lived. Regardless of the questions surrounding his descent, he ended up saving lives and making repeated forays into conditions where others would not / could not dare. For those of you with similar climbing appreciation or interests, the book is great reading on solely those grounds.
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Summary: Krakauer wrong
Review: I have read both John Krakauer's 'Into Thin Air' and Anatoli Bookreev's 'The Climb'. They are both good reading but differ in content. Krakauer is a writer and an average climber. Bookreev was a pure climber...one of the elite. I say 'was' because he died on a climb. Krakauer comes across to me as being relatively immature. It bothered me deeply that he attacked Bookreev as he did, in what I felt was an overdone, emotional manner. It seems to me there was more to Krakauer's venom than just the fact that Bookreev left earlier than others from the summit. There seems to be a professional jealousy. To summarize briefy, Krakauer and Bookreev were on different assault teams. There had been a lot of bad decisions made prior to the assault by both teams, and the climbers reaching the summit were poorly organized and lead. There was a loose agreement on the time to leave the summit, around 2:00 PM, yet many were just arriving there much later. People were still up there very late in the afternoon. Bookreev, a very experienced climber, was on the summit early and feeling nervous about the late arrival of climbers. In my estimation, he made the correct decision to go down. He was the most experienced and professional person on the summit. Most of the rest were disorganized and straggling, and my impression from both books was that of a nirvanic chaos. Although Bookreev was not using oxygen, he seemed to be thinking more clearly than Krakauer. The latter actually had difficulty with his oxygen and rushed down the mountain in a panic. Although he criticized Bookreev harshly for abandoning his clients, Krakauer did nothing for his fellow climbers. He watched his own rear end. It's too easy to claim Bookreev had forsaken his clients. He had cleared his descent with Scott Fischer, the team leader, and his reasoning was sound. He wanted to be fresh in case of an emergency. As it turned out, his premonition was correct. Later that night, in a fierce storm, Bookreev was single-handedly responsible for saving several lives. At the same time, Krakauer was nowhere to be seen, although he had arrived in camp earlier. Krakauer's alibi was his exhaustion. Perhaps if he's been less arrogant, he would have seen Bookreev heading down and gone with him. They both passed at the foot of the Hillary step on the way down. But Krakauer was fumbling due to his ineptness. His oxygen apparatus was not functioning well. Meanwhile, Bookreev, without oxygen and with a coherent mind, had summitted and passed Krakauer. My lasting impression of Krakauer is that of a man who was humbled badly on his attempt and looking for a scapegoat. Although he summitted, in my eyes he failed. Bookreev was the real hero. It is questionable that he left clients up top. But I understand the decision he was forced to make under adverse conditions. You don't hang around and die, as did Rob Hall, because your clients have been unable to cope. Their can be no villains in such a tragedy. Yet, the team leaders, Fischer and Hall, made some poor decisions that lead to the tragedy. Why did Krakauer single out Bookreev for the blame? People on Krakauer's team died too. Was that Bookreev's fault? They were not his clients. It was Rob Hall who messed up big time by not ensuring his clients were off the summit in time. And it was Scott Fischer's fault ultimately for letting down the member's on his team, one of whom was Bookreev. Fischer had allowed himself to become physically run down, a condition which no doubt cost him his life and the team it's leader. In conclusion, both books are well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: An Answer to an Answer
Review: What is missing from the other reviews is that although this book is an answer to Jon Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer's second edition had an afterward. In it, he answered Anatoli's answers to Jon's first edition. In part, no less than the great climber, Reinhold Messner, backed Jon up. It is true that Anatoli's efforts were truly heroic - AFTER he left his clients to fend for themselves. He served himself first by making sure that he made it to the top. Anatoli's book is a great supplement of information to Krakauer's book of what happened on that climb, but it convinced me that what Jon said was true - not what Anatoli intended.
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Summary: the adventure of a lifetime
Review: For those of Anatoli Boukreev's breed, climbing was the driving force behind their life. Growing up and training in the Soviet Union, he cemented his place among the world's greatest high altitude climbers. Though obscure throughout most of his career, his exploits became legendary in the climbing season of 1996 on the south face of Mt. Everest.
As the climbers arrived at Camp IV (elev.7,900 m) , their last overnight before attempting to summit, the Mountain Madness expedition encountered horizontal winds of over 60 mph. The way the storm was blowing, there was a great chance that they would not attempt the summit. Surprisingly, when the occupants of Camp IV stirred on May 10, the sky was clear and the winds fairly calm. It seemed like a sure go.
From this point things began to go terribly wrong. Mountain Madness was slowed by Rob Hall's older group that set out earlier, increasing the time spent on the mountain, thereby increasing the chance of encountering a storm. A turnaround time, the point at which a climber must abandon his attempt for the summit, was never set. Climbers were still summiting at 3:00 pm, well after what the time should have been. The two expeditions' climbers were wandering blindly on the mountain with no oxygen. Climbers clung to one another trying to fend off frostbite as they began to feel the affects of AMS (acute mountain sickness). What happened in the ensuing hours will forever be remembered as one of the greatest high-altitude rescues ever.
To anyone who loves true adventures and real-life heroes I recommend this book. Anatoli Boukreev did what others refused to even attempt, and succeeded where few others ever had. His rescue on Everest will remain one of the greatest in history. This is the bold retelling of that, in all of its unpolished glory.
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