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Summary: UNCONDITIONAL BOUKREEV , Joseph Aragon
Review: I am a twenty five year old male with many passions. One of my largest passions lies among the stories and information I absorb about the beautiful and illusive Everest. After reading the book I have only the deepest respect for Mr Anatoli Boukreev. The knowledge shared by Anatoli is through shear experience and love for the game. The true passion for what one loves often incourages us to exceed even our own expectations as shared with you in this story of confusion, chaos, and heroism. Anatoli takes you on an emotional trip from the states to kathmandu and on to the top of the world. Although a great hero Anatoli and G. Weston DeWalt do an excellent job of maintaining a modest and humble story that reminds us of how even in the most chaotic of times one individual can rise above his/her own selflessness and survive on complete compassion to save another. The naration by Anatoli himself is inspirational in itself. Anatoli is not the best with english, but is very precice and accurate in his descriptions which take you there. I would simply like to thank Anatoli Boukreev for sharing his experience and passions with us. Truly an inspirational story of self will and love that shows what is in all if you can look beyond "I" and remember it is better to give than receive. An unconditional love.
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Summary: A Good Companion For Into Thin Air
Review: Yes, I agree with other reviewers that if you read Krakauer's Into Thin Air, you should read The Climb. It is told from the positon of a guide who went back into the storm on that fateful night and saved many lives. However, The Climb is definatly not as well written as Into Thin Air, and I got tried of Boukreeve's attemt at slamming Krakaur on every page. It just got repetitive hearing "Anatoli is a great climber," ect. Even on Boukreev's Everest map, he marks a spot that says, "This is the spot where Krakauer faultered and needed assistance on the descent." Now come on, thats neither nessessary or professional. It's a childish attempt at selling books. While I commend Boukreev for his heroic journey back into the storm to save climbers, I must also say that I agree with Krakauer on one point. Boukreev descended in front of his clients without stopping to assist any of them. He made a rushed descent to camp IV. Anyone who knows about mountaineering knows that this is an absolute no-no for moutain guides. Put the clients first! So Boukreev sat in camp IV while the clients he should have been assiting strugled outside. He did go back to save many clients, but there is a chance that even more lives may have been saved had he descended with climbers. Still, if you can ignore some attempts at slamming Krakauer's account, you will enjoy this book. By giving it 3 stars I am in no way saying its a bad book, it just does not live up to the standard set by Into Thin Air.
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Summary: Thrilling
Review: I'm sorry to say what everyone else has said, but do not read this book without having read Into Thin Air. if you've read that, then definitely read this. The Climb is, in many respects, Anatoli Boukreev's defense against Jon Krakauer's accusations. Krakauer portrays Boukreev as a self-concerned guide who didn't protect his clients. While I loved Into Thin Air, Krakauer shouldn't make such assumptions. The Climb rightfully restores Boukreev's integrity, and it is a wonderful read. The language may not be as elegant as Krakauer's, but this book has more credibility to it. Also, Krakauer glosses over Boukreev's forays into the storm to rescue several climbers, and Boukreev describes those fascinating events in great detail. Anatoli Boukreev was a true hero and anyone will enjoy The Climb
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Summary: Difficult to read alone, but essential for Everestophiles
Review: As with most of the reviewers, I shall compare this book with Into Thin Air. I will echo the sentiments of others who say The Climb is not as well written or as lucid. It does, however, contain a good deal of information that is lacking in Krakaur's account. I must differ from other reviewers in some points, however. I never felt that Krakaur blamed Boukreev overly harshly when reading Into Thin Air. After having read The Climb, I have not changed my opinion. The fault seems to lie with Mother Nature (and perhaps Hall and Fischer). I do, however, faintly echo the complaint of some reviewers of Into Thin Air with this book - it seems a little self-serving to me. Krakaur at least gave the appearance of being impartial, and this book has the disadvantage of being a rebuttal at times (both because it was written after and also because I read it after). I recommend this book, but not solely on its own merits. As numerous mountaineers have pointed out, the brain doesn't work correctly at 9km of elevation, so reading multiple versions of the same story is necessary. This book certainly fills an important spot, but if you only read 1 account of this fateful Everest expedition, I would have to recommend Into Thin Air. BTW, the IMAX Everest film also has some good material on this trek, for those interested.
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Summary: Honesty Should Matter
Review: If you take the time to study all that has been written about Everest 96, it is difficult to accept Krakauer's concept of Anatoli as villian. I'd guess that the language barrier is a greater villian. Another villian is the effect of compounded bad decisions. I would not be surprised if the draft version of Into Thin Air had Rob Hall and Scott Fischer as primary villians, only to be replaced by Toli after the editor told Jon that it's poor form to pick on the dead. I used to read every Krakauer book or magazine article but now that I know he's willing to tell "little lies", I won't bother. I'd rather sift through Dewalt's drivel in order to get the facts written by Toli that have to guess how much I can trust Jon. Rest in peace, Anatoli. I know you did your best in a bad situation.
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Summary: The Climb is the best book about the 1996 tragedy on Everest
Review: The Climb was my favorite book i read this year besides the Harry Potter books. The Climb is a retelling of the tradgedies on Mt. Everest in 1996. Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt join up to write The Climb. It explains about The Mountain Madness team of 1996 led by Anatoli Boukreev, trying to summit, and interfacing with difficulties, illness, and even death. The Climb describes the day of May 10, which is the day that a bad storm hit and something happened but I cant say what because you have to read it, like no other i have read before. The Climb also tells you about the good things too! Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt have made a very wise decision to team up on this book, The Climb. I would recomend this book to anyone that likes to mountain climb, is interested with the history and facts about Everest, or who would just like a very good read that touches you with more than just a sad paragraph. Thank you for your time and I hope that I have been helpful!
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Summary: What a crock
Review: This is a terrible book. Poorly researched, poorly written, littered with errors (which DeWalt and Boukereev critcize Jon Krakauer for), the two collaborators lose their credibility trying repeatedly to attack Krakauer with innuendo and smearing rather than with facts. Boukereev deserved all the criticism he got from "Into Thin Air," and then some. As Beck Weathers said in his book, Anatoli had forsaken his duties as a guide, selfishly reaching the summit and then rushing down. He abandoned the clients that were his responsibility, a responsibility for which he was paid handsomely. Martin Adams was standing right there with him at the Hillary Step, and Anatoli left him behind to find his own way down (and Adams nearly didn't). While Boukereev performed heroically that night, such heroics might not have been necessary if he had stayed with the clients and breathed bottled oxygen. All the verbal gymnastics in the world (and Weston's not much of a verbal gymnast - or a reporter or writer) won't change the facts.
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Summary: Anatoli Boukreev (1958-1997)
Review: This is a book to be read in conjunction with Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. The Climb is not the smooth literary masterpiece woven by Krakauer and, reading like a raw chronological documentary, tends to catalogue detail at the expense of a clear overview of the situation. Told alternately, and often tautologically, by both DeWalt and Boukreev, the rival expedition's account emerges viscously from a disjointed amalgam of primary quotes. At times DeWalt's interaction with the mountaineering material sorely lacks the credibility and authority of one who was actually there. Though ostensibly clinging to Boukreev's own philosophy that no one factor can be blamed for the tragedy, DeWalt comes dangerously close to inappropriately vilifying Rob Hall's team whose slower and older members did indeed cause delays. Krakauer left readers an impression of Boukreev as the guide who "cut and ran" at the critical time - acting as an irresponsible awkward individualist, inattentive of his clients. The Climb includes crucial correspondence between Boukreev and Outside magazine (for whom Krakauer was working) that fields Krakauer's criticisms, exposing his invalid arguments and lack of communication with Anatoli himself. The transcript of an interview with Boukreev about the rescue at the South Col, left in Anatoli's imperfect English, provides a gritty authentic insight into the chaotic situation at Camp IV during the storm and leaves me in awe at Boukreev's phenomenal strength, perseverance and selfless rescue efforts which are here (finally) paid their due. Boukreev's self-reproach and deeply felt regret at being unable to save the lives also of Yasuko Namba and Scott Fischer find an outlet in the final chapters. In the Epilogue: Return To Everest - which unfortunately reads somewhat transparently as a promotional chapter for Anatoli's formidable skills as a 'mountain consultant' to the 1997 Indonesian Expedition - he wrenchingly pays tribute to the storm victims. Essential reading for anyone with a personal interest in Boukreev's reputation, The Climb restores his actions to the heroic status which they undoubtedly merited. What the tale lacks in literary skill it makes up for by industriously creating a three-dimensional and believable image of Boukreev that astounds. "I am not a superman" (p244), writes Anatoli. After reading this book I would have to disagree.
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Summary: Events that happened in May of 1996
Review: "The Climb" recounts the events that happened in May of 1996. Three expeditions attempted to climb Mt. Everest on the Southeast Ridge route pioneered by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay in 1953. Crowded conditions slowed their progress. Late in the day, twenty-three men and women, including expedition leaders Scott Fischer and Rob Hall were caught in a ferocious blizzard. Disoriented and out of oxygen, climbers struggled to find their way down the mountain as darkness approached. Alone and climbing in a whiteout, Anatoli Boukreev brought climbers back from the edge of certain death. Anatoli Boukreev does a great job of describing the events that happened tothe expedition. Boukreev is able to accomplish with vivid imagery. With the use of imagery the reader is able to feel connected to the extreme events that went on during the expedition. Boukreev tone defends his actions during the expedition and explains to other climbers that he did the right thing at theright time. With his use of tone the reader is able to feel and experience the things that happened to him during is expedition. This book is very exciting and fun to read.
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Summary: Secrets above 29,000 feet
Review: A lot of controversy has been said of both books, this one and Krakauer's "Into Thin Air". however, this one seems to deal a lot more with what really happened. Without the intention of painting a picture of someone who claims to have done everything possible to prevent the tragedy from happening (as done by Krakauer), this book seems to reveal more of the facts. My advice is read both and decide for yourself. I would start with this one! Well written this is a easy page turner. You will find that like me, you just can't put the book down.
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