Epic: Stories of Survival from the World's Highest Peaks

Rating:
Summary: HIGH TENSION
Review: This audio book took me six hours down the road to Mobile without pain. It was so riveting that time disappeared. These are stories of men's struggles to climb the highest mountains in the world, complicated by sheer ice, blinding storms, lack of oxygen, and extreme cold. These authors are the actual climbers so that we are able to understand them as their emotions rollercoaster from elation at the start to deepest despair as they contemplate not only not being able to summit but their very possible end on the mountain. For those who can live vicariously it is the limit.

Rating:
Summary: HIGH TENSION
Review: This audio book took me six hours down the road to Mobile without pain. It was so riveting that time disappeared. These are stories of men's struggles to climb the highest mountains in the world, complicated by sheer ice, blinding storms, lack of oxygen, and extreme cold. These authors are the actual climbers so that we are able to understand them as their emotions rollercoaster from elation at the start to deepest despair as they contemplate not only not being able to summit but their very possible end on the mountain. For those who can live vicariously it is the limit.

Rating:
Summary: A book rich in excitement, triumph, and failure.
Review: This book contains the greatest short stories about climbing that I have ever read. Each story is unique and as entertaining as the other.

Rating:
Summary: Good Collection - Worth Reading
Review: This book is a collection of short stories about some very very very dificult climbings in the most dangerous places(mountains) under the most terrible conditions.
Among the stories are some classics like: The West Ridge-Everest(1.st ascent - Hornbein & Unsoeld); Annapurna(1.st ascent - Herzog version); k2 The Savage Mountain(The Schoening belay - by Bates and Houston); McKinley winter's ascent(by Art Davidson).
The book provides a good taste of the dificulties a climber must surpass in order to succed(survive), the only downpoint is that some stories just missed a more tradicional ending, basicaly because in the end you don't know what happened to the climbers, you can only assume they survive.

Rating:
Summary: Epic, delivers the goods
Review: This book is essentially a compilation of short stories from books written by world class mountaineers. Anyone who is well read in this genre will immediately recognize these short stories from the books they were taken. The stories are exceptionally well written and edited. Some are epic survival tales and others document the never ending string of tragedies that befall many mountaineering expeditions. The format works well even though the stories are in no particular time sequence. I highly recommend this book, and many of the other books from which the stories have been excerpted. Pick some of your favorite short stories from this book and follow up with the complete tomes. You will not be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Epic, delivers the goods
Review: This book is essentially a compilation of short stories from books written by world class mountaineers. Anyone who is well read in this genre will immediately recognize these short stories from the books they were taken. The stories are exceptionally well written and edited. Some are epic survival tales and others document the never ending string of tragedies that befall many mountaineering expeditions. The format works well even though the stories are in no particular time sequence. I highly recommend this book, and many of the other books from which the stories have been excerpted. Pick some of your favorite short stories from this book and follow up with the complete tomes. You will not be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: This is a good book for people who are wanna-be climbers.
Review: this is a really great compilation of a bunch of different climbing stories. Real climbers own and read this book. in fact, you can be like them if you read this book. Experience the magic, live the dream.

Rating:
Summary: It is as good as "into thin air"
Review: Well worth reading. If you liked into thin air you'll like this book.

Rating:
Summary: Good for the armchair adventurer
Review: Willis' compilations include well-chosen "high points" from selected mountaineering books. Serious climbing-book readers will already have most of the books, but those who just want to get to the solo bivouac scene in which our hero freezes all his toes after losing his partners to an avalanche will find Epic a good buy.

Rating:
Summary: Good for the armchair adventurer
Review: Willis' compilations include well-chosen "high points" from selected mountaineering books. Serious climbing-book readers will already have most of the books, but those who just want to get to the solo bivouac scene in which our hero freezes all his toes after losing his partners to an avalanche will find Epic a good buy.