Addicted to Danger : A Memoir About Affirming Life in the Face of Death

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Summary: A personal and true-to-life recap on Wickwire's experiences
Review: Wickwire opens his soul to the reader and attempts to shed light on what drove him to such extreme pursuits. The book conveys many of the realities of mountaineering -both dangerous and spiritual. An entertaining and thought provoking read for those who enjoy either the subjects at hand or outdoor activity.

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Summary: Mountain climbing from the mind, soul, and heart of a man.
Review: Climbing the world's highest peaks is reserved for those of a greater physical stamina and monetary blessing than I will ever acheve. Jim Wickwire's personal account of what made him climb, over and over again, at the risk of losing his life, loves, and family illustrated to me the connection that feeds my fascination with climbing mountains. Finding a place where each breath, each thought, each motion validates my being.

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Summary: Well-written throughout
Review: For those who are 40-something, it is somewhat like looking into a mirror at life-decisions that we have made and pursued.

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Summary: Extreme drama!
Review: Jim Wickwire is stalked by adventures that would excite any Hollywood producer (and would support multiple movies!). This well written book should appeal to almost everyone -- male/female, old/young, real or virtual adventurer. Remarkably, the climbing jargon is no barrier to enjoying the gripping stories that seem to generate highly passionate feelings about Wickwire. It even appears to result in an occasional reader getting so 'cranked' that they want to punish Wickwire by giving the book a one-star review -- now there's proof of the passion! If you can take seeing inside the mind of a world class climber, buy it -- you won't be disappointed.

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Summary: Gripping material, but told stiffly
Review: Wickwire has had a wealth of close calls and hairy escapades, enough to fill volumes. In this work, he descibes many of them. The tone of the book, however, doesn't live up to the material. I found myself frustrated with his constant on-the-mountain affirmations to quit climbing and subsequent reversals when safely back at home. I suppose this is what he means by being addicted to danger. Wickwire, however, doesn't do the reader any favors by bothering to explain WHY he swears off climbing, nor why he chooses to return to the mountains. In addition, his narratives of what should be focal points of chapters (reaching a summit, falling in a crevasse, surviving a bivvy) come off empty. I felt I could see him writing those passages in a warm easy chair with a snifter of brandy next to him, instead of on the mountain. The notable exception to this, however, comes early on, when he describes Chris Kerrabrocks' death in a crevasse on Denali. Wickwire's feelings about that event and his own miraculous survival could sum up what this book was trying to convey -- the pursuit of climbing aginst obvious dangers, and unspeakable tragedy. In an attempt to give too many examples of his own experiences, the reader loses sight of the significance of any one event in Wickwire's climbing career -- one of the many that could have done hime in. Overall, I found myself looking forward to the next chapter while simultaneously wishing that the current one would get wrapped up.

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Summary: Excellent but flawed
Review: This is an odd book. On one hand, the stories of mountaineering and the physical and emotional stress involved are facinating and excellently told. But Wickwire's gross neglect of his family to satisfy his very strong ego was disturbing. More over, his "regrets" come across as self-serving. It's an excellent book that is marred by Wickwire's flawed personality.

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Summary: Save your money...
Review: Disappointing. An egotistic account of Wickwire's climbing career that is poorly titled and thinly written. While it is hard to argue that Wickwire is a top notch alpinist, this fact doesn't result in quality writing or insight. I became quickly annoyed at the condescending tone at other climbers and the constant abandonment of family. Though leaving family and friends for long periods of time on expeditions is hardly uncommon, Wickwire made it seem to easy. No lengthy mention is made of any hardship on his family - were they "Addicted to Stress"? The writing concerning his climbs wasn't bad, but better mountaineering stories can be found elsewhere - look for Greg Child, Krakauer, Art Davidson. It is funny that Lou Whitaker figures so prominently in many of the climbs, this book reminded me of his "I am great" memoir of a few years ago.

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Summary: The Price of High Altitude
Review: As an avid mountain climber from the great northwest for over 20 years, I was aware of Jim and his impressive resume of mountaineering accomplishments and his obvious misfortune of climb related tragedies. Upon initial hearing upon casualty after casualty involving assents with Jim's teams, I assumed that Jim was either an extreme risk taker, or just had a streak of very bad luck. His testament settles all reasonable doubt that this his man did everything within his power to fulfill his role as a team member with every expedition he participated on. This is a great essay of mountaineering and its tremendous impact on human life. It depicts most of the emotions one experiences in mountain climbing, planning, training, objective focus, self-regard, element adjustments, accidents, repercussion, and guilt. This man has experienced all of these and more, at what cost to himself and his family is remained to be evaluated. If you want to experience what it's like to participate in some of the worlds highest climbing expeditions, read this convincing account of calamitous mountaineering literature.

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Summary: a gripping account of mountain climbing
Review: If you are even vaguely interested in what posseses someone to climb the highest most dangerous mountain peaks in the world and various climbing team interactions and mentalities this is the book for you!

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Summary: EXCELLENT
Review: In an attempt to answer the universal question "Why am I here?" Jim Wickwire finds himself on the way to the highest and most remote places on Earth. In the ultimate expression of life he climbs---not simply as a way to bait death, but to use force of will combined with the utmost in physical endurance to overcome supreme challenge. The struggles he faced allowed him to use his mind and body to the maximum, completely utilizing the components necessary for life. This book takes you from Wickwire's first rock climbs in eastern Washington to his assault and conquest of K2 in expert form. Excellent pictures appear in all the right places to emphasize the story line. A vivid picture is painted of close friends gained and lost, but all remembered. While some may contend that this is merely a chronicle of mountaineering tragedies, I found it uniquely motivating, inspiring me to great levels of personal achievement. Wickwire is not able to fully explain why he did these things, but it is highly provocative to ponder the same questions in yourself. Maybe 'born to climb' is the best explanation of all for the man who's story is now told.