Rating: 
Summary: AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY AT HIGH ALTITUDE...
Review: An absorbing review of the facts and circumstances surrounding the tragic 1939 K2 expedition and its aftermath. Weaving a newly discovered, first hand account by one of the expeditioners, with already known, heretofore, controversial historical data from others on the expedition, the authors masterfully reconstruct the events which led to the deaths of four individuals, three Sherpas and one American, on K2 in the wild Karakoram range.After many weeks in the mountains, overcome by altitude sickness and inexperience, only three members of the expedition are physically able or willing to push on to the summit. The only ones so inclined are its expedition leader, Fritz Wiessner, the rich American who bankrolled part of the expedition, Dudley Wolfe, and the plucky Sherpa porter, Pasang Lama. Dudley Wolfe, with whom Fritz Wiessner seems to have developed a client-guide relationship, is unable to continue past camp VIII, limited by his own inexperience. Fritz, a superb climber, continue along towards the summit with Pasang Lama. They set up Camp IX and continue on towards the summit, where they manages to make it up to within 8oo feet of the summit. There, the plucky Pasang Lama is unable to continue. They decide to return to Camp IX with the intention of resting and returning the next day for a new assault on the summit. It was not to be. On their descent, they lost their crampons. After they rested in Camp IX, they realized that they needed more supplies, so they went down to Camp VIII. There they found Dudley, but no new supplies had been brought up from the lower camps. So, they all decide to go down to Camp VII to investigate and restock. On the way down, Dudley's inexperience causes them to have an accident on the ropes. They fall but manage to survive. Pasang Lama, however, is seriously injured, and the sleeping bag and air mattress that Dudley carried is lost to the mountain. Fritz, having left his bedding in Camp IX, expecting to find some in the lower camps, is disappointed when they manage to reach camp VII, only to find it in disarray and stripped of all bedding and sleeping bags! Remarkably, both Dudley and Fritz had by this time spent nearly a month in the dead zone without supplementary oxygen. Therein lies the tale. Read on! The account is at times mesmerizing. This remarkably well researched chronicle manages to paint a riveting picture of the the travails of this expedition from its confused beginnings to its tragic end. It shows what can happen when all members of the expedition are clearly not on the same page.
Rating:
Summary: HIGH ALTITUDE HIGH JINKS...
Review: An absorbing review of the facts and circumstances surrounding the tragic 1939 K2 expedition and its aftermath. Weaving a newly discovered, first hand account by one of the expeditioners, with already known, heretofore, controversial historical data from others on the expedition, the authors masterfully reconstruct the events which led to the deaths of four individuals, three Sherpas and one American, on K2 in the wild Karakoram range. After many weeks in the mountains, overcome by altitude sickness and inexperience, only three members of the expedition are physically able or willing to push on to the summit. The only ones so inclined are its expedition leader, Fritz Wiessner, the rich American who bankrolled part of the expedition, Dudley Wolfe, and the plucky Sherpa porter, Pasang Lama. Dudley Wolfe, with whom Fritz Wiessner seems to have developed a client-guide relationship, is unable to continue past camp VIII, limited by his own inexperience. Fritz, a superb climber, continue along towards the summit with Pasang Lama. They set up Camp IX and continue on towards the summit, where they manages to make it up to within 800 feet of the summit. There, the plucky Pasang Lama is unable to continue. They decide to return to Camp IX with the intention of resting and returning the next day for a new assault on the summit. It was not to be. On their descent, they lost their crampons. After they rested in Camp IX, they realized that they needed more supplies, so they went down to Camp VIII. There they found Dudley, but no new supplies had been brought up from the lower camps. So, they all decide to go down to Camp VII to investigate and restock. On the way down, Dudley's inexperience causes them to have an accident on the ropes. They fall but manage to survive. Pasang Lama, however, is seriously injured, and the sleeping bag and air mattress that Dudley carried is lost to the mountain. Fritz, having left his bedding in Camp IX, expecting to find some in the lower camps, is disappointed when they manage to reach camp VII, only to find it in disarray and stripped of all bedding and sleeping bags! Remarkably, both Dudley and Fritz had by this time spent nearly a month in the dead zone without supplementary oxygen. Therein lies the tale. Read on! The account is at times mesmerizing. This remarkably well researched chronicle manages to paint a riveting picture of the the travails of this expedition from its confused beginnings to its tragic end. It shows what can happen when all members of the expedition are clearly not on the same page.
Rating:
Summary: A Gunkie review
Review: As a climber and a Gunkie, I read this book because I was interested in the character of Wiessner. I has not disappointed. Some interesting aspects of Wiessner's personality are revealed. The story is basically the 1996 Everest expedition in 1939. A guided client dies due to poor, hypoxia affected, decisions. This story proves the rule, 'history repeats itself'. The fact that K2 was almost climbed, by practically one man, before nylon ropes, Gore-Tex etc just boggles the mind. A truly amazing achievement.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy It and LEARN, History DOES Repeat...
Review: I don't understand these Nit-Picky reviews by the grammar police. This is a good book and an excellent assembling of newly discovered information. The authors have answered the challenge to assemble this information in a way that both entertains and informs. Wiessner was a man driven by desire and motivation and stregnth he himself emanated drove and bolstered his entire team. As has happened all to often since 1939, poor weather, poor circumstance, egos, images and desire all played a part in this disaster. The fact that Weissner and Wolfe got as far as they did (within 800 feet) is simply amazing. They were all men of unbelievable stregnth and drive. There is alot of reality in this book and alot of adventure. Only drawback was too many footnotes which had me flipping back and forth to get "more" details throughout the entire read.
Rating: 
Summary: A poorly written book!
Review: The K2 1939 story is certainly fascinating. However, this book is just awful to read because of the total lack of basic litterary skill of the authors. For exemple, the same idea (e.g. the influence of altitude on the decision making process) is spelled out identically at several places throughout the book, the end of the drama is already unveiled in the first pages etc... The authors should have taken lessons from the the masterpiece 'Into Thin Air'.
Rating: 
Summary: A Tale Still Waiting to be Told
Review: This book has an agenda: to once and for all clear the name of team member Jack Durrance of any negligence for the disastrous results of this expedition. Briefly stated, leader Fritz Wiessner was the only member of this six-man team who had any business setting foot on savage, unforgiving, unrelenting K-2. Yet Wiessner handpicked the team himself, except for one-Jack Durrance, who was a last-minute replacement. That is the crux of the controversy. Wiessner, who never admitted mistakes, was all too willing to make Durrance the fall guy. The odd part is with the exception of Wiessner; Durrance had the most mountaineering ability. The other members either had no experience, or only had climbed with the assistance of guides. After enjoying unusually good weather, Wiessner and the doomed Dudley Wolfe were within 800 meters of the summit. The mystery was why with two men at this level, were all the camps below stripped of tents and all equipment, leaving them totally exposed on the descent? Why did Wiessner leave the helpless Wolfe alone and unattended? Why were three Sherpas the only ones to attempt Wolfe's rescue? What happened to the four of them who were never seen again? The book has some excellent photos depicting the team in their suits and ties, a luncheon served with great elegance in the heart of the Himalayas, and some very clear pictures of their primitive climbing equipment and clothing. It truly makes you realize what odds they overcame to be so high with leaky boots, soggy woolens, and waterlogged tents. The authors have the advantage of Jack Durrance's diary, heretofore unseen and unknown. This is also a disadvantage because the Kaufman & Putnam seem to rely entirely on the veracity of this diary. It is given far too much weight in making their conclusions. The book is maddeningly repetitious. Whenever Wiessner is faulted, the authors assure you (in detail) what a fine mountaineer Wiessner was---over and over again. Though the authors are not shy about projecting psychological insights onto the team members, they make no efforts to explore and recreate the violent disagreements that took place. Wiessner and first assistant Eaton (Tony) Cromwell started out as the best of friends. Yet in the aftermath of the climb, Cromwell bitterly attacks Wiessner as a "murderer." Why? What happened to the four men who disappeared? Were they ever found? The book has merit for it's strong descriptions of the personalities involved and being able to interview living men. However, the style is stilted and the impartiality suspect. Recommended for die-hard mountaineering fans only.
Rating:
Summary: A Tale Still Waiting to be Told
Review: This book has an agenda: to once and for all clear the name of team member Jack Durrance of any negligence for the disastrous results of this expedition. Briefly stated, leader Fritz Wiessner was the only member of this six-man team who had any business setting foot on savage, unforgiving, unrelenting K-2. Yet Wiessner handpicked the team himself, except for one-Jack Durrance, who was a last-minute replacement. That is the crux of the controversy. Wiessner, who never admitted mistakes, was all too willing to make Durrance the fall guy. The odd part is with the exception of Wiessner; Durrance had the most mountaineering ability. The other members either had no experience, or only had climbed with the assistance of guides. After enjoying unusually good weather, Wiessner and the doomed Dudley Wolfe were within 800 meters of the summit. The mystery was why with two men at this level, were all the camps below stripped of tents and all equipment, leaving them totally exposed on the descent? Why did Wiessner leave the helpless Wolfe alone and unattended? Why were three Sherpas the only ones to attempt Wolfe's rescue? What happened to the four of them who were never seen again? The book has some excellent photos depicting the team in their suits and ties, a luncheon served with great elegance in the heart of the Himalayas, and some very clear pictures of their primitive climbing equipment and clothing. It truly makes you realize what odds they overcame to be so high with leaky boots, soggy woolens, and waterlogged tents. The authors have the advantage of Jack Durrance's diary, heretofore unseen and unknown. This is also a disadvantage because the Kaufman & Putnam seem to rely entirely on the veracity of this diary. It is given far too much weight in making their conclusions. The book is maddeningly repetitious. Whenever Wiessner is faulted, the authors assure you (in detail) what a fine mountaineer Wiessner was---over and over again. Though the authors are not shy about projecting psychological insights onto the team members, they make no efforts to explore and recreate the violent disagreements that took place. Wiessner and first assistant Eaton (Tony) Cromwell started out as the best of friends. Yet in the aftermath of the climb, Cromwell bitterly attacks Wiessner as a "murderer." Why? What happened to the four men who disappeared? Were they ever found? The book has merit for it's strong descriptions of the personalities involved and being able to interview living men. However, the style is stilted and the impartiality suspect. Recommended for die-hard mountaineering fans only.
Rating:
Summary: a flawed but interesting read
Review: This book shows general psychological insight, doing real justice to the personal complexities of Wiessner, Durrance, and other members of the expedition. The speculations as to what must have been going through Wolfe's mind about his wasted life as he sat alone in the tent high on the mountain are marked by an especial brilliance, even if mixed with a touch of (literarily necessary) cruelty. The authors also do a nice job painting a portrait of the rather different conditions of mountaineering prevailing in 1939. Finally, they seem to have done their research homework with more than usual thoroughness. I have two criticisms to make of the book. The first is that the style is not especially lucid. It might seem unfair to compare this 1992 book to Krakauer's later _Into Thin Air_ (much of whose drama comes from the 1st person presence of the author). But the reason other readers have drawn this unfavorable comparison is because it illuminates so well the direction in which the present book could have been improved. The material is already there to make it happen-- the disappearance of Wolfe and the Sherpas in the mists surrounding Camp VI, as well as the two explosive scenes between Wiessner and Cromwell (in Base Camp and again at Srinagar). But these scenes are depicted very sketchily; at these moments, the reader feels almost like he is reading an outline rather than a finished book. In particular, the long march from K2 back to Srinagar must have been a devastating period for the survivors, but the reader is led to feel very little of their anguish on a withering retreat that ought to have been drawn out longer in the narrative. Perhaps the documentation from this period is sparse, but the authors could have put their speculative talents to excellent use, as they did when imagining Wolfe's lonely reveries before death. Finally, I share some of the concerns about the objectivity of the book. The diary of Durrance is the smoking gun of this particular volume, and it would have been more reassuring to see the authors carefully reflect on the strange withholding of the diary for so long, as well as Durrance's long public silence. They seem a bit too comfortable with the idea that he simply put the diary on his bookshelf for decades, being too big-souled a man to be drawn into the muck of the public furor between Cromwell and Wiessner. Maybe so, but other lingering suspicions are possible as well, and this book seems too eager from the start to paint Durrance as a heroic figure.
Rating:
Summary: Biased One Sided View of the Event
Review: This book uses the Diary of Jack Dorrance as the principle (and only) truth. The amazing thing is this diary was NOT released to the public until 1989, just after Fritz Wiessner passed away in 1988. Coincidence? Or assurance that Jack's diary wouldn't be challenged? This book tries to pass the blame from Dorrance to others, including Fritz for the tragedy, based solely on the diary. The authors state that the Diary showed that Dorrance was sane of mind in those critical days on Everest, yet how do the authors know this was indeed written on Everest and not written at some later date by Dorrance to defend himself? Yes handwriting analysis does show that Dorrance wrote it, but WHEN did he write it? Where's the proof to that? The authors wave off the note that Fritz says he received from Dorrance based on the fact that no one else says they saw the note. (Which Fritz says he turned in to the American Alpine Club and never got back from them.) Yet they believe this diary that surfaced 50 years later which has only been seen by Dorrance, is true. The authors are both past high ranking members of the American Alpine Club (past president and past vice president) who wrongly blamed Fritz for the Tragedy back in 1939... coincidence? Makes me wonder... If you want an unbiased account of the events of K2 in 1939, look elsewhere. "High : Stories of Survival from Everest and K2 (Extreme Adventure)by Clint Willis" includes this K2 story from another viewpoint, check that out first. If however you are a Jack Dorrance fan and are looking to erase blame from him and pass more of it to Fritz Wiessner, this is the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Biased One Sided View of the Event
Review: This book uses the Diary of Jack Dorrance as the principle (and only) truth. The amazing thing is this diary was NOT released to the public until 1989, just after Fritz Wiessner passed away in 1988. Coincidence? Or assurance that Jack's diary wouldn't be challenged? This book tries to pass the blame from Dorrance to others, including Fritz for the tragedy, based solely on the diary. The authors state that the Diary showed that Dorrance was sane of mind in those critical days on Everest, yet how do the authors know this was indeed written on Everest and not written at some later date by Dorrance to defend himself? Yes handwriting analysis does show that Dorrance wrote it, but WHEN did he write it? Where's the proof to that? The authors wave off the note that Fritz says he received from Dorrance based on the fact that no one else says they saw the note. (Which Fritz says he turned in to the American Alpine Club and never got back from them.) Yet they believe this diary that surfaced 50 years later which has only been seen by Dorrance, is true. The authors are both past high ranking members of the American Alpine Club (past president and past vice president) who wrongly blamed Fritz for the Tragedy back in 1939... coincidence? Makes me wonder... If you want an unbiased account of the events of K2 in 1939, look elsewhere. "High : Stories of Survival from Everest and K2 (Extreme Adventure)by Clint Willis" includes this K2 story from another viewpoint, check that out first. If however you are a Jack Dorrance fan and are looking to erase blame from him and pass more of it to Fritz Wiessner, this is the book for you.
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