Rating: 
Summary: Like "Into Thin Air" or "Perfect Storm", you will like this.
Review: A biased and straight forward view of the famous Aspen Search and rescue team from one of it's own. The rescues are real accounts, the effects on the rescuers are real, and the thoughts and interactions between the people are real. The book puts you into the shoes of the rescuers and tells the stories and follys of everyday people from the point of view of their heros. We see the struggle, the teamwork, and the impact life as a volunteer rescuer requires. We also view the ignorance and chances that people take in the outdoors. Under the drama of the rescues is also the life and interactions of the people involved. We see their good and bad sides. We are there as they make life and death decisions. We are a part of the team. The Writing itself is not overly fantastic, but the treatment of the subject and the feeling behind the words is at a depth that none but one of their own could have told the story. As a skier and backcountry recreationalist, I especially found the honesty and feelings portrayed as being similar to those I have felt in trying times and when dealing with those who tempt fate. Overall, a compelling story of the way man and nature interact both externally and internally when things have gone horribly wrong.
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Summary: The Falling Season removes the glamour from rescue work.
Review: As an Aspen resident for thirteen years, I have been exposed to Mountain Rescue and its good works for a long time. Friends of mine are members and have encouraged me to join since I have the background and interest. I thought reading the Falling Season might provide me with the insight I needed to make a life-changing decision. It did.Hal Clifford's detailed accounts of not only the difficult and dangerous, and often emotionally overwhelming, rescue work but the politics within the organization and between the different emergency agencies in Aspen convinced me not to join. If you are considering a trip to the backcountry, Hal's book provides an excellent cautionary tale. Simple plans can and do go tragically wrong.
Rating:
Summary: a page-turner
Review: Clifford's prose is clean and he's gifted in his ability to hear dialogue and paint realistic descriptions, which draw the reader into the stories in this book. Like all good rescue books, this one is chilling and there are some gruesome details. However, the book doesn't exploit the victims of mountaineering accidents - the author is empathetic to the frailties of both victims and their rescuers.
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Summary: the "art" of integrity is almost lost, but Hal found some
Review: I am on a rescue squad so when I got this book I was very excited. I will say that I am not much of a book person but this book reeled me in. I thought that the story in itself was very interesting and relates to many rescue teams. However be prepared for the book to jump around a bit. I found myself adding words at times to make the sentences ledgeable. This was the only downfall to this book and it might be due to the publishers fault. So if you are interested in finding out what type of people it takes to be in SAR work this book points the way.
Rating:
Summary: Great story, but jumps around.
Review: I am on a rescue squad so when I got this book I was very excited. I will say that I am not much of a book person but this book reeled me in. I thought that the story in itself was very interesting and relates to many rescue teams. However be prepared for the book to jump around a bit. I found myself adding words at times to make the sentences ledgeable. This was the only downfall to this book and it might be due to the publishers fault. So if you are interested in finding out what type of people it takes to be in SAR work this book points the way.
Rating: 
Summary: Good read, but a few inaccuracies
Review: I read this book when it first came out. As someone who's familiar with Aspen's team, and who's been involved in mountain search and rescue in Colorado for many years, I found Hal's book to paint a pretty good picture of what it's like to be involved in mountain rescue work. However, like a previous reviewer, I feel it's rather arrogant. Hal pumps-up Aspen's team while putting down other agencies, and I feel there are some questionable comments in the book related to this. There are many fine EMS agencies and rescue teams in Colorado (..and elsewhere) of the same caliber as Aspen's team. This book should have been more humble in that regard. Otherwise, I recommend it for anyone interested in this topic.
Rating:
Summary: the "art" of integrity is almost lost, but Hal found some
Review: in Search and Rescue and this could have been any SAR team, any County, USA. The general press gets us wrong every time but Hal got it right. Thank you for a sometimes tearful, often funny and believable read of one of the many sides of a multi-faceted SAR team. PS: the past pres. should get over it!
Rating: 
Summary: arrogant
Review: It is unfortunate that the author fealt that the only way to make Mountain Rescue-Aspen look good was to simply find fault in the other agencies of the Roaring Fork Valley. Mountain Rescue has done many fabulous things through not only rescue but also education. Anybody who knows anything about technical rescue will find that the author simply points out mistakes made by other agencies and ignores all mistakes made by Mountain Rescue. The book was a fairy tale and ignored many facts of the rescues performed.
Rating:
Summary: The Soap Opera
Review: Tha Falling Season gives readers an inside look at the operations of one of America's best rescue teams, Aspen Mountain Rescue. This fast paced book also lets us inside the personal lives of several key team members and shows us the triumphs and conflict that inevitably exist in such groups. Truly an excellent book for anyone interested in search and rescue and outdoor sports or mountaineering.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent account of the operation of SAR
Review: Tha Falling Season gives readers an inside look at the operations of one of America's best rescue teams, Aspen Mountain Rescue. This fast paced book also lets us inside the personal lives of several key team members and shows us the triumphs and conflict that inevitably exist in such groups. Truly an excellent book for anyone interested in search and rescue and outdoor sports or mountaineering.
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