Play Book Tag discussion

The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest by Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt - 4 stars

Non-fiction about the tragedy on Mt. Everest in May, 1996. It focuses on two expeditions and the elements that led to death on the South face. I had previously read Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer’s account of the disaster, which implicates Anatoli Boukreev’s actions as a contributing factor to the fatalities. Krakauer was a client-climber on the Adventure Consultants expedition and Boukreev was a guide on the Mountain Madness team. At the time I made a mental note to read The Climb to find out Boukreev’s side of the story.

Mountaineering seems to attract strong personalities, and each of these two believes he is correct. In the end, like many tragedies where numerous people have taken part, each person has a different experience, and each remembers what happened differently. This book clearly states Boukreev’s philosophy and cites evidence to back up his position, refuting Krakauer’s assertions.

The Climb tells a riveting story. It highlights the importance of preparedness, leadership, and communication in the extremely hazardous environment of high altitude climbing. I felt it occasionally slipped into repetition and a bit of defensiveness, but I can understand the reasons for it. There are several appendices included, and I found it very informative to read the transcript of the Mountain Madness team’s debriefing made a few days afterward.

In the end, I was glad to have read both accounts and now feel I have a more complete understanding of the tragedy. Recommended to anyone who has read Into Thin Air or is interested in extreme sports, especially mountaineering.

My Review

I also read Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster and I wondered if anyone else would take "pen to hand" and tell a different story-I have a lot on my plate wight now, but this will stay on my radar-nice review

Great review! I think I'm getting into climbing and mountaineering and am enjoying reading about it more.

Joanne, I hope you get a chance to read it.

Charlotte, Thanks! This is a good one as well as Into Thin Air. I like reading about climbing and mountaineering from the safety of my home. :-)

I’ve just finished ‘Into Thin Air’ for this month’s tag (5 star read) and thought I’d try this as well if I can get to it. Krakauer includes a postscript that takes on some of De Walt’s claims - there’s obviously no love lost between them. He has a lot more respect for Boukreev, and accepts some responsibility for their falling-out (which they were in the process of mending when Boukreev tragically died in an avalanche) but is puzzled that Boukreev never acknowledged that he made mistakes on the 1996 climb.

I really enjoyed reading both books. Getting both sides of the story, plus in each book you get parts of the story that were unknown to the other writer or not part of the other writer's experience.

I also highly recommend Beck Weathers' book, for the same reasons. And David Breashears'.

In fact, I've read all of the books on the subject that I could find. I vividly remember listening to the live reports on the radio as the story unfolded. I almost felt traumatized a little myself, by it. Thus my interest in the subject - and I've always enjoyed reading books about mountain climbing anyway!

KateNZ, Into Thin Air was a 5-star read for me also. I think it is the better written of the two, but this one includes some information not in the other.

Ghost of a Rose, I was considering reading Weathers' and Breashers' books. Lene Gamelgaard has also written one if I recall correctly (she was in Boukreev's group).

I really like reading about mountaineering. I am impressed by the skill and conditioning of the people who complete these high altitude climbs. I don't quite have the nerve to risk it myself. I'll stick to hiking in the Sierra, which is near where I live.

Books like this are why I never actually planned to climb the seven highest peaks with my daughter. When she was 4 she said she and I were going to do that. Thankfully, she's lost interest although she is my biggest risk taker when it comes to physical challenges.

I can't fathom why so many people take such extreme discomfort to risk death and other dangers just to get to the top of a mountain that has already been conquered.

Joy D wrote: "In the end, I was glad to have read both accounts and now feel I have a more complete understanding of the tragedy. ..."

Yes! This! I'm so glad to see someone else has also read "The Climb". I often recommend it as a follow up to "Into Thin Air". To be honest, I didn't find it nearly as compelling a read, but I thought it important to read his side, as well.

Good review! I should read both of these! I love hiking and have hiked a few fourteeners in Colorado and that took planning. I have no desire to do something like this. I am not into extreme sports but I am fascinated by the climb.

Great reviews and comments. This type of book is way outside my typical read and sounds very interesting, as well as the other "Into Thin Air". I thought my TBR would shrink, but it keeps getting longer, LOL! More food for the mind, I suppose.

This one is already on my TBR, but now I kinda want to read tge four books Ghost references back to back. I loved Into Thin Air, but it has

Omg, I hate the app. As I was saying, it has been so long since I read Into Thin Air, I feel I would need to refresh.

Thanks, Rachel & Jackie! Hope you get a chance to read them.

Anita, Kudos to you if you can read them all back-to-back!