Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Into Thin Air by Krakauer

I just read this book (written ten years ago). It put my day hikes of Whitney into an entirely different perspective and has wet my appetite for a winter or early spring trip. I had no idea the base camp for Everest was almost 4000 feet higher than Whitney peak. Great read, finished it three days after I started it.

Great Book. I recommmend reading "The Boys of Everest: Chris Bonington and the Tragedy of Climbing's Greatest Generation" by Clint Willis. A great account of the personal aspect of the climbing community.

For a great winter's tale, you might also try Minus 148 Degrees by Art Davidson. The true story of the first winter ascent of Mt. McKinley (Denali), done back before the days of modern high-tech winter gear.

Don't forget Into the Wild also by JK. "The soul of a man comes from new experiences." -Alexander Supertramp.

If you have any luck finding this book (I found mine in a used book store) this is a great read.....

Annapurna is a book by Maurice Herzog, expedition leader of the first recorded expedition to reach the summit of Annapurna in the Himalayas. The original text was written in French, first published in 1951[1], and has been translated to a number of languages.

The expedition recorded a place in history by being the first to attain the summit of the highest peak so-far to be climbed at the time. It was also the first of the eight-thousanders -- peaks higher than 8,000m, which occur only in the Himalayas. Members of the expedition included Lionel Terray, Louis Lachenaland, and Gaston Rebuffat then regarded as some of the finest mountaineers in the world, now regarded as among the finest ever.

That was a great book. I am just about done reading 'The Climb' by Anatoli Boukreev. It is in response to 'Into Thin Air', where Krakauer made some statements about Boukreev being partially responsible for the tragedy. It is not as well written as Into Thin Air, but still good to see another point of view.

Gotta read "Left For Dead" by Beck Weathers who was among the survivors(just barely)of that deadly season on Everest. It's one of the most amazing true stories I've ever read. Think I'll read it again...

Left for Dead is next on my list.

All of those are great books. Another one is Touching the Void by Joe Simpson, an account of a terrible accident in Peru.

I just started reading The Climb by Boukreev.I read Into Thin Air several years ago. I was moved by the tragedy and uneccessary loss of life.
I am not that far into The Climb to determine if Boukreev's
account is self serving or not regarding the tragedy. I will take out Into Thin Air and compare the differing accounts of what happened now that you mention the discrepency of accountablity.

If either of those accounts is self-serving, it is Krakauer's.

Oops, there goes a can of worms! :-)

The first four chapters of Krakauer's book are a good description of what you get on the commercial treks to Everest base camp. Well worth doing for those who want to increase their adventure level a notch.

On December 6, 1997, Anatoli Boukreev, Todd Burleson, and Pete Athans were awarded the David A. Sowles award by the American Alpine Club for heroism and devotion in rescuing four lost climbers during the Mt. Everest tragedy the year before. This is the AAC's highest award, given to climbers "who have distinguished themselves, with unselfish devotion at personal risk or sacrifice of a major objective, in going to the assistance of fellow climbers imperiled in the mountains."

The award was given on the occasion of the AAC's annual meeting, this time held in Bellevue, Washington. I happened to be there. Boukreev was not; he was busy climbing Annapurna. When the award was announced, the auditorium of people rose up instantly as one, in a long standing ovation.

I might mention that the AAC is comprised of many dedicated and experienced mountaineers, people who were well aware of the details of the Everest tragedy, with some having friends there--both rescuers and victims. (I myself lost my friend Doug Hansen.) It was clear on which side of the debate those AAC members present were aligned, to say nothing of the AAC hierarchy which had granted the Sowles award.

Less than three weeks later, on Christmas day, Boukreev was killed in an avalanche on Annapurna.

Thanks Bob for that information about Boukreev heroism.I am sorry to hear about Boukreev's death. I am saddened as I hadn't heard that news.I just got through reading the comment by Scott Fischer saying he was glad that Boukreev was on his team to save their butts in case they ran into trouble.

I am currently reading 'High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed' by Michael Kodas.
It seems to sum up that the glory days of Everest are nearly over. Too many people up there!

http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/57819/page/0/fpart/1

Some photos of Boukreev's memorial below the South Face of Annapurna:





Not very high quality, but these were shot in the days of .5 (that's 1/2) megapixel digital cameras.

I traveled past the memorials to Steve Fisher, Rob Hall and many others who died during that tragic season, and others, a few months earlier in the Khumbu region. It's hard not to choke up when you stop by these sites.

For 1/2 megapixel those are ok pictures...

I am currently reading this book starting chapter 6, good book so far.

I just finished The Climb. What a riveting drama.I agree with Kurt Wedberg's comment in the previous thread that was on this subject that The Climb comes from a different and a little more rounded perspective.No use in playing the blame game.

Boukreev was an amazing physical specimen but also a very discplined student of how to properly acclimate.His efforts no doubt saved many lives.

I just have to comment that I wasn't able to sleep last night after finishing The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev. I was so disturbed by the images in my mind and the human tragedy that I had crazy dreams all night about trying to reach out and help someone stuck on a mountain and not being able to, only to wake up in a stressed state of mind. It was horrible and I still can't get the story off my mind at work today.

Boukreev had these haunting words to say. "I will not be called a guide, to make a distinction that will absolve me of that terrible choice between another person's ambition and his or her life. Each person must bear the responsibility to risk his or her life....I can be a coach, an adviser, I will act as a rescue agent. I cannot guarantee success or safety for anyone from the crushing complexity of natural circumstance and physical debility that haunts you at high altitude. I accept that I may die in the mountains."