The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest by Anatoli Boukreev, G. Weston DeWalt
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Book Summary Author: Anatoli Boukreev, G. Weston DeWalt Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 1999-07-16 ISBN: 0312206372 Number of pages: 416 Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Accessories:
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Book Reviews of the The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest
Customer Review: Interesting facts but dissapointing overall
Summary: 2 Stars
After reading Krakauer's version of the 1996 disaster on Mt. Everest I decided to read any other available account including Boukreev's. Having read some of the other reviews of both books I want to state that I am not interested in which climber was right or wrong. I am only interested in the quality of the books and the story as a whole.Boukreev's account was interesting and thankfully it wasn't the point by point rebuttal of Krakauer that I dreaded. Bourkreev provided many interesting contrasts to Krakauer's account. These included:
1. The perspective from Scott Fischer's expedition instead of Rob Hall's where Krakauer was.
2. The point of view of a world-class climber instead of an average one who describes himself as being woefully out of shape.
3. The day to day thoughts of a as rather than a client or observer.
Perhaps the strongest impression provided by Boukreev's account is of frequent misunderstandings and communication problems between the Fischer and himself as well as Fischer and his clients. Whether he intended to or not, Krakauer portrayed Boukreev as something of a villain who was out for himself. After reading climb, I don't think that Boukreev was selfish and negligent but that he did not receive consistent and adequate instructions from his leader.
Another interesting difference between each book is the different perspective of Sandy Hill Pitman. Krakauer takes a rather disparaging view of her and describes her as the spoiled brat of the expedition. But Boukreev describes her purely in terms of her role as a mountaineer. He access her strengths and weaknesses objectively and whether he intends to or not, he accords her much more respect than Krakauer.
I would give "Climb" three, possibly four stars if it weren't for the quality of the writing. Unfortunately DeWalt, tries to be too writerly and too gimmicky with his story. He ends chapter after chapter with glib remarks resembling such phrases as "little did they know what disaster was in store for them", or "but it was not to be." His tone is artificial and his narrative is more of an imposition than anything else. Fortunately, DeWalt is merciful enough to isolate Boukreev's personal narrative by rendering it in italics.
If you are interested in Mountain Climbing or in the 1996 disaster, then by all means read this book. But be ready for some disappointment.