Reddit reviews The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest

Try Krakauer's other well known book Into Thin Air, and because there's some controversy regarding his version of events, also The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev who was a major player that day.

Krakauer's other book Under the Banner of Heaven is a good "true crime" style story about some Morman murders, but may not be enough like Into the Wild to appeal to you.

Over the Edge of the World is more of a history, covering Magellan's circumnavigation of the earth. It was facinating and definately had intrigue, machinations, and survival elements.

Another book on exploration and survival, Endurance: Shakleton's Incredible Voyage

And another one, Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson. I think this is the one I read, but I can't be certain. It doesn't seem to be as well regarded, but i thought it was still interesting.

A book on diving and survival: The Last Dive, Chowdhury

The Hot Zone could be thought of as science survival. Anyway, you'll probably love the opening bits in Africa, although it does slow way down after that.

Far away from survival, but still about travel are the wonderful Bill Bryson's travelogues. Witty and informative. In a Sunburned Country and A Walk in the Woods are particularly recommended.

>.... appears to be very accurate.

Did you read Anatoli Boukreev's account of the same events?

Read Anatoli Boukreev's account in The Climb.

"The Climb" is by Anatoli Boukreev, who perhaps gets some unfair blame/condemnation in Into Thin Air. He died shortly after finishing the book. It's pretty good and definitely worth it even if you've already read Thin Air.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Climb-Tragic-Ambitions-Everest/dp/0312206372

>Are you saying that those conditions are so bad that there was no chance the guy would have survived?

Yes

>Are you saying that those conditions would have put whoever tried to help him in physical danger?

Yep

Lots of experienced climbers passed him that day, mostly sherpas who had summitted many times before. They knew there was no hope.

A real rescue attempt of a frozen person like that would have taken days to get him down to base camp. Dozens of people would be required plus all the oxygen tanks and water and food to keep all those people alive. It's very probable someone else would be injured in the attempt and that even if he was alive when they started he would be alive at the bottom.

Really, I'm not trying to be glib or dismissive, but read some books about Everest disasters like Into Thin Air or The Climb.

I agree with this list of Top 10 Documentaries on Mountaineering. Not exactly on point for what you wanted. Not sure it really exists at this point.

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I really liked Meru. If you don't mind reading here are a few books that got me into it:

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Into Thin Air.

No Shortcuts to the Top.

The Climb.

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Training Books:

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Training for New Alpinism

Climbing: Training for Peak Performance.

Basic Economics - Thomas Sowell

Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts

Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means - Albert-Laszlo Barabasi

Nexus: Small Worlds and the Groundbreaking Theory of Networks - Mark Buchanan

The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins

Sperm Wars: Infidelity, Sexual Conflict, and Other Bedroom Battles - Robin Baker

Motley Crue: The Dirt - Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band - Neil Strauss

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable - Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The World is Flat - Thomas Friedman

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference - Malcolm Gladwell

The Wisdom of Crowds - James Surowiecki

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster - Jon Krakauer

The Climb - Anatoli Boukreev

Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner - Dean Karnazes

Awesome- you are a quick reader, though. which one are you reading? If you are reading No Picnic on Mt. Kenya, be sure to read the forward by the author (or if you didn't get a version with the forward, try to find it in the library or online) because his life is fascinating.

If you like Krakauer's writing style, I recommend his other mountaineering book Eiger Dreams

some other good mountaineering writers to check out: Joe Simpson, Maurice Herzog , Ed Viesturs, Anatoli Boukreev, Nick Heil, Beck Weathers, and Dave Breashears

Book about the 1996 disaster by one of the Mountain Madness guides:


http://www.amazon.com/The-Climb-Tragic-Ambitions-Everest/dp/0312206372

I don't remember how I ended up having the book, but I've read it multiple times now. Good read. There's PDF versions floating around on the internet too.

> Well, so long "buried alive," you're no longer number one on my list-of-worst-ways-to-die list.

Read The Climb and (as much as I dislike Krakauer) Into Thin Air. I read them back to back (read Into Thin Air first) and it gave me nightmares.

Both books chronicle the events that took place on Everest in May 1996. Krakauer was there to write an article or a different book; Boukreev was there as a hired guide who was using the trip to fund his next personal ascent on another peak.

I'm not sure which part it was that got to me the most; probably Rob Hall being patched through from his radio to base camp to a satellite phone to his pregnant wife in New Zealand, while he sat just below the South Summit freezing to death - as everyone on the mountain listened on their radios.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Climb-Tragic-Ambitions-Everest/dp/0312206372

What really happened on Everest, with corroboration by all the other remaining climbers.