The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest - Softcover

Boukreev, Anatoli; DeWalt, G. Weston

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312206372 ISBN 13: 9780312206376

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 1999

Synopsis

Everest, the major motion picture from Universal Pictures, is set for wide release on September 18, 2015. Read The Climb, Anatoli Boukreev (portrayed by Ingvar Siguršsson in the film) and G. Weston DeWalt’s compelling account of those fateful events on Everest.

In May 1996 three expeditions attempted to climb Mount Everest on the Southeast Ridge route pioneered by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Crowded conditions slowed their progress. Late in the day twenty-three men and women-including expedition leaders Scott Fischer and Rob Hall-were caught in a ferocious blizzard. Disoriented and out of oxygen, climbers struggled to find their way down the mountain as darkness approached. Alone and climbing blind, Anatoli Boukreev brought climbers back from the edge of certain death. This new edition includes a transcript of the Mountain Madness expedition debriefing recorded five days after the tragedy, as well as G. Weston DeWalt's response to Into Thin Air author Jon Krakauer.

About this title

Review:

The Climb is Russian mountaineer Anatoli Boukreev's account of the harrowing May 1996 Mount Everest attempt, a tragedy that resulted in the deaths of eight people. The book is also Boukreev's rebuttal to accusations from fellow climber and author Jon Krakauer, who, in his bestselling memoir, Into Thin Air, suggests that Boukreev forfeited the safety of his clients to achieve his own climbing goals. Investigative writer and Climb coauthor G. Weston DeWalt uses taped statements from the surviving climbers and translated interviews from Boukreev to piece together the events and prove to the reader that Boukreev's role was heroic, not opportunistic. Boukreev refers to the actions of expedition leader Scott Fischer throughout the ascent, implying that factors other than the fierce snowstorm may have caused this disaster. This new account sparks debate among both mountaineers and those who have followed the story through the media and Krakauer's book. Readers can decide for themselves whether Boukreev presents a laudable defense or merely assuages his own bruised ego.

From the Publisher:

This newest edition of the bestselling account of the 1996 Everest disaster now includes never before published transcripts of the climbers' debriefing from the Everest base camp. This new material is a must for all followers of the Everest story and includes the climbers first reactions to events.

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0312206372
• ISBN 13: 9780312206376
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 416