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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
I'd like to give this three & 1/2 stars . . . slightly better written than Dark Summit, this book almost makes the former obsolete. The dubious morality of leaving a half-frozen man who cannot stand under his own power to die in Everest's Death Zone pales in comparison to guides who lie about summiting, steal other's photographs and gear & leave their clients to fend for themselves; food & supplies being stolen from other climbers, ropes desperately needed for ascension & descent being cut away; and team leaders threatening to sue or kill their clients & tossing their unconscious wives into the snow. If all this stuff really happened, then there's even less sense to climbing this mountain.
Best line: "Have you ever taken a walk & wished you were climbing Mt. Everest? Perhaps you can!" because, really, have you ever thought this at any point in your life?
Best line: "Have you ever taken a walk & wished you were climbing Mt. Everest? Perhaps you can!" because, really, have you ever thought this at any point in your life?
Mt. Everest has become a vast garbage dump. Persons of all persuasions, limitations (be the first without oxygen), handicaps (be the first asthmatic), ages (be the first over 70), and genders (the first transsexual – just kidding, at least so far) – if they have the funds – can pay an outfitter to get them to the summit. Some outfitters are better – and more reliable and honest – than others. Some steal supplies, others try to make it on the cheap. Base camps are now filled with prostitutes and hustlers, trash is everywhere (including bodies on the way up.) Aside from the fact that only an idiot would want to face the hazards and hardship of preparing for, and then climbing the mountain, which I do not need to remind anyone, has already been surmounted numerous times, it kills people. The base camps are virtually lawless and Kathmandu resembles nothing more than a shanty town.
Kordas follows the climbs of two parties. One, led by an unscruplous guide, is fraught with difficulty and leaves a member, a Bolivian doctor, to die. His own party bickers and becomes downright nasty. Sure is fun to read about though. Best on a summer day when the temperature is over 90.
By the way, the TV series on climbing the mountain, Everest: Beyond the Limit, is outstanding. You can get it cheaply through iTunes. My hat is off to the cameramen, who not only had to climb the mountain, but lug the frigging camera along with them.
Other titles to read with this one:
[b:Into Thin Air A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster|1898|Into Thin Air A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster|Jon Krakauer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1158966247s/1898.jpg|1816662]
[b:Dark Summit The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season|2841802|Dark Summit The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season|Nick Heil|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416L1IhMbqL._SL75_.jpg|2867915]
Kordas follows the climbs of two parties. One, led by an unscruplous guide, is fraught with difficulty and leaves a member, a Bolivian doctor, to die. His own party bickers and becomes downright nasty. Sure is fun to read about though. Best on a summer day when the temperature is over 90.
By the way, the TV series on climbing the mountain, Everest: Beyond the Limit, is outstanding. You can get it cheaply through iTunes. My hat is off to the cameramen, who not only had to climb the mountain, but lug the frigging camera along with them.
Other titles to read with this one:
[b:Into Thin Air A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster|1898|Into Thin Air A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster|Jon Krakauer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1158966247s/1898.jpg|1816662]
[b:Dark Summit The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season|2841802|Dark Summit The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season|Nick Heil|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416L1IhMbqL._SL75_.jpg|2867915]
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
Michael Kodas' book on the experience of climbing Mount Everest and the often-crooked industry surrounding it mingles his own experiences with detailed reports of other climbs.
By delving into the pasts and past climbs of the people involved in each Everest incident discussed, Kodas is able to acquaint an uninformed reader of the incredible danger and dire consequences of the mountaineer actions.
There are a lot of damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situations in the book, and understanding how they all shake out and relate to the greater and on-going Everest saga at large is fascinating stuff.
Kodas talks about the stress of climbing Everset and how the shadow of the mountain touches many climbers long after they have descended and returned to their homes in all corners of the world. I found that the individual life stories and in-depth research on certain attempts on Everest stayed with me in a similar fashion. And I'm not even a climber!
This book will appeal to anyone with even the smallest appetite for real life adventure, especially to anyone with an interest in true stories of black market economies or seedy underbellies.
By delving into the pasts and past climbs of the people involved in each Everest incident discussed, Kodas is able to acquaint an uninformed reader of the incredible danger and dire consequences of the mountaineer actions.
There are a lot of damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situations in the book, and understanding how they all shake out and relate to the greater and on-going Everest saga at large is fascinating stuff.
Kodas talks about the stress of climbing Everset and how the shadow of the mountain touches many climbers long after they have descended and returned to their homes in all corners of the world. I found that the individual life stories and in-depth research on certain attempts on Everest stayed with me in a similar fashion. And I'm not even a climber!
This book will appeal to anyone with even the smallest appetite for real life adventure, especially to anyone with an interest in true stories of black market economies or seedy underbellies.