Other Side of Everest

Dickinson, in my opinion, did a better job than Krakauer at writing for the non-climbing audience, perhaps because he isn't really a climber at all. He doesn't use much jargon, and when he does - "the Death Zone," for example, which was the UK title of this book - he defines his terms. He also answers a lot of the questions non-mountaineers and armchair adventurers have about climbing; for once and for all, he explains why climbers dread calls of nature above 8,000 meters, as just one example.

Dickinson writes very differently than most climbers, especially the ones who have written about Everest 1996. His narrative retains the tension and, in some places, tragedy that are common to the best expedition accounts, but he also uses humor in places where it's appropriate. I found myself laughing out loud in several places. The Other Side of Everest is also different in that it doesn't have the haunted, agonizing tone that Into Thin Air did, perhaps because Dickinson was farther from the tragedies, relatively speaking, or perhaps just because he waited longer than Krakauer did to write about it. Also, The Other Side is an account of a successful, "easy" Everest climb, not a disaster, which changes the perspective and the tone a lot from the other books about the 1996 season.

In additional to the Everest-disaster-season story, The Other Side has another story to tell: how a non-climber got to the top of the world. Dickinson's case of summit fever drives him to the top of a mountain he didn't really expect to climb - after all, he's clumsy even at sea level - and so his book is a good look at the way normal people with little mountaineering experience (i.e., commercial expedition members) handle high-altitude climbs - and, to the extent that it can be explained at all, why.

This book was written by a film director, so perhaps it isn't a surprise that the pictures are so good, but it's lovely anyway. I'm also pleased that the publishers sprung for two different insets of color photos, at least in the hardcover edition; some of them are truly breathtaking.

In short, The Other Side of Everest is well worth reading for all lovers of adventure travel and climbing writing; even those who feel they've read Everest to death should enjoy this one. The book is a welcome addition to climbing literature, and would give pleasure on almost anyone's bookshelf.


A Different View of the 1996 Tragedies   December 9, 2000
Matt Dickinson has written an enjoyable and easy read of conquering the North Face of Everest during the tragic 1996 season. Dickinson looks at May's killer storm from a different perspective, both figuratively and literally. While the ill-fated Fischer and Hall expeditions were climbing into catastrophe on the south side, Dickinson and his team were struggling their way up the north side of the mountain, facing a different set of challenges - and fatalities.

Dickinson sees the entire climbing adventure through the eyes of a non-expert. By his own admission he isn't a mountain climber in the truest sense of the word. This brings a fresh approach to Everest books, non-technical, gritty, and easier to relate to. He also has no axe to grind with regard to the controversies surrounding the 1996 deaths.

While some have criticized his detailed descriptions the physical demands the climb puts on a body, I think anyone who has climbed too high, hiked too far, or biked too long, can relate to the pain and exhaustion he writes about.

The Other Side of Everest doesn't have the drama of Into Thin Air, but it is a worthwhile read and nicely fills in your Everest library. A must for anyone still interested in the events of the 1996 climbing season.