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 enlarge | Authors: Anatoli Boukreev, G. Weston Dewalt
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
Buy Used: $2.23
You Save: $13.72 (86%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  259 reviews
Sales Rank: 19396
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 0312206372
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.522095496
EAN: 9780312206376
ASIN: 0312206372
Publication Date: July 16, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: LIGHTLY READ, PAGES YELLOWED FROM AGE, COVER HAS MINOR SHELF WEAR, PLASTIC COATING CURLED AT UPPER EDGES, OTHERWISE FINE.
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| Customer Reviews:
Clearheaded! March 10, 2006
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Most of all it has been interesting to me to read both Krakauer's and Boukreev's account.
Boukreev's account sounded clearheaded, free of "shame 'n blame", and not written for catharsis, as was Krakauers book obviously.
Its easy to play the "what if" game - What If Boukreev had stayed on the mountain to help others? Would they have been in less danger as Krakauer claims? Or is it just possible that Boukreev would then have been in danger of dying as well?
Its hard to answer that question. I agree with Boukreev when he claims that people who try to climb everest should be capable enough to be responsible for themselves. If they cant do that, then they shouldnt be there. If they are there when they shouldnt be - well then, I guess death is a logical result.
From Boukreev's clearheaded account, and description of his decision not to use oxygen, his choice makes perfect sense to me.
Did Boukreev make a mistake in going down first? I am really not sure.
What I am sure of is that in the end Boukreev saved 3 people, when everyone else was completely unable to lift a hand. That is true heroism.
I think Krakauer needs to take a breath, and stop the "shame 'n blame" game he has been playing.
Boukreev comes out as the real hero - not Krakauer.
4 stars seems about right February 8, 2006
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
While not as professionally written as "Into Thin Air", I actually found it more informative and easier to follow. With Thin Air I was left a bit muddled as to exactly what happened, and now after reading "The Climb" I think I understand why. The Climb is the story as told by the Russian guide Boukreev, and it comes across as a more or less honest and believable account. So many things could and did go wrong, communication was so iffy with bad weather and language barriers, and the juxtaposition of several groups caught out on the mountain probably means no one will ever know exactly what happened, but this account satisfied me.
The story pretty well tells itself, and the mountains and the tragedy are the main characters. Not even Boukreev himself is fleshed out that much as a character, and thus some of the tension, relationship drama, and even heroism gets lost by the author's inability to fully enliven the main figures. Still, the story is gripping, and as said, pretty well tells itself. I didn't think Boukreev came out that bad in Thin Air, just the one question of why he came down the mountain early, but the heroic attempts at rescue alone at night and at the end of his strength made that come across as more puzzling than indicting to me. In any case, he explains it more or less adequately in this book. It is a quick read, and a fascinating if ultimately tragic story.
Ambitious or Not October 7, 2005
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I've waited a considerable amount of time before reading THE CLIMB: TRAGIC AMBITIONS ON EVEREST. I wanted to separate my thoughts from other published and video accounts of the 1996 Everest epic.
Boukreev and DeWalt seem to have done a nice job sharing their side of the epic with the reader. A strong point of the book is detailed discussions interwoven throughout, which provide an analysis of the many climbing team's member's strengths and weaknesses. This is important in light of the many accounts which are highly critical of climber's qualifications.
I found the format and organization very helpful in more fully understanding the many events. The photographs were also supportive of the story line.
A bonus for me was learning about the behind-the-scenes work that is necessary to get a climbing team to Everest base camp, let alone to the summit.
A Matter of Whose Side You Take? August 30, 2005
15 out of 20 found this review helpful
The Climb's was written to tell Anatoli Boukreev's side of the tragic story that took place on Mt. Everest in 1996. Boukreev's claim is that, faced with harrowing blizzard, wind, and freezing conditions, he by himself saved his clients' lives. This was an act for which he received a mountaineering award. While no one denies his heroism, some people accuse him of exacerbating the suffering and loss of lives because of the fact that he was negligent in performing his duties before the blizzard hit. The Climb's main accuser is without question Jon Krakauer, who wrote the immensely popular book Into Thin Air.
The Climb, written as part rebuttal to Into Thin Air and part biography of Anatoli, justifies Antoli's reasons on summit day for not using oxygen and his reasoning for making an early and quick descent to Camp IV ahead of his clients before tragedy struck. One on hand, the fact that Anatoli had already descended to camp enabled him to muster the capacity needed later to save the climber-clients, and therefore he feels his actions vindicate him of any blame. On the other hand there is Krakauer's major point of contention, which is that since Anantoli had not used oxygen and that he in fact had descended to safety before everyone else he put the climbers' lives in jeopardy. Krakauer takes issue by raising the question: if Anatoli had stayed behind to help more before the blizzard struck, and if he had used oxygen, then might have the descending climbers faired better with him there and perhaps might have those who perished, even survived? While nobody can answer this, Krakauer remains torn and devastated, finding fault in Boukreev.
Although this review is not about Jon Krakauer's book, it's impossible to ignore it considering the accusations it makes against Anatoli Boukreev and the fact that The Climb itself devotes a lot of words discrediting Krakauer's opinions and accusations that were judgmental of Anatoli. Having read the two books, Into Thin Air overwhelmingly excels as the more gripping story about the tragedy. Compared to The Climb, it gives more information about the basics and rigors required of high-altitude mountain climbing. Into Thin Air makes you relive the human drama as if you were there, freezing in the cold with no air to breath on that eventful day; Krakauer reaches out to you for healing. Into Thin Air also gets so much more involved with the individuals and their personalities and it mentions behind-the-scenes politics and expedition rivalry too. And most interesting too, is when reading Into Thin Air you can hear the hissing and feel the claws dig deep, as Krakauer assails numerous individuals and organizations during his trip up and down the mountain. Simply put: it is an absolutely fantastic read from all angles. (See my review of Into Thin Air elsewhere.)
The Climb, in addressing the same tragedy, pales in comparison to the power-packed Krakauer book. While Into Thin Air's journalistic nature and Krakauer's bravado take you on an incredible journey to the highest summit and back, The Climb seems sterile, resembling an academic essay. In addition, I found the book to be antiseptic in its treatment of the many people who had their fingers in the pie of tragedy. In trying to please everybody, the book seemed overly cautious so as not to step on anyone's toes. For the sake of salvaging Anatoli's damaged reputation this probably was a wise call; however, it consequently made the book bland, as it is totally bare of the fortitude, guts, and gumption found in Krakauer's book. The Climb adopted a very different approach, but in doing so it gives readers a single scoop of plain vanilla while Krakauer's book delivers a triple-decker cone bursting with tutti frutti, raspberry swirl, and rocky road. After the publication of Into Thin Air, Anatoli had a ton of work cut out for himself to set the record straight about his character and actions. Against this backdrop of bickering with the Krakauer faction, The Climb was written but with a tone that definitely has a defensive quality about it.
If you are interested in this mountain climbing tragedy and want to learn more about the story and some of the finger pointing then I highly recommend you read this book in addition to several others, as a means of fitting the pieces of the puzzle together. However, if you want to read a totally gripping and captivating story about the tragedy, and at the same time learn about the rigors involved with climbing Everest and the politics involved too, then I suggest you skip this book and get your hands on a copy of Into Thin Air, which is an absolute brilliant piece-a must read. However, there is one caveat if you read it: keep an open mind.
 Effort=Achievement July 7, 2005
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
An inspiring story about a man most westerners would never know. All those who demand results for their effort rarely understandand the complexity of obstacles they will face. I am inspired to read more, to climb higher and to know that success is not in reaching the top, but in living to tell of my adventure.
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