Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 21-25 of 31
 More Adventures on the Mountain July 2, 2009
Matthew Morine (Castle Rock, CO)
This is another book concerning mountain climbing on Mt. Everest. This story deals with the disasters on the hill in 2006. Mt. Everest is increasing traffic with every coming year. More and more people are daring to hike up to 29,000 feet. People with more problems and concerns of ability are attempting to be the first of some certain qualification to summit. There is competition and rivalries with different companies that lead tourists. This is all becoming overwhelming. A place of purity is becoming a place of humanity. With the use of oxygen more people are able to climb this high point. We are bringing the mountain down to size. I believe people should be purist for the hill. If you are going to climb it, do so without oxygen. This is a true account of man versus mountain. The book is written well. The stories are amazing and interesting. The book deals with major characters that have a huge role in the Mt. Everest business. This is not the best book, and some of the stories are repeats from other materials, but if you like adventure books, this is worth your time.
A Gripping Counterpart to 'Into Thin Air" January 17, 2010
Skittish (Gotham, USA)
As an admitted acrophobic who isn't fond of cold weather, I have a hard time wrapping my head around the concept of climbing the highest mountain in the world. To me, it seems nothing short of insanity. So when I stumbled upon the Discovery Channel reality show about Russell Brice's 2006 expedition team and their attempt to summit Everest, I was completely enthralled (and horrified)... enough so that I began to seek out books on the subject. The first, and probably best, account of an Everest expedition that I read was Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air." This, however was a close second.
In both cases I found myself repeatedly asking "What is wrong with these people!? Are they insane?" Yeah, apparently. But mountain madness has taken a truly dark turn here, where we see the drive to push one's self to physical extremes tainted by mercenary expedition leaders, oversize egos, poor planning, the vicissitudes of nature, and amateurs who are paying their way to the top of the mountain rather than putting in the grueling years of training and preparation that used to be requisite on Everest.
My criticisms are few: first, there are some copy editing errors that are kind of inexcusable for a widely-published book from a major house ("Sharp" instead of "sherpa," "marshall" instead of "martial," some grammar issues, etc.) Second... well, it's hard for this book to match the energy and intensity of Krakauer's since Krakauer's was written by a man actually on an Everest expedition. Both Krakauer and Heil are strong writers, both are elite climbers, both have a unique viewpoint and something new and interesting to bring to the table, but the immediacy of a first-hand account resonated more deeply with me than Heil's expert yet uninvolved perspective. The two are great companion pieces to each other, and I recommend them both. I still can't imagine why anyone would possibly do this to themselves, yet the subject makes for a fascinating-- and harrowing-- read.
Truthsayer January 19, 2010
David A. Johnson (Butte, MT United States)
A true account.
Very believable and accurate.
I found particularly interesting the section about the death of Thomas Weber, the partially blind climber who died at the foot of the Hillary Step. One of his aiders was Scott Wollums. I met Scott while climbing Mustagata in western China probably a month after the Everest season of 2006. Heil's description of Scott rang true. He was a helpful and direct guide from my experience. Wollums offered aid to Weber, but it was too little, to late. Wollums seemed the type that would not simply walk by a struggling climber, unlike the 40 or so that walked past David Sharp at the Rock Cave.
The book was accurate in other parts as well, and offers an objective and forthright description of the events that left 11 dead, including David Sharp, and a near-dead, Lincoln Hall.
Reads Like Fiction January 26, 2010
Whatsername
A very gripping account of the 2006 Mt. Everest climbing season and surrounding controversies. I thought this book was every bit as good as Krakauer's "Into Thin Air." Also compares favorably with "Dead Lucky," Lincoln Hall's account of the same events during the 2006 season. It's obvious the author did his research thoroughly, yet the book reads like fiction and is difficult to put down.
Another interesting climbing book July 11, 2008
Emma Hubbard
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was interested to learn of one of the more recent years on Everest where events ended tragically. I wasn't familiar with this particular story until I read the book. It's another good book for my collection.
Showing reviews 21-25 of 31
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