The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest

Written by Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt

Narrated by Lloyd James

Anatoli Boukreev's first-hand account of the worst human disaster in the history of Mt. Everest will hold listeners spellbound. A top-rated guide and high altitude climber, Boukreev dictated the raw and powerful details of this ill-fated trek from memories and notes recorded just five days after the catastrophe. In May of 1996, 33 people went up the mountain, but only 28 returned. As two commercial expeditions climbed the world's highest peak, poor planning, miscommunication, and an unpredictable blizzard conspired to defeat them. Although the author made it back to the safety of his tent, he defied his own pain and exhaustion to go back up the mountain. His rescue attempt saved the lives of three climbers. The events of those two fateful days prompted researchers at MIT to develop new technology that could prevent the recurrence of such a disaster. Narrators Richard M. Davidson and Nelson Runger sensitively convey the full scope of a drama and a tragedy the world hopes never to see again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456125134

Anatoli Boukreev

Anatoli Boukreev was a Russian Kazakhstani professional mountaineer. An experienced climber of eight-thousander peaks, and was the lead climbing guide in the Mountain Madness team during the 1996 Mount Everest Disaster. He rescued three clients left stranded after the blizzard struck. He tells his account of these dramatic events in The Climb. He died when an avalanche hit Annapurna I on Christmas Day 1997.

Reviews for The Climb

[castlelass · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Non-fiction about the tragedy on Mt. Everest in May, 1996. It focuses on two expeditions and the elements that led to death on the South face. I had previously read Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer’s account of the disaster, which implicates Anatoli Boukreev’s actions as a contributing factor to the fatalities. Krakauer was a client-climber on the Adventure Consultants expedition and Boukreev was a guide on the Mountain Madness team. At the time I made a mental note to read The Climb to find out Boukreev’s side of the story.

Mountaineering seems to attract strong personalities, and each of these two believes he is correct. In the end, like many tragedies where numerous people have taken part, each person has a different experience, and each remembers what happened differently. This book clearly states Boukreev’s philosophy and cites evidence to back up his position, refuting Krakauer’s assertions.

The Climb tells a riveting story. It highlights the importance of preparedness, leadership, and communication in the extremely hazardous environment of high altitude climbing. I felt it occasionally slipped into repetition and a bit of defensiveness, but I can understand the reasons for it. There are several appendices included, and I found it very informative to read the transcript of the Mountain Madness team’s debriefing made a few days afterward.

In the end, I was glad to have read both accounts and now feel I have a more complete understanding of the tragedy. Recommended to anyone who has read Into Thin Air or is interested in extreme sports, especially mountaineering.

[breic-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I found the narrative to be fairly hard to follow, especially in comparison to Krakauer's work. It was mostly written to salvage Boukreev's good name. It's quite likely that Krakauer was unfair in his portrayal of Boukreev—it wouldn't be Krakauer's last time. But, not having a stake in the dispute myself, it was hard for me to care much. The writing is awkward, with DeWalt pasting together his own descriptions with short segments from Boukreev. While he does admit a few foibles and mistakes, I still found myself annoyed a few times that Boukreev is nearly always right. This doesn't help his case. > For some reason I cannot explain I did not share Rob Hall’s optimism, and I thought it highly unlikely the weather would stabilize. My intuitions continued to bother me, and I fully expected that we would not climb the next day.

[jameshold-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I first read Krakauer's book I found it an interesting story; but the author himself came across as a jerk, constantly praising himself for his abilities to out-perform the more experienced members of his team. It wasn't until later that I heard of the controversy over his portrait of Boukreev. So I read "The Climb." Krakauer speaks of things he was in no position to know, and when his errors were pointed out to him, he stubbornly refuses to correct his mistakes. Clearly Scott Fischer was out of his league in trying to organize an expedition. Not only was he absent from camp at times Boukreev needed to consult with him but he was plagued with illness he wouldn't own up to. Essentially Krakauer accuses Boukreev of not doing things he wasn't hired to do in the first place. But what the heck. Everyone else is dead and Krakauer isn't; plus he's backed by a big publisher, so it's unlikely things will ever be corrected. Boukreev comes across as a disciplined, kind, and caring man. While Krakauer slept in his tent, Boukreev heroically risked his life saving others.

[librarycin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.25 stars.This is an account of the climb up Mount Everest in 1996 that resulted in tragedy when a storm came up during the descent from the summit. Anatoli Boukreev was a guide with Scott Fischer’s group, and in Jon Krakauer’s book, Into Thin Air, he was not portrayed favourably.Boukreev’s account of what happened gives an explanation for his actions on the mountain, so it helps fill in some blanks. It is definitely a worthwhile read to see another side of what happened and to balance out Krakauer’s book. I wish I had read it closer to the time I read Into Thin Air, so I could compare it a bit more, but I think for anyone who has read Into Thin Air, The Climb is another that should be read in order to learn more. I’m not sure it is quite as compelling as Into Thin Air, but still a very good account, from another perspective. Or a good place to start, even for those who haven’t read Into Thin Air.

[st5croixsue · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is Anatoli Boukreev’s first-hand account of the worst human disaster in the history of Mt. Everest taking place in 1996. This book was written in 1999 and is as spell-binding as ever. It is the same disaster written about in, ‘Into This Air,’ by Jon Krakauer, but from the perspective of Boukreev and the Mountain Madness team.

[nkmunn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While not as readable, This book about the deadlly Mt. Everest climbs of May 1996, like [author:Krakauer]'s [book: Into Thin Air] is a must read for those who enjoy non-fiction adventure tales of human endurance and extreme circumstances. [author:Anatoli Boukreev], the author was a professional climber with Scott Fisher's Mountain Madness expedtion. [author: Boukreev] felt Krakauer's earlier published account inaccurately reported his own actions and motivations. The two books should be read together even though the narrative voices and intent of the autors differ so much. Without both perspectives (& those of the other survivors and climbers on the mountain that day) it is impossible to comprehend the scale of hubris or risks taken and subsequent courage displayed by the people involved, both living and dead. Boukreev would later receive The American Alpine Club David Sowles Award, its highest award for courage, for his efforts in bringing Sandy Hill Pittman, Charlotte Fox and Tim Madsen back from the stormy South Col to Camp IV alive. Boukreev himself died Christmas Day in an subsequent avalanche in 1997 on Annapurna. Two other books from a much earlier arctic expedition that required the utmost of its men are: [book: The Worst Journey in the World], a memoir of the 1910-1913 British Antarctic Expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott written by a survivor of the expedition, [author: Apsley Cherry-Garrard] of the expedition's disastrous outcome, and the meaning (if any) of human suffering under extreme conditions should be required reading of every ship's captain, manager, coach or person who puts them selves in a position of leadership.Contrasting Cherry's book with [author: Elspeth Josceline Huxley]'s [book:Scott of the Antarctic] is the kind of reading Krakauer and Boukreev's accounts inspire. One book leads to the other as though a detective were calling and reporting in on what his next steps will be on a difficult case.

[jechtshot · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read The Climb immediately upon completion of Jon Krakauer's award winning memoir, Into Thin Air. Anatoli Boukreev's book is oft referenced as a counterpoint to Krakauer's work and in it he defends many of decisions that were questioned in Into Thin Air. This book also describes the Mt. Everest climbing disaster in May of 1996, but this time the story shifts from that of client to that of guide. Boukreev serves as a climbing leader for Scott Fischer's Mountain Madness and his memoir tells the story from this angle.Observing the same people and places from another vantage point is fascinating and educational, but I lost interest towards the end of the book when the novel switches from a tragic yet heroic tale of Everest to a 100+ page diatribe on why Krakauer was incorrect. I do understand wanting to keep your name clean, but I think the actions spoke strongly throughout the text and did not need a 100+ pages of bonus material to ensure you wore the "Team Boukreev" T-shirt. Aside from the last bit, this is a very well written novel that I would highly recommend.

[jesssh · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found this book a fascinating follow-up to Krakauer's Into Thin Air. I don't think that I would have enjoyed this book nearly as much if I had read it before Into Thin Air. The Climb is not written in a style that I found as engaging as Krakauer's, though I found that I prefer this telling of the events. The Climb has much more technical descriptions, attention to detail as to the source of information, and a more objective explanation of the uncertainty and disagreements surrounding the details of the events described.

[katymelrose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Anatoli Boukreev's response to Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer about the events of the 1996 spring Everest expedition.Boukreev has some additional information that Krakauer couldn't have known (or didn't know, or, according to Boukreev, knew and ignored) that helps to shed some light on the events of May, 10 1996. Specifically, some of Boukreev's decisions and some of the issues that Mountain Madness was dealing with. It was definitely interesting to see the expedition from a guide's POV rather than a client's (see Into Thin Air).As other reviews have said, it is not as well written as Krakauer's story, and it doesn't provide as much information from other climbers and guides. It is primarily Boukreev's story of his successful rescues and the events that led to him being able to do them.Overall, it is a good companion to Into Thin Air, but I doubt it has much stand-alone value for anyone looking for the story of what happened. However, for someone looking for a rescue story as opposed to a tragic story, this would probably be a good place to start.

[riverwillow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is yet another perspective on the events that unfolded on Everest on the 10th May 1996. Anatoli Boukreev was the villian of Jon Krakuer's "Into Thin Air" and in this book Boukreev sets out his side of the story and West DeWalt takes the time to point out some of the inconsistencies in Krakuer's story. Having also read Matt Dickinson's book which tells the story of the storm from on the north face of Everest (The Death Zone) I am still really glad that I took the time to read this book as it balanced out some of the omissions in Krakuer's story and raises the question. What would have happened if Boukreev had climbed on oxygen that day, and stayed high on the mountain with the client climbers - the answer is that most likely Boukreev and the client climbers he later rescued would have died, as Matt Dickinson comments Boukreev was "The only climber with the strength to push himself out into the white-out blizzard to try and guide in the lost climbers." Whatever happened or didn't happen on Everest that day the sad fact is that several very experienced and some not so experienced climbers died due to one or more misjudgements which may not have had such tragic results on any other day.

[dsheise_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The other side of the story writen by Jon Krakauer in "into thin air".

[drbubbles_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pæan to the late mountaineer Anatoli Boukreev and his role in the calamitous 1996 season at Mt. Everest. Stylistically, it's not nearly as well-written as Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. Substantively, it attends mainly to the details of one particular teamʻs activities, while Krakauer's book takes a broader perspective. After reading both books, I'm not sure I understand why anyone did what they did, or even in some cases what anyone did, which is probably the point of the whole story: think Rashōmon.This book's illustration of the Everest massif provides a better sense of vertical scale for the ascent of the glacier leading up to Mt. Everest than does Krakauer's, and the regional map includes towns at lower elevations than on Krakauer 's (doesn't really affect the story; I just like knowing geographical details). Krakauer's text provides more geological detail about the climb route.I read Krakauer's book first; I wonder what I would think had I read Boukreev's first. But I will say this much: Krakauer admitted to very poor decisions of his own, whereas in this book everybody, and I mean that literally, is accused of poor decision-making – except Boukreev (I first noticed this about a third of the way through, before the summit attempt, and then started watching for mention of poor decisions by Boukreev. There were none). Fair or not, such a "Teflon ʻToli" portrayal does him no favors.

[clueless_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ten stars. This is a must read for any fan of Krakauer's 'Into Thin Air'. Boukreev is a genuine hero.When he mentioned that he hated small talk and trying to motivate others in an unfamiliar language I was so sympathetic. In the translation of Boukreev's Russian you can tell how eloquent he really was. Of course the transcript of his attempt to explain things in English does not reflect this. I so understand.The difference between Hall's and Fischer's philosophies of guiding were emblematic of an ongoing debate between practitioners in the adventure travel industry. The camps of belief can be roughly divided between the "situationalists" and the "legalists." The situationalists argue that in leading a risky adventure no system of rules can adequately cover every situation that might arise, and they argue that rules on some occasions should be subordinated tounique demands that present themselves, the legalists, believing that rules can substantially reduce the possibility of bad decisions being made, ask that personal freedom take a backseat.Mr. Krakauer...never paints the big picture of one of the most amazing rescues in mountaineering history performed single-handedly a few hours after climbing Everest without oxygen by a man some describe as the Tiger Woods of Himalayan climbing.And on the reason why so many died on that climb;To cite a specific cause would be to promote an omniscience that only Gods, drunks, politicians, and dramatic writers can claim.Amen. It was hubris, youth, greed, arrogance, audacity and the nature of the beast the allowed so many to die on Everest in '96. IMHO.

[sandydog1_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A must read for all those INTO THIN AIR fans. If Boukreev believed he had to leave his clients to go back down and make tea, why not? It's fun to second-guess people at 28,000 feet, especially when you are sitting confortably in your arm chair.

[mmmoss_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Climb is a great book - Boukreev's story of the tragic 1996 Everest expedition is very human - more so IMO than Krakauer. The personalities of the guides and the planning of the expedition ring true and Boukreev's account of the night in which 2 clients and 3 guides died is matter of fact - as he was rescuing a small group of stranded climbers and trying to reach more till exhaustion took over. His frustration at not being able to rouse more rescuers is obvious and had there been more help it is possible he could have gotten to scott Fisher or Rob Hall who died after a night of exposure high above Camp IV.I just ordered his other book - which includes some of his diaries from that night. He died one year later in an avalanche.

[ngennaro_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you have Read Into Thin Air you will want to read this book. While not as good the story is still gripping and it is very interesting to see the differences in how two people view the same situation. This disaster on Everest is well documented both on TV, IMAX and in these books. Its a must read in my list.