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Title: Nanda Devi: The Tragic Expedition by John Roskelley ISBN: 0898867398 Publisher: Mountaineers Books Pub. Date: September, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.78
Rating: 5
Summary: Nanda Devi
Comment: Between the fragmented leadership, conflicting agenda's of the climbers and general lack of cooperation between various members of the expedition it's a small wonder that more people weren't seriously injured or killed. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. The suspense that John Roskelly creates is fantastic. With so many possible things that could go wrong...
Rating: 4
Summary: Fantastic account
Comment: Wow. My first reaction on reading this book was amazement as to how dysfunctional this team was due to the fractured leadership style. The inability of the strongest climbers to agree on strategy and work loads contributed to the team's overall slowness on the climb. Yet they still managed to put people on top of the mountain. Other climbing expedition books often make allusions to similar types of disagreements on strategy and plan but this one really lays it all out in front of you.
My second reaction was that there are surely two or more sides to any story -- this version of the climb was surely colored by Roskelley's own self-acknowledged aggressive personality and his bias/perceptions of what his team members were thinking at each step of the way. The second afterword from Roskelley describes a bit more of other team members' own reactions.
The story was compelling but I left one star off the review because the writing style was somewhat wooden. Plus, I wanted to hear more about the climb from someone other than Roskelley to get a different perspective.
Rating: 5
Summary: Tragedy and Conflict
Comment: This is an exceptional book detailing a famous and tragic climb up Nanda Devi. What makes this book exceptional is not the detail of the tragedy but rather the lack of teamwork in this expedition and the author's role in the conflict. The closing remarks also frame the danger in being a high altitude climber as eventually 4 of the 13 members of this team die on the mountains in later years.
This expedition had two leaders, uncommon for high altitude expeditions. Initial meetings detail disagreements in selection of climbers and goals for the climb. With no clear leader, these initial disagreements festered on the mountain and contributed to the partial failure of the expedition. But the unique perspective of this book is that the author appears to be the central antagonist in the disagreements. Now clearly, he writes from his perspective and supports his position in a no compromise, "perfection" oriented climbing method. But it's clear these conflicts are partially his fault as he has minimal compromising capabilities which exasperates the team leaders. I've never read a climbing adventure so centered on a conflict that ends in such tragic proportions.
The characters on this climb are expertly described by the author and the expedition is described in detail. I hesitate to provide details of the climb so you might enjoy the excitement in the read but suffice to say, the most compelling human being on the mountain ends up in the most precarious fate. Read this book if you enjoy climbing or tales of adventure. You will not be disappointed.
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Title: Fatal Mountaineer: The High-Altitude Life and Death of Willi Unsoeld, American Himalayan Legend by Robert Roper ISBN: 0312261535 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: March, 2002 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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Title: The Last Step: The American Ascent of K2 by Rick Ridgeway ISBN: 0898866324 Publisher: Mountaineers Books Pub. Date: July, 1999 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: Fragile Edge: A Personal Portrait of Loss on Everest by Maria Coffey, Chris Bonington ISBN: 0898867371 Publisher: Mountaineers Books Pub. Date: September, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Everest: The West Ridge by Thomas F. Hornbein ISBN: 0898866162 Publisher: Mountaineers Books Pub. Date: September, 1998 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Touching the Void : The Harrowing First-Person Account of One Man's Miraculous Survival by Joe Simpson ISBN: 0060916540 Publisher: HarperCollins (paper) Pub. Date: January, 1990 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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