Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest’s Most Controversial Season
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- ISBN13: 9780805089912
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
“A dramatic tale, ably and convincingly told . . . A chilling look at the precarious line between success and tragedy.”—Kirkus Reviews
On May 15, 2006, a young British climber named David Sharp lay dying near the top of Mount Everest while forty additional climbers walked past him on their way to the summit. A week later, Lincoln Hall, a seasoned Australian climber, was left for dead near the same spot. Hall’s death was reported around the world, but the next day he was establish alive after spending the night on the upper mountain with no food and no shelter.
If David Sharp’s death was shocking, it was hardly singular: ten others died attempting to reach the summit that year. In this meticulous inquiry into what went incorrect, Nick Heil tells the full tale of the deadliest year on Everest since the infamous season of 1996. As more climbers attempt the summit each year, Heil shows how increasingly risky expeditions and unscrupulous outfitters threaten to turn Everest into a deadly circus.
Written by an veteran climber, Dark Summit is both a riveting account of a notorious climbing season and a troubling investigation into whether the pursuit of the essential mountaineering prize has spiraled out of control.
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M L Lamendola has written an eleven page review of Dark Summit. It is because of this incredibly cogent, fascinating, and articulate account that I am now ordering Dark Summit on my Kindle. I read – several times – Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air and establish it an brilliant read. I now exoect to be as enthralled by Dark Summit because of M L lamendela’s remarkable review. DO READ THE REVIEW – IT’S WELL WORTH THE FEW MINUTES OF YOUR TIME. I plot to reread the review again – and possibly YET AGAIN. Lamendola’s writing is so superb, I feel certain that he/she ( ? ) has had work published.
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
In 2006, eleven climbers died trying to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. The most legendary fatality was David Sharp who was left near the top still alive while forty additional people nonstop their incline. One week later, Lincoln Hall was left to die at the same spot that Sharp died; he survived that night lacking shelter leading to speculation re Sharp.
Nick Heil investigates the right tale of what went incorrect on the Everest climb in the deadliest year since 1996. He makes the case that some ruthless commercial operators are building increasing access available but at the cost of dramatic increase in risk. Readers will be hooked by Mr. Heil’s passion for mountain climbing while horrified by the avarice of some to take advantage of the obsession of many advocates to aver they reached the top of the world. The leader points out rescue is usually impossible and can endanger others; while he also defends operator Brice who was accused of abandoning Sharp to die on the mountain’s Death Zone. But, Mr. Heil also rips less conscientious operators like the guide who failed to help a confused Thomas Weber, who additional climbers felt could be rescued. This is chilling yet fascinating as Mr. Heil provides a lucid account of the deaths on the DARK SUMMIT.
Harriet Klausner
Reader’s Rating: 4 / 5
About a year or so ago I read Michael Kodas [High Crimes] and gave it
a terrible review. The reason was that the journalist – Michael Kodas – was
so much in the book that any objectivity disappeared.
Anyways, in the comments to my review somebody suggested this book.
And, yes, this is the way these tales should be written – the
leader is not in the picture, the writing is engaging and appealing,
I reflect he is trying to be as objective as possible, his research
in preparation for this book is wide. Bottom line – a fantastic book as
far as my opinion goes.
My only note is that the leader clarifies some things about
altitude sickness, about Everest, etc, that I already know based on
previous books, so this was a small dull for me – but this makes the
book more self-contained and thus I reflect this was the right thing to do.
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
I just finished this book, which was appealing enough to end in under a week. It seemed to be a balanced treatment of the theme, and I liked the contrast of the leader just wanting to get back to his tent at base camp rather than continue to look for a drunk, compared to what it must be like in the death zone.
I do disagree with a couple of pages where he waxes for the excellent ancient days of gentlemen climbing with high ethics etc. The book about the Americans first successful climb of K2 paints a bit different picture of the excellent ancient days. In particular the leader of that book relates how they feared they would be doing a body recovery rather than a summit. To their surprise, the “body” was walking down on their way up! He related how they could not help him since they did not bring a rope! Not sure how they proposed to do a body recovery. Somehow he walked down, while the additional two summited. The rest of that book is filled with intrigue as they jockey for position to be one of the few who might get a summit chance, probably similar to Brice’s experience with the British team, which this book just hints at?
Not mentioned when talking about what effort, risk and expense should be made (or can be made) to save a name on Everest, is how some die nearby for lack of a few dollars of antibotics, or at least that is what one person who worked over there in a decompression chamber told us, though even he did not draw that comparison.
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
I really don’t know all the rave reviews on here. I have read Krakauer’s “Into Thin Air” and this book is not even CLOSE to being that excellent. I have also seen the documentary that the book talks about, but it really doesn’t make the writing here any better.
To summarize what this book is about:
1) Climbers who made it to the top (some legendary, some not)
2) Climbers that died and was never seen again (some fmaous, some not)
3) Idiots who did stupid things trying to climb and died or turned back near death.
This is all kind of cobbled together haphazardly, nothing is truly gripping because he tries to give SO much detail about so many pointless people who do not matter to the season he’s supposed to be writing about. Why does he mention them all? To show that climbing Everest is hard and challenging? I reflect a single chapter on that would have sifficed. And these climbers never come up again after he mentions them. Hillary and Mallory okay – persons i do want to hear about. But most of the others are pointless. I thought this book would just focus on one season and clarify that well, clarify it in depth – as Krakauer did. I guess people are easily pleased, I have no thought how to clarify how this has so many positive reviews.
Edit: Okay I re-read this book and I reflect that now I’m willing to give it three stars (if I could). The problem with it is that it’s rather tedious until you get (factually) middle through. Then if finally picks up and the second half of it is pretty excellent. But it’s a bit disjointed in how it introduces so many people, doesn’t talk about them again until middle through the book and by then you’re not entirely sure who was who.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5