Everest: Alone at the Summit, (a Survival Story)

"Alone at the Summit" is a fantastic book about a team of four climbers on the tallest mountain in the world. Against all odds, this team pioneered a route that was one of the last "frontiers" of mountaineering. Much has been said and written about the author's actions and the way he describes the events on Everest. First of all, read the book and you will be pleased to find that Venables WAS NOT rescued at the summit of Everest-the ending has not been spoiled. Second, he and the other members of his team overcame a great deal of adversity on this climb-including Venables' bivouac that has kiled a great number of people on Everest. Lastly, everyone involved in mountaineering (climbers, rescuers, etc.) is aware of the great risk involved in the activity. Individuals make a concsious decision to strap on their crampons and head up the mountain. There is no excuse for adding unneccesary risk in this sport, nor is there much room for hubris. "Alone at the Summit" fulfills these requirements. Venables has the right mix of self-responsibility, humor and frustration to make this a balanced book. This one of a few books I recommend for dealing with the power of determination in overcoming adversity.

Many of the reviews of this book berate it because the author got injured and had to be rescued from the base of the mountain. Well, I assume many of these people havn't done much mountain climbing. The whole lure of mountain climbing is the risk involved. If nothing could ever go wrong when climbing a mountain, then what's the point of doing it? It's the thrill of danger and the challenge of staying a live that makes it so attractive. Stephen Venables met this challenge head on. He had to fight through injuries, exhaustion and the elements to get down the mountain alive and so did his friends. That's nothing to put down, that is what happens when mountaineering. And this was down the East face, the hardest part of Everest to climb.I thought this was a great book. The author really shows what pushing yourself to the limits in life threatening conditions feels like. This book will go on the shelf with my other top adventure books.I must add that the author was not rescued at the top of the mountain as people seem to be saying. He was rescued at the base of the mountain in the valley, after climbing down the mountain himself. There's a big big difference there.

"Alone on the Summit" is, admittedly, about the "hard men" of mountaineering. Some would say that Venables and company are fools for even trying what they succeeded in pulling off: a route up the Kangshung face on the Tibetan side of Everest without oxygen and limited Sherpa support. The book is very well written (why does it seem that the British mountaineers are the only folks with a sense of humour?), and engaging, with spectacular photos. Many people also argue that Venables is particularly prone to having to be rescued, but if you read closely, who among the best mountaineers hasn't been rescued or helped off base camp at one time or another?

Everest Alone At the Summit is an extremely well-written account of a fascinating and harrowing first ascent by a new route on Everest's Kangshung wall by a small, four man team. Climbers (and many non-climbers as well) will appreciate the aesthetic appeal of the route they take: an almost straight line up a buttress ridged with massive ice towers. The butress itself lies between steep slopes that are constantly avalanching. A veteran of many Himalayan climbs, Venables is aware of the risks of the route, and of attempting it with such a small team, and without oxygen. In the end, it comes down to a question of survival (the book is subtitled a survival story) as the climbers desperately fight off exhaustion, loss of equipment, hunger, thirst, and the effects of extreme cold and altitude. Their descent is even more dramatic than the summit push. While the climb to the South Col is a triumph of teamwork and shared responsibility, the summit climb and descent to the bottom becomes an individual fight to stay alive as the climbers become too weak to help each other. Venables' account has just the right mix of detail, emotion, and reflection. He writes clearly and carefully and with great respect for the seriousness of what is being attempted. There are plenty of photographs and helpful maps, and an interesting appendix on the history of climbing at extreme altitude without oxygen. Alone at the Summit should become a classic of mountainering literature.

This book presents a fascinating view of what it takes to climb Everest. Unlike the normal routes that most climbers take, the Kangshung face presents climbers with more danger as a result of the steepness of the slope and the avalanche danger from loose snow. It's not that Everest is a safe climb as the well-documented difficulties in 1996 bear witness -- it's that this particular face just presents a greater degree of difficulty. A good read.