Facing the Extreme: One Woman's Story of True Courage, Death-Defying Survival, and Her Quest for the Summit

I have read all the bad reviews about this book. She tells us at the beginning of the book that this is "her story" the way she lived it. She admits that there are other stories to be heard. My opinion, this is a good read. Maybe she did put down most of the other climbers and is arrogant and a bit intolerant. .... It is her story and this is who she is - the end. The story engrossed me. I couldn't put it down. I learned more about mountain climbing than I imagined. What more can I say. I highly recommend it. I can still feel the snow blowing. Brrrr.

The author lets you in on her personal life just enough to appreciate her feelings and reactions as she scales this mountain--she details the survival and lets the viewer in on very personal views, actions, and the suffering they endured as well as the other human qualities of the climbers.

.... I've climbed Denali and Kocour's book is the best account of climbing that mountain from a "real" person's point of view than any. No book on the market tells it like it is and in as esciting and readable a manner as Extreme. As for Kocour's ability, I know Robert Link, a world class guide who is written about in Extrme, and not only does he like this book, but he says Kocour is a solid female mountaineer who he'd climb any mountain with. I'd recommend her book to anyone, whether climber or not, as a superbly written example of what can go wrong and what it takes to make the summit of any mountain.

This was a real page turner. AND it came as close to an explanation I expect I'll ever get, as to why anyone would want to climb a mountain in the first place. The descriptions are terrific. The author sees with an artisit's eye and captures for the reader the raw beauty of Denali. She also captures the feel of the elements. Reading late into the night, I went out to walk my dog in a down parka, hat, gloves, etc....and folks, I live in California where it was 54 degrees outside. Ah, the power of the written word. This is a very different approach to climbing than portrayed by Krakauer's book, very team oriented. I never would have read either book, except I have a friend who climbs and have been trying to understand why for years, Kocour's book helped me do that whereas Krakauer's made me think I should reevaluate my friend's sanity. I am glad that I read both, but I think FACING THE EXTREME has by far the most to offer.

Kocur's descriptive writing is so good, I had to put on 2 wool sweaters, turn up the thermostat to 75 degrees F, and curl up in a blanket to get through her book. Krakauer writes well of the horror of failed mountain climbing, but Kocur seems to catch the essence of what it is like to be stranded in a fatal storm high up a mountain better. The one truely off-putting part of this book is the dreadful proofreading. Typoes and "spellcheckos" are all too common, distracting from Kocur's prose. I can only hope that, some day, editors will go back to editing. For me, as a woman, the most delightful part of the tale was how Kocur was treated as a woman. Once she got on the mountain, her gender seemed to be a non-issue, with one small exception. She did not make a big deal of this, and I found it refreshing to read a book about women and men where gender games didn't happen. I give this book to my library patrons who liked Krakauer's _Into Thin Air_, those who read about women and those who enjoy well-told tales.