Fatal Mountaineer: The High-Altitude Life and Death of Willi Unsoeld, American Himalayan Legend

This book was recommended by an acquaintence and climber. After reading the previous reviews, I had second thoughts. Was the prevalence of outrage, disappointment and desire for a simpler narrative warranted? Were the reviewers who praised the revelation, complexity, and literary quality of the book perceptive or delusional? I proceeded prodded by curiosity. After all, I'd been raised in John Roskelley's hometown, Spokane; had moved to Willi Unsoeld's home base, near The Evergreen State College campus in Olympia; had worked at the Washington State Department of Ecology with Willi's son, Krag, and had been represented in Congress by his widow, Jolene. Willi's legend hung in the foggy air here. We attended the Willi Unsoeld Seminars established in his memory, to hear talks by poets, writers and activists: Gary Snyder, Terry Tempest Williams, and others. In his role as Spokane County Commissioner, John Roskelley once engaged me in an edgy call about some environmental controversy now blurred by the fogs of time - I simply recall the provocative and aggressive tone of his call. So, the verdict? From my perspective this is an excellent, thought-provoking work - one of those books that lodges in the memory where it continues to burn long after the reading's done. But this is a qualified recommendation. The Fatal Mountaineer (look up all the meanings of `fatal') may well aggravate the reader looking for simple confirmation of his/her opinion regarding Unsoeld, Roskelley, the culture of mountain climbing, or the nature of life. This is a complex drama and tragedy. It covers a lot of territory - from evocative climbing narrative to explication of native Himalayan religious precepts and perceptions, from CIA maneuvers that may have contaminated the Ganges with plutonium to subsequent decisions to protect the high, sacred ground near Nanda Devi; from discussions of transcendental philosophers to explorations of the psychic and medical struggles of these Himalayan climbers. You will need to keep many thoughts in motion and suspension simultaneously. There are no easy answers here, but stick with this book and you will learn and grow.

For a non-mountain climber, non-adventurer like myself, this book was a take-me-away introduction to people who are very different from me. I planned to give the book away after I read it, so instead of underlining, like I ususually do when I read, I made notes on the inside back cover of favorite passages. I had 60 of them to type up before I could let the book go. Roper always saves his best sentence for last, always makes you wish you had more than ten minutes to read at a time, always lets the adventure speak to you without requiring you to be knowledgeable about mountain climbing. It isn't a treatise on mountain climbing. It is an idea-stretching, glorious opportunity to climb your own personal mountain.

This mountaineering book is very well-written in a unique style that belongs to Robert Roper. It was unique from other mountaineering books in the way he intermixed climbing scenes with Willi Unsoeld's philosophies on life. He contrasts the sport climber versus the true mountaineers who find spiritual strength in high places. He shows the contrast between team climbers and soloists. It goes beyond just describing some of Willi's adventures in life by exploring the inner force that kept drawing him back for more high adventure. As a mountaineer myself at the age of 38, I really understood the analogies that the author made between life in general and life as a mountaineer. I thoroughly enjoyed the book from start to finish. I give it a "thumbs up". TJ Burr, Author of "Rocky Mountain Adventure Collection"

Robert Roper has written a gripping account of one of mountain climbing's most charismastic figures, Willi Unsoeld. "Fatal Mountaineer" will appeal both to mountaineering and adventure enthusiasts and to any serious reader looking for a wrenching drama set in an exquisite landscape. Framed by the story of Unsoeld's eventual demise in an avalanche on Mt Rainier, the centerpiece of the book is the detailed narrative of a fateful ascent of Nanda Devi, India's tallest mountain, by a group of elite climbers. Roper carefully dissects the tensions that emerge from Day One of the expediton between the hard-charging, summit-oriented alpha males of the pack and those sympathetic to the transcendental, growth-oriented perspective of Unsoeld. Included among this latter contingent is Devi Unsoeld, who was named after this mythopoetic mountain, and tragically becomes, or merges with, its resident goddess.Roper's writing is crisp and nuanced, and he is able to bring an immediacy to events he has reconstructed from multiple and often contradictory or sanitized versions of events. Within the first chapters, I felt as though I were in the tent debating whether an ill member of the team, and thus potentially the weakest link (it does not help that this particular climber is also a woman)should make the trek or head back to base camp. Roper tells not only the outward bound story of a mountain-climbing expedition but also draws us within the psyches of the characters, explicating the motives behind this most enigmatic of human undertakings. I would urge readers to go out any buy this book before the Spring thaw.

Roper's mixture of first-rate journalism and top-notch story telling make this thrilling and tragic biography of mountaineer Willi Unsoeld unfold with page-turning immediacy. The use of the present tense and the beauty of the descriptive writing make the reader feel as though he is on each expedition. As one life-and-death scenario after another unfolds, the story never becomes sensationalized, and the medical and technical information is always handled clearly. This is a fascinating look at a subculture rife with egos, infighting and betrayals, in which Unsoeld emerges as a true hero for our time. As Roper explores what, exactly, mountaineers are after and what, if anything, they owe the rest of us, Unsoeld's life ultimately serves as a microcosm for the history of mountaineering, and for man's place on the planet. But this isn't just a guy's guy book; it also explores and celebrates the role of women mountaineers, such as Unsoeld's beautiful and spirited daughter, Devi, who's remarkable relationship with her father and heartbreaking demise make this an unforgettable read.