High: Stories of Survival from Everest and K2

I very much enjoyed and highly recommend this book. I've read many of the books from which these chapters are selected, yet there was much fresh material for me. The editing was so masterful that even though the chapters are from different writers, mountains, and times, they flowed together seamlessly High does for climbing what the movie The Thin Red Line did for combat: It explores not the details of the event, but the inner thoughts of the participants. You read what it feels like to have a climber dying in a tent next to you. You learn about the humilation of having frostbite while back at home. You are with the widows who trek in the paths of their husbands to glimpse the mountain graves of their loved ones. While I can understand that some reviewers felt the selections dropped one into the middle of a big problem high on a mountain without the broader context of the expedition, I didn't feel this was a problem. I don't need the beginning, middle, and end to enjoy a brief tale. There are plenty of books that give all those details, yet few that are gripping to read from the first page to the last.

This is a fantastic book becuase it allows the reader a chance to experience many different stories from some of the best high altitude mountaineering books around. The best thing is that just when one story comes to an end the next one starts right again in the middle of the action. You just want to keep reading because you never come off the edge of your seat. The reader also gets to read about a myriad of expeditions from different routes up the mountains through several different decades. The different perspectives about the two mountains are really overwhelming when you step back to consider the dedication these climbers put in and how much they are risking everything all the time. Pick up this book if you crave the thrill of human conquest and the limits of the human spirit.

Even if you have never been anywhere near a mountain, this is aterrific book. Actually, I did put it down....had to when I got towork, or occasionally to turn the light out at night. The short story format makes it an excellent companion volume for dipping into.I found some of the K2 stories especially 'breath-taking' and the edge-of-the-seat drama present everywhere. I agree with the review that says the piece by widow Maria Coffey is a gem - another perspective on the mountain climbing experience.I also liked the older, more historical tales, contrasting some of the worls views about climbing with more modern attitudes evident in some of the newer books, especially now focussing on the commercial aspects of climbing especially Everest. Am I alone in thinking that mountain climbing to the point of summiting used to be a more collective, comradely pursuit, and now it is 'everyone for themself' ? I know there is a lot of bunk that could be said - and I don't hold that the class-ridden older (especially Bristish) school of mountaineering in the days of Mallory et al was some kind of 'golden age'. But on the other hand, there was something in the spirit of the times then lacking now...and the difference is not just money. The old Siege-like expeditions required vast amounts of sponsorship....but it was aimed at the collective effort, whereas now it is anyone who can stump up $65 000 of their own wealth.I might be wrong, but I think there is something different now. Not being an expert, I'm interested to continue exploring this. This volume is a good place to start reflecting on some of those issues.

You should read this book if you like stories that you never know whats going to happen at the end, it really gets you thinking. If you like climbing this book is for you, its almost like it inspires you to go and be a pioneer of Everest, it has mixed stories not only concentrating on the climbers but the well known sherpas of the Himalyas, who are are the real heroes of climbing, the stories will make you think about respect for nature, for nature's fury can suprise any of us, at any time.

Willis has selected well-written and exhilarating stories and assembled them in the fashion of a great short-story anthology. This book takes the reader through the entire range of human emotions, showing humans at their very best--as well as their worst. You might, at times, wonder why these people put their lives on the line, but you won't wonder why you bought this book.