Seven Summits

I had a different take on the story than many of the previous reviewers. I never felt that Bass and Wells tried to hide their wealth or the fact that they were novice climbers. What I found most inspiring was the fact that they rarely let failure deter them. I'm sure true mountaneers will gain little from the book, but "outsiders" will gain a great deal of knowledge about the sport without having to interpret technical descriptions.

I really enjoyed this book, and despite it not being as descriptive as other Mountaineering books. If you take this as a story of two men who have little climbing experience achieve a goal of climbing the highest Mountains in each Continent, 7 summits in total. I found it an amazing book of self determination, motivation and true friendship. Yes it is true, they couldn't have otherwise succeeded at this unless they had the money to do so, but the book never denies the reader that insight. This booked had me routing for them from their first Everest adventure, I just wanted them to achieve their goals. For those who are wanting a descriptive mountain climbing book this isn't for you, but those who want to read about a great challenging adventure over coming multiple diffculties this is an excellant read.

Unlike most mountaineering books, I found this book filled with a great sense of humor. It is impossible to read about Frank Wells and not desire to have met him. His relationship with Dick Bass reminded me of "The Odd Couple", and their humorous adventures propel the reader throughout the book (the best is the 'almost frostbite' on Denali). But these two guys are also inspiring and it is hard to put down the book and not want to tackle those summits!

This is one of the greatest adventure stories I have ever read. I love reading mountain climbing stories, and this is an awesome one because it is not just bald facts, or shifting blame (like the 1996 disaster books), and it is a great story. This is a truly good book that made me want to do something incredible.

Anyone interested in pushing their mental and physical performance should read this book. Ridgeway does a super job in making us feel like we've know Dick and Frank for years. The evolvement of Frank from a clumsy executive to a true mountaineer is incredible. Even more incredible is the spirit and determination of Dick Bass. These are two men who's inspiration will guide me through all of the difficult summits in my life.