Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 9:00 pm
Book.
Ed Viesturs is a stud. He climbed all 14 of the 8000+ meter peaks in the world, without oxygen. Unfortunately, he and his co-writer can't match Ed's accomplishments with prose that's as well-written. Timelines are a little jumpy, and sometimes real life doesn't provide the drama that a chapter needs.
That being said, it's overall a good book if you are interested in mountain climbing or what it takes to be a good one. Like Endurance, there are times when I simply couldn't imagine the hardship he went through. Also like Endurance, these are stories that do best with little embellishment. While Ed himself is a very careful climber, several others are not, and their stories make up the more emotional parts of the book.
Ed was on Everest as part of the IMax crew during the most infamous time in Everest history. While his take is not as compelling as that of Jon Krakauer's, it's interesting to get another perspective, one aided by time.
A good read, but not as page turning as Endurance nor Into Thin Air.
Ed Viesturs is a stud. He climbed all 14 of the 8000+ meter peaks in the world, without oxygen. Unfortunately, he and his co-writer can't match Ed's accomplishments with prose that's as well-written. Timelines are a little jumpy, and sometimes real life doesn't provide the drama that a chapter needs.
That being said, it's overall a good book if you are interested in mountain climbing or what it takes to be a good one. Like Endurance, there are times when I simply couldn't imagine the hardship he went through. Also like Endurance, these are stories that do best with little embellishment. While Ed himself is a very careful climber, several others are not, and their stories make up the more emotional parts of the book.
Ed was on Everest as part of the IMax crew during the most infamous time in Everest history. While his take is not as compelling as that of Jon Krakauer's, it's interesting to get another perspective, one aided by time.
A good read, but not as page turning as Endurance nor Into Thin Air.