'Mountaineering Books' de stuart.weibel

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Personal insights and stories from one of the premier mountaineers of the 20th century. Whittaker seems to suffer less than most mountaineers form the self absorbtion that feeds the desire to summit great peaks. three stars

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Not a mountaineering book per se, but related (in authorship and motifs). A mystery of self discovery and the thin margin between triumphant self reliance and tragedy

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The story of the Mallory/Irvine disappearance on Everest, amplified by the discovery of Mallory's remains by the 1999 search expedition. My friend, Andy Politz, played an important role. Revised edition.

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Beck Weathers must surely be the most compelling witness to the '96 Everest debacle, a member of Rob Hall's expedition who did not summit, but boasts one of the closest encounters with death on the mountain (and the highest helicopter rescue to that time)

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My friend Pete Y. put this book in my hands on a recent visit, just after I'd seen David Breashears' television documentary on the fateful and deadly '96 Everest climbing season. An anthology of great and gripping mountain writing (RIP, Art Gilkey)

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The definitive, bestselling account of the most notorious episode on Everest, the 1996 expedition that cost 8 lives. Krakauer's writing is superb and evocative, and has perhaps had the paradoxical effect of a bellows on the fire of Everest-lust.

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Bonington's classic account of the first successful climbing of the South Face of Annapurna. The expedition bridges the assault style of early Himalayan campaigns with an emerging small team ethic. Thorough, self reflective, meticulous documentation.

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The first book on mountaineering I read, back in the 60's. It fascinated me, left a strong impact, and convinced me that I didn't want to go there, though now I wish I had. Still worth reading.

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A self aggrandizing view of the 1996 tragedy on Everest by a Danish woman who summited and survived. Poorly writen and self-absorbed. Her shabby disrespect for colleague's and 'friends' on the mountain must gall Scott Fischer's survivors.