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| Paulo
Intermediate Member
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
768 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2007 : 12:55 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by laneskimmer
Has anyone read Boukreev's rebuttal to "Into Thin Air"? It's called "The Climb".
I recently finished both his notes/diary (published after his death) and "The Climb" which certainly gave me the impression that he did all he could and was worthy of the American Alpine award presented to him after the 96 Everest tragedy.
I thought about re-reading Krakauer's book but I think I'd rather read Beck's book to get his take on what happened. I'm looking for a copy in the local used book stores.
I'm just about to finish reading David Breashears' book High Exposure that has a section in it about the tragedy (he was on Everest filming the IMAX movie at the time). So far it appears to be providing a reasonable view from outside the highly competitive commercial guiding arena, i.e. able to see what happened yet not directly involved and taking sides. |
Edited by - Paulo on 07/06/2007 12:59 PM |
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Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3787 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2007 : 11:01 AM
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| I definitely found David Breashears' book to be the best on the incidents, being written completely from the outside with no-one to protect or crucify. If was very interesting for the rest of his stuff too. I read the one by Beck Weathers. It was interesting, but more of a personal story than much about the tragedy as a whole. -Which is good, for a guy who was unconscious while most of it went down. |
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79 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2010 : 08:24 AM
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I read the book and watched a couple of documentaries on the incident as well. I really liked the read, but like someone else said,(darren?) they was something about the author that wasn't right. What is really striking is that Krakauer is absent in all the documentaries I've seen. I am not sure he is well respected among other climbers of this caliber.
I will get and read the Brashear book. |
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Qualicum Beach, BC
Canada
72 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2010 : 10:07 AM
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| I too was enthralled with the story and have read everything I could find about the tragedy. I also felt Krakauer was hard on Boukreev and that made me look further for more info. I thought the Climb was good but I really enjoyed Above the Clouds. It gave a great glimpse into Boukreev's life. That man could climb! I felt he did everything he possibly could have done. What a tragedy it was! Thanks for the reminder. |
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1078 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2010 : 10:53 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by laneskimmer
Has anyone read Boukreev's rebuttal to "Into Thin Air"? It's called "The Climb". Good read...
I agree with Dru. Krakauer is a little too self-absorbed to be taken seriously. In his book, "Into the Wild", whole sections of the book are devoted to him.
Still an entertaining writer, though.
Yes, I have both on my shelf.
Krakauer is a good writer, but yes, one must take his account with a grain of salt. For all his bluster, Krakauer, as we all know now, didn't even know whom he was having an involved discussion with on descent, thus leading to confusion about the whereabouts of one person. That in itself speaks volumes as to his cognitive abilites and perspective at the time.
In addition, for all his accusations about Boukreev, it is apparent, from Jon's OWN words, that it was he who was rushing off the summit, having gotten his glory.
Now admittedly, since Boukreev was a guide, the action is far less forgivable from him, but the truth is, he DID have the energy to wander around base camp in the storm later, looking for people, and did make at least some attempt to ascend in a rescue effort. At the very least, he was mentally and physically less impaired than Krakauer who rushed off the summit, talked to "people" and then promptly went to sleep in his tent. That doesn't make Boukreev's account true, but it Krakauer's is definitely in question.
If I had to GUESS, I think they are both far from hero's, though Boukreev is closer.
I GUESS that Boukreev is a bit of an elitist jerk. I think Boukreev refused to coddle clients (arguably that is the way it should be), I think Boukreev was probably a bit disgusted by the whole event, and probably did rush off the mountain. I think Fischer probably did let him go, but largely because he knew Boukreev wasn't really going to be helping anyways. Fischer probably thought by that point, just let Anatoli do his thing....and never hire him again! lol.
I'd GUESS that Krakauer, having plenty of ego and hubris, resented Boukreev's superior abilities and probably resented being just another client in Boukreev's eyes. It's pretty clear even from Krakauer's perspective that he considered himself far superior to the other clients. That's why I think he went out of his way to use Boukreev as a prime villain.
I think when everything hit the fan, Borkreev did want to help...perhaps even a bit out of guilt, and, because some were lost on the plateau, he was able to save lives. On the other hand, had he stayed on the mountain, it's entirely possible, he and Lopsang, or whoever, may have gotten Fischer and others down.
Basically, I'd guess:
Boukreev, elitist, who didn't want to bother with the nonsense, and did his own thing to the detriment of others, but then in the time of crisis, tried to do the right thing.
Krakauer, resented Boukreev, took out his personal hurt-ego on Boukreev to make a nice bad-guy character. Probably rightly perceived that Boukreev was being less than ideal when he took off down the mountain, but didn't even realize how he did exactly the same thing, nor did he realize just how impaired he was, nor did he give full credit to Boukreev's later efforts. Nor does he realize that deep down, he's probably at least as much, if not more of an elitist, selfish, condescending person than Boukreev.
Overall, I'd rather hang-out with Boukreev!
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Vancouver, B.C.
Canada
30 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2010 : 11:02 AM
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Just finished this!
I can't help but feel like Krakauer was himself rushing back to camp ( like previously mentioned ). Such an amazing book though. Could NOT put it down.
I can't really have that much sympathy for the people who died up there. I mean, you've got to be half crazy to go. The chances of death are significant. Not to mention the fact that you're putting your brain and body through such hell that they aren't meant to endure.
They're putting themselves in a situation where any mistake could be fatal, then compounding the chances by bringing up groups of LIABILITIES. Maybe they SHOULD ban bottled oxygen for everything but rescues.
From here though, it sure is fun to read about. |
Edited by - Codiak on 09/03/2010 11:03 AM |
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Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer
