The Mountain: My Time on Everest

You could say there are two books in The Mountain: My Time on Everest. There’s chapter one, and then the rest of the book.

I have to say that I really struggled with the first chapter of The Mountain for some reason. To me it seemed unfocused and lacked flow. Author and world-class climber Ed Viesturs kept interrupting the narrative of the story of his first climb on Mt. Everest with anecdotes from other climbs and climbers, and from my standpoint, completely disrupted the flow of the read. I must confess I almost threw in the towel at that point.

Once I got past that first chapter, however, there was a noticeable difference in the flow and readability of the book.

Although Viesturs never intended to split the book into the two parts described above, he did intend to split it in another way. The book’s chapters alternate between his own personal experience with the mountain, and an historical overview of climbing on Everest. Viesturs discusses some of the early British attempts on the mountain, including George Mallory’s three expeditions. Subsequent chapters provide overviews of Edmund Hillary’s first summit, Reinhold Messner’s first Everest summit without bottled oxygen, the fatal debacle of 1996, as well as the first American summit in 1963, which included the daring attempt by Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld to scale the unclimbed West Ridge. Viesturs also discusses the highly controversial Chinese expedition of 1960 when one climber purportedly took his boots and socks off in order to gain traction up the Second Step - only a couple hundred feet below the 29,035-foot summit!

Viesturs also lays out his own personal history on the mountain, having made 11 attempts, and reaching the summit on 7 of those occasions. He provides insights into his first climbs as a guide, his inclusion in the 1990 international Peace Climb, his role in a couple of film making expeditions on Everest, as well as the compelling story of how his climbing buddy almost died as a result of a mucus plug.

Although the vast majority of the book was an interesting look into the history of the world’s highest mountain, there were a couple of occasions where Viesturs left his readers hanging. For example, in one case he mentions the “mysterious” death of Chantal Mauduit while she was in her tent at 21,500 feet on Dhaulagiri in 1998, but he provides no other details on why this was a mystery.

In 1997 Ed climbed Everest as part of a research team to find out what happens to the minds and bodies of climbers at extreme altitudes. However, he didn’t mention any of the scientific findings from this project.

I was also baffled by a passage regarding the 1960 Chinese expedition. Although the evidence is pretty overwhelming that the Chinese lied about their first summit, Everest historian Walt Unsworth still concluded that the Chinese story may have been factual. Viesturs states that he’s puzzled by this conclusion, which he absolutely should be. However, in the very next paragraph, Viesturs says, “It’s within the realm of the conceivable, as Unsworth states, that they did indeed make the first ascent of Everest from the north in 1960”.

Okay, so these might be a little bit nitpicky, I’ll agree. But overall The Mountain is a really good read, especially for those looking to discover a broader perspective on the history of Mt. Everest.


Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

The Vast Unknown

The fact remains that the first American go at Everest will be an event. If we succeed, it will be a feather in our cap, a booster to our prestige, a refutation beyond argument of our detractor’s taunt that we are a nation gone soft and gutless. If we do not, we will at least have entered the arena, joined the rest of the world in one of its great enterprises, abandoned our “isolationism” in mountaineering, as we have long since in other fields.

It is still there. It always will be. And it is time we had a look for ourselves.

Today, May 1st, marks the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Mt. Everest by American climbers. To help celebrate this important achievement, a new book about this incredible feat was released today.

The Vast Unknown recounts the story of a group of ragtag American climbers who made an improbable and daring attempt at climbing history. Although the world's tallest mountain had already been climbed nine times (or was it only six - there is much debate and controversy as to whether members of the 1960 Chinese expedition actually reached the summit), and numerous attempts had been made in the preceding decades, the Americans would become the first to ascend the unexplored and extremely formidable West Ridge route.

New York Times bestselling author Broughton Coburn re-tells the story of the historic climb through the backdrop of the Cold War and the space race. He also provides insight on the early days of climbing in America, where "the Tetons were the nursery for an embryonic clan of innovative and spirited American mountaineers".

It wasn't entirely about climbing the mountain, however. There was also a scientific element to the expedition. Psychologists and sociologists were brought along to conduct experiments for NASA, the Navy and the National Science Foundation. A glaciologist was also brought on board to study the Khumbu Icefall.

In subsequent years some members of the expedition would play a major role in a little-known espionage mission in the Himalayas. Coburn tells the story of the mission and the team of climbers that were selected by the CIA to plant a surveillance device on a neighboring peak, Nanda Devi, in order to spy into China where Defense Intelligence would monitor nuclear missile testing.

All in all The Vast Unknown is an excellent read, even if you're not a climber. From the assembly of the expedition team, to the logistics of moving 23 tons of gear from Seattle to India to Kathmandu, and finally onto Everest Base Camp; and from the triumph of Jim Whittaker becoming the first American to summit Everest, to the harrowing feat of conquering the West Ridge, as well the incredible story of survival - against all odds - during the descent from the peak, this book is an exciting and engaging look at a pivotal point in American climbing history.

The following is a short video that includes several clips from the 1963 expedition:




For more information on The Vast Unknown, or to purchase, please click here.



Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com