Unfortunately, you can't always sit with your head in the mountains. There will be times when you are at home and longing to go back to the mountains and hiking. For these moments, mountain books are the ideal solution. Imagine from home in the Alps, Himalayas, or the Andes. This time: The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev.
Anatoli Boukreev
Anatoli Boukreev was a Russian Kazakh mountaineer with a lot of experience in the high mountains of the Himalayas, when he met the American Scott Fischer in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 1995. Anatoli, like many of his compatriots, struggled to finance his passion: high-level mountaineering. Fisscher and Boukreev get talking in a restaurant and discuss possible joint expeditions in Kazakhstan, when Fisscher gives the conversation a twist and invites Boukreev to climb along as a mountain guide in his own expedition to Mount Everest, spring 1996. Boukreev had given a verbal agreement to join another expedition, but the flamboyant Scott Fisscher manages to convince Anatoli Boukreev. In October and December of the year 1995 Anatoli Boukreev successfully conquered two eight-thousanders, respectively the Dhaulagiri (8176m) and Manaslu (8156m).
Scott Fischer
Scott Fischer is an opportunist who wants to set up an expedition to the top of Mount Everest in 1996 because Rob Hall, a rival mountain guide from New Zealand, succeeded in doing so in 1995. The 'why wouldn't I do it' mentality. With a lot of advertising and lobbying, Scott Fischer manages to fill his expedition with a diverse range of climbers. Jon Krakower would also participate for the magazine Outside, only he still gets a ticket for the Rob Hall expedition. Scott, as in the chaos of his life as a climber, needs a success. Maybe a little too hard... The importance for him to get all the customers on top of Mount Everest is enormous. Throughout the book you'll get the impression that some of his decisions are strongly linked to his personal need for success on the mountain, and aren't always based on reason and safety. This is how the preparations for the expedition are already laborious. The ordered oxygen, crucial for survival in the zone of death, has been greatly slowed down by a customs check in Russia. Other signs in the book also indicate that this may not be the most appropriate time for Sott Fischer to train a group of customers up the mountain. In any case, in his eyes Anatoli Boukreev is an asset to his team.
The Climb
Together with co-author G. Weston DeWALT, Anatoli Boukreev writes an exciting and detailed account of the deadliest expedition day ever on Mount Everest. Partly to process what he experienced, and partly in response to 'Into Thin Air' by Jon Krakower. Anatoli comes across as a calm, controlled climber who seems good at weighing up risks. He often investigates clients on their condition, weather developments and the climbing plans of expedition leader Scott Fischer. Regularly he speaks out critically about the policy, but still he doesn't dare to continue in his role. For example, he does not entirely agree with the no-obligation acclimatization program that Scott has set up. Anatoli Boukreev is a man who knows the dangers of the mountain. A content climber. Not a mere talker. This also creates excitement on the mountain, as Scott and the clients sometimes expect more enjoyable personal guidance, while Anatoli wants to do what is right for a successful safe expedition.
To Mount Everest's summit
Of course 'The Climb' builds on the drama spectacle that takes place above high camp IV in the zone of death. Jon Krakower and Anatoli Boukreev clearly differ in their understanding of the events of the Everest tragedy on 10-11 May. Anatoli comes to me in 'The Climb' as a well-considered, caring climber who has done heroic actions in saving lives. Where others stopped, Anatoli continued. He was capable of almost inhuman strength when he heard about the difficulties his expedition leader Scott found himself high up on the mountain. Krakower, however, criticizes Boukreev for descending to camp IV for his clients.
The books contain the different perceptions of two participants from the 1996 expedition. We will never know the absolute truth. Anatoli Boukreev died tragically the year after this expedition, during a climb on the Annapurna (8091m) in the Himalayas.
After reading Into Thin Air my image of Anatoli Boukreev was quite negative. However, this changed tremendously by reading The Climb. Whether you want to form your own perception of this tragedy by reading the books side by side, or completely immerse yourself in a blood-curdling adventure on the highest mountain on earth, The Climb is an absolute must read for me.
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