The following are a list of some of the books on Everest and a brief review of my opinion on these books. Reading these books before going to Everest can help climbers mentally prepare for what they will encounter on a two month expedition to Mount Everest:
“Mount Everest Map (Washburn Map) Boston Museum of Science and Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research -1991″
This is the best topographical map that I was able to find on Mount Everest. The Map includes the various routes that have been used to reach the summit of Mount Everest and the back of the map includes a list of the first ascents on those routes. The map also includes Lhotse and Nuptse. Scale 1:50,000.
“Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer
This is probably the most popular book on Mount Everest. Krakauer describes his expedition on Mount Everest and documents the tragedy of 1996 when 8 climbers died in one day when a storm rolled in and the climbers were trapped high on the mountain. Krakauer is a excellent writer and does a good job of describing the Everest South Col Route in his book. Comparing Krakauer’s book to my experience on Everest I do believe that Krakauer uses his talent as a writer and literary license to take the readers imagination to a place that is slightly different than the truth, however overall it is a excellent read and can help anyone learn a lot about Mount Everest.
“The Climb : Tradgic Ambitions on Everest” By Anatoli Boukreev, G. Weston DeWalt
This is a book that also documents the 1996 Disaster on Everest. Anatoli Boukreev is a Russian climber that was on Scott Fisher’s expedition team as a guide and at the time was one of the strongest high altitude climbers in the world. Krakauer was on another Expedition team with Rob Hall, so reading this book can give you a different perspective of what happened on the mountain during the disaster. This book is not written as well as Krakauer’s book, however I find that it is written in a way that to me seems to be more straight forward on presenting the facts on the process of climbing Everest. Krakauer’s strength in writing makes his book read like a Novel where as this book reads more as a documentation of the experiences Anatoli had on the mountain. Anyone that reads “Into Thin Air” should also read this book as it will just add more insight into the 1996 disaster and provides a different reference point.
“Left for Dead – My Journey Home from Everest” by Beck Weathers
Beck Weathers was on Mount Everest in 1996 and was left on the mountain during a storm because his team believed that he was dead and at high altitude could not carry his body back to Camp 4 during the storm that raged on the mountain. Beck Weathers miraculously found the strength to get up and walk back to Camp 4 despite a severely frostbitten face and hands. The books not only documents the disaster by Beck’s journey through life leading up to climbing Everest and his recovery from his injuries after the accident of 1996.
“High Adventure – The True Story of the First Ascent of Everest” by Sir Edmund Hillary
Hillary documents the first ascent he and Tenzing Norgay made of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953.
“High Crimes” by Michael Kodas
This book is about some of the negative things that have happened on Mount Everest as a result of all the commercial expeditions that are run on Everest. In my experiences on Everest I did not run into any of the issues that Kodas wrote about in his book. I made it a point to select one of the top guide services on the mountain and a guide that I had climbed with prior to going to Everest. I would recommend a climber thinking about going to Everest read Kodas book just to understand the importance of picking a reputable guide service as Kodas points out many of the pitfalls of joining a less than reliable expedition team or company on Everest. I personally like to maintain a positive frame of mind and focus on the positive as I believe that significantly improves your chances of success whether it be in mountaineering or any other aspect of life. Kodas book is written with more of a negative view trying to find the faults, as long as you read it with a open mind this book can help a Everest climber prepare and make better decisions before going to the Mountain.
“Everest the Hard Way” by Chris Bonnington
Chris Bonnington documents the 1975 expedition lead by him that climbed Everest via the South West Face a previously unclimbed route with the steepest pitches and route to the top of the Mountain. Chris Bonnington’s expedition team used the same route as a traditional Everest South Col summit attempt up to Camp 2 at which point they ascended a more direct route up the steep/vertical pitches of South West Face up to the summit of Everest. This route is extremely challenging due to the steepness of the route and exposure to rock fall and avalanches.
“Together on Top of the World” by Phil and Sue Ershler
Phil and Sue Ershler were the first husband and wife to climb the 7 Summits together. The book tells the story of Phil and Sue’s adventurers highlighting Phil’s history and background as a professional mountaineer and Sue’s background as a sales executive in the high tech industry and how after meeting Phil she got involved in mountaineering and they pursued the goal of standing at the highest point on each of the Seven Continents together. The book provides a good overview of the challenges of mountaineering and experiences on the 7 Summits including Everest.
“Touch the Top of the World” by Erik Weihenmayer
Erik Weihenmayer is the first blind man to have reached the top of Everest and the 7 summits. This is an inspirational story about Erik’s mountaineering experiences and the challenges and adversity that he encountered in day to day life due to his disability and being blind. I was fortunate enough to have heard Erik speak at my graduation from Babson College’s MBA program and his story is truly inspirational.