The 1996 Everest tragedy is a big subject and provides a fascinating insight into the world of high altitude mountaineering.
Each week for the next seven weeks I’ll be posting a book review by an author who was on the mountain that year and who observed or participated in the unfolding events.
Finally, in week eight of this mini-series and to mark the 11th anniversary of the tragedy on the 10th May, I’ll bring everything together and give you my final book recommendations.
Firstly I should set the scene for you … or better still let one of our authors, Matt Dickinson, do it for me:
“The timing was uncanny, as bad as it was possible to be. If the storm had struck in winter then no one would have been hurt. But as chance would have it, the tempest arrived on the busiest day of the Everest calendar”
Above 8000 metres “in the ‘Death Zone’ more than thirty climbers were fighting for their lives … The night that faced them was a night from hell. By the end of the following day, the three Indian climbers on the north side and five of the climbers on the south, were dead”
“The storm left a mountain of questions in its wake. How could world-class mountaineers like Rob Hall and Scott Fischer lose their lives on a mountain they knew so intimately? Why were so many inexperienced climbers high on the mountain when the storm hit? Why did a team of Japanese climbers and their Sherpas pass the dying Indian climbers and yet fail to try and rescue them?”
We’ll return to Matt’s book later in the series, but its more logical to start on the south side of the mountain with the first book published, Climbing High by Lene Gammelgaard and so that is where we will begin….
4 responses so far ↓
1 Weird Darren // Mar 21, 2007 at 6:41 pm
You’ve missed one…
Touching My Father’s Soul by Jamling Tenzing Norgay. It gives it from the Sherpa point of view….
2 Lay // Mar 21, 2007 at 8:38 pm
Well done WD! How could I have forgotten this one? I have dusted off my old copy from the shelves and added it to the pile. Any more?
3 Nepalwriter // Mar 22, 2007 at 2:52 am
Beyond the Summit isn’t about the 1996 season but it tells the Everest story from the porter’s point of view.
I used to lead treks to the Everest Base Camp and was a founder of the first hut-to-hut system in Nepal. In the region during the worst storm in memory, I was appalled by world press coverage of the foreigners who died with no mention of the Sherpas who also perished. I returned home to write their story and chose to do so in fiction in order to give a more intimate and dramatic view of their lives..
Set in the Everest region in 1968 four years after Sir Edmund Hillary built a landing strip at Lukla, the story shows the impact of tourism on a culture still living in the Middle Ages. Young Dorje wants what the foreigners bring while his father resents their intrusion in the realm of the gods. The Sherpa culture and Buddhist religion are interwoven in an adventure and romance in the high Himalayas. The story has something for everyone: an expedition from the porter’s point of view, Tibetan refugees, conflict between generations as tourism and the modern world challenge traditions, a love affair between an American journalist and Sherpa guide.
Readers consistently comment on how much they learned about a tribe they formerly knew very little about.
Below are selections from reviews. To read the complete ones and excerpts plus view sample slides go to
www.beyondthesummit-novel.com
Barnes and Noble Review
Average Rating: *****
07/07/2006
“Best book on Nepal ever… This is the book to read before you embark on your pilgrimage to Nepal. The author knows and loves the people and the country, and makes you feel the cold thin air, the hard rocks of the mountains, the tough life of the Sherpa guides, and you learn to love them too. This is a higly literate, but also very readable book. Highly recommended.”
– John (college professor)
A gripping, gut-twisting expedition through the eyes of a porter reveals the heart and soul of Sherpas living in the shadows of Everest. EverestNews.com
A hard-hitting blend of adventure and romance which deserves a spot in any serious fiction collection. Midwest Book Review
LeBlanc is equally adept at describing complex, elusive emotions and the beautiful, terrifying aspect of the Himalayan Mountains. Boulder Daily Camera
LeBlanc’s vivid description of the Himalayas and the climbing culture makes this a powerful read. Rocky Mt News Pick of the Week
Beyond the Summit, is the rare gem that shows us the triumphs and challenges of a major climb from the porter’s point of view. The love of two people from diverse cultures is the fiery centerpiece of a novel that leads its readers through harshly beautiful and highly dangerous territory to the roof of the world. Malcolm Campbell, book reviewer
A rich adventure into the heart of the Himalayan Kingdom. Fantastic story-telling from one who has been there. USABookNews.com
Memorable characters and harrowing encounters with the mountains keep the action moving with a vibrant balance of vivid description and dialogue. Literary Cafe Host, Healdsburg, CA
This superbly-crafted novel will land you in a world of unimaginable beauty, adventure, and romance. The love story will keep you awake at night with its vibrant tension and deep rich longing. Wick Downing, author of nine novels
The book is available on line at amazaon.com, chesslerbooks.com, and from Borders and Barnes & Noble bookstores, or from the web site for an autographed copy.
$16.95
4 Lay // Mar 22, 2007 at 8:58 am
nepalwriter - thanks. I don’t have your book in my collection. I will order it from Amazon today and will feature it in a future blog book review. Many thanks for bringing it to my attention.
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