Surviving Denali: A Study of Accidents on Mount McKinley 1903-1990

by Jonathan Waterman

* Helps expose long-time accident patterns so future climbers can avoid repeating these climbing mistakes on Denali* Waterman has worked as a climbing ranger on Denali and speaks from first-hand rescue experience



In his preface, Dr. Peter Hackett writes of Jonathan Waterman's motivations for writing Surviving Denali, "The motivation for writing this book is to dispel the myth of Denali as a cakewalk, and to help climbers prepare adequately for polar, high-altitude survival. By learning from the past, climbers can avoid similar problems; this is the goal of Surviving Denali."



Waterman presents an in-depth analysis of altitude medical problems, frostbite, avalanche and fall injuries, and deaths on Denali in order to point out the mistakes that may have been made and methods that might have been used to prevent them. In further chapters Waterman also covers how to prepare properly for Denali.

Genres: Mountaineering, Nonfiction

264 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1982

Reviews

[Mazola1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a survey of accidents on Mount McKinley. The writing is clear, and all the accidents are summarized in charts at the ends of the chapters. It covers various types of accidents, explaining what went wrong and why. It's somewhat morbidly fascinating to read about all the things that can and have gone wrong on the mountain, from poor planning, freak accidents, lack of judgment, bad equipment, bad weather and just plain bad luck. It includes some basic hints for safe climbing. A quick and interesting read.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surviving Denali: A Study of Accidents on Mount McKinley 1903-1990 by Jonathan Waterman (AAC Press 1991) (791) serves two functions: it succinctly summarizes the causes of all fatal accidents on Denali since 1903, and it provides a primer for outfitting a safe expedition to the mountain. The strangest bit of trivia I picked up from the volume is that a minor dental problem can lead to major jaw pain at altitude, so a climber's dental work should always be up to date. My rating: 6/10, finished 3/6/14.

[Rich Draves · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is primarily organized by the type of accident - a chapter on frostbite, on altitude sickness, on crevasses, on avalanches, etc. Very sobering and with plenty of lessons to be learned. It would be great to have a revision that included the last two decades of data.