Three Days in Nepal

by JeanDavid Blanc

As a child, JeanDavid Blanc always dreamt of flying. A successful entrepreneur, he took up powered paragliding as soon as he had the means; at the drop of a hat, he would head off to experience the unique sensation of floating over the most remote and breathtaking scenery in the world.

In January 2011, he left Paris for Nepal for an expedition across the Himalayas. During the course of a paragliding flight in Nepal, the weather suddenly turned, and amid a thick cloud cover, he crashed into the face of a mountain. Holding on to little more than a bush, he realized his situation was precarious, but—fortunately—the fog prevented him from seeing just how steep and sheer the drop beneath him was. He sent an SOS back to camp with his GPS coordinates, but the weather was going to make any rescue attempt difficult. As he waited for help and tried to adjust to his perilous situation, he began to receive text messages on his cellphone from oblivious friends back in Paris.

What gives you the strength to keep going when you have nothing left? What do you say in your last text message to your daughter?

Three Days in Nepal is by turns thrilling, moving, nail-biting and humorous—the tale of a man who was hanging over a precipice, facing death in one of the most beautiful places in the world, and was determined, against all odds, to survive and return home.

Genres: Nonfiction, Survival

136 pages, Unknown Binding

First published October 1, 2012

Reviews

[Collin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Very short. Read it in about an hour. Interesting survival story, but seems he wrote it very quickly after someone suggested to write down what happened to him

[Luiza Salazar · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars makes it seem like it was a horrible book. It wasn't. It was just SO AVERAGE. It's such a terrifying experience, being alone in Nepal for 3 days, but this guy narrates it like it was a particularly rainy hiking day and he got tired. There's just, no tension, no pacing. It's off. But, it's brief so, even if you hate it, you only have to live with it for a day

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tiny little book, can read in a half hour or so. Blanc crashes his motorized paraglider into the Himalayan mountain chain and needs to survive. Great premise. Scantily written. Like someone said to him, hey what a cool thing that happened to you--you should write a book.

[Faye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Page turner! Not a likeable protagonist though.

[Adrianna Proulx · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three Days in Nepal is a gripping memoir about JeanDavid Blanc’s real life fight for survival after a paragliding accident in the Himalayas. At just 127 pages, the book is brief and could benefit from more vivid descriptive detail. At times, it feels as though Blanc rushed to capture his experience on paper. Still, Blanc does a great job of sharing his real thoughts on fear, hope, and the will to survive. His honesty and reflection make the story feel very genuine and human. It captures both the isolation he faced and the delicate balance between human ambition and the power of nature.

[Ven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was a lovely quick little read. Although I don’t personally have much interest in paragliding, I was drawn to this book and am so glad I read it. Very insightful and the way it’s written paints beautiful pictures. Highly recommend!

[Amy Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

seems luck was on his side. He made some big mistakes, as Im sure we all would but moving in pitch dark down a cliff when he had a safe place by a cave didnt make sense to me. I could underdstand leaving the first ledge and starting the task of saving himself. And for some reason it bothered me he said bears can't climb trees but never corrected that- they are great climbers.
The book is written well, keeps you hooked and helps you learn from his experience a little.