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A Day to Die For: 1996: Everest's Worst Disaster - One Survivor's Personal Journey to Uncover the Truth
On the night of 10-11 May 1996, eight climbers perished in what remains the worst disaster in Everest's history. Following the tragedy, numerous accounts were published, with Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air becoming an international bestseller. But has the whole story been told?A Day to Die For reveals the full, startling facts that led to the tragedy. Graham Ratcliffe, the first British climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest twice, was a first-hand witness, having spent the night on Everest's South Col at 26,000 ft, sheltering from the deadly storm. For years, he has shouldered a burden of guilt, feeling that he and his teammates could have saved lives that fateful night. His quest for answers has led to discoveries so important to an understanding of the disaster that he now questions why these facts were not made public sooner.History is dotted with high-profile disasters that both horrify and capture the attention of the public, but very rarely is our view of them revised to such devastating effect.
444 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 3, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
December 27, 2014
There's a serious gap in the logic of the author's argument. It boils down to something like this: reliable weather forecasts predicted a severe storm, therefore Fischer and Hall gambled with their clients' lives. Well, if the weather forecasts were indeed reliable - and they were - then Scott and Hall didn't gamble with their clients' lives but rather calculated a window of opportunity and took advantage of it. What ultimately did them in was their decision not to abide by the previously agreed upon turnaround time. Storm or no storm, those who continue to climb towards the summit of Everest past 1pm put themselves in mortal danger.
I did appreciate the author's honest and balanced treatment Boukreev, and his criticism of Krakauer.
Overall, the book gets 2 stars. The author's wife gets 5. I would have kicked his selfish a** to the curb a long time ago.
I did appreciate the author's honest and balanced treatment Boukreev, and his criticism of Krakauer.
Overall, the book gets 2 stars. The author's wife gets 5. I would have kicked his selfish a** to the curb a long time ago.
April 9, 2014
If you leave this book learning nothing more than that there is more than one kind if courage you will have been rewarded for your read .
If I hadn't recently read Looking for Mr Smith I think I would feel quite differently about Graham Ratcliffe's investigative memoir (which is the only genre label I can think of to describe what is presented here).
I wish Ratcliffe had bothered to personally conduct or arrange for 3rd parties to conduct personal interviews with his 'unfriendly' witnesses instead of recounting unanswered emails as dead-ends or asking the reader to go along with him in equating unanswered emails with an admission of guilt or guilty conscience.
But, since he didn't, we have to assume that he is comfortable asking the reader to accept that he'd rather talk person to person with his wife and Friday night pub partner than with the subjects of his investigation. Fair enough, but he seems to want his dear reader to admire his work as thorough anyway because to him it FELT all consuming- there's a double standard here that the reader distrusts immediately.
The problem is that all-consuming doesn't always equal well-researched.
Ratcliffe falls into the same trap as Willis in Looking for Mr Smith - - he boasts to the reader that he's a world class traveller but then silently confesses to being unwilling to get out of his chair and away from his keyboard to visit the subjects of the story - relationships aren't built, motives do not become more clear, too much time passes between the leads and the story's moments of investigative progress.
That Ratcliffe is further willing for the reader to learn that he has the funds and time for business and recreational travel, but is unwilling to spend either time or money on face to face interviews with those who could/should have been stronger voices in this story (though he did once offer an £2,000 uncollected award for information leading to the location of a misplaced magazine) just adds icing to the cake. If Willis had £2,000 when she started her investigation to use to go out on interviews and a friend who shoved her out door she might have found Mr Smith and we'd know a lot more about the Long Walk ;)
The story loses momentum and veracity because the author is unwilling to strategically organize his research or get professional help from librarians, or researchers, or interviewers at the right times. Because he has to do everything himself or ignore it, the reader is only presented with part of the story.
This means that the other voices in the story remain too silent. Since the reader never gets to hear those voices we remain a bit aloof from the storyteller 's journey and the storyteller himself.
There are a couple of important missed opportunities for interviews that the author admits to - both w boukreev and w todd- in each case the author's reluctance to feel uncomfortable or to persist leaves the reader in the lurch.
What the reader learns is that it does take practice and a certain courage to become a good investigative journalist - and that the courage that takes one to Everest may be surpassed in some small ways by that exhibited by beat reporters who interview difficult witnesses almost every day.
Ratcliffe's story suffers from what might be a disjoint desire - to resolve a bitter mystery and to absolve himself of survivor's guilt by writing without opening himself to criticism or conversation with his subjects or his readers - that hubris and concurrent naïveté is the Achilles heel of this story if there is one.
If I hadn't recently read Looking for Mr Smith I think I would feel quite differently about Graham Ratcliffe's investigative memoir (which is the only genre label I can think of to describe what is presented here).
I wish Ratcliffe had bothered to personally conduct or arrange for 3rd parties to conduct personal interviews with his 'unfriendly' witnesses instead of recounting unanswered emails as dead-ends or asking the reader to go along with him in equating unanswered emails with an admission of guilt or guilty conscience.
But, since he didn't, we have to assume that he is comfortable asking the reader to accept that he'd rather talk person to person with his wife and Friday night pub partner than with the subjects of his investigation. Fair enough, but he seems to want his dear reader to admire his work as thorough anyway because to him it FELT all consuming- there's a double standard here that the reader distrusts immediately.
The problem is that all-consuming doesn't always equal well-researched.
Ratcliffe falls into the same trap as Willis in Looking for Mr Smith - - he boasts to the reader that he's a world class traveller but then silently confesses to being unwilling to get out of his chair and away from his keyboard to visit the subjects of the story - relationships aren't built, motives do not become more clear, too much time passes between the leads and the story's moments of investigative progress.
That Ratcliffe is further willing for the reader to learn that he has the funds and time for business and recreational travel, but is unwilling to spend either time or money on face to face interviews with those who could/should have been stronger voices in this story (though he did once offer an £2,000 uncollected award for information leading to the location of a misplaced magazine) just adds icing to the cake. If Willis had £2,000 when she started her investigation to use to go out on interviews and a friend who shoved her out door she might have found Mr Smith and we'd know a lot more about the Long Walk ;)
The story loses momentum and veracity because the author is unwilling to strategically organize his research or get professional help from librarians, or researchers, or interviewers at the right times. Because he has to do everything himself or ignore it, the reader is only presented with part of the story.
This means that the other voices in the story remain too silent. Since the reader never gets to hear those voices we remain a bit aloof from the storyteller 's journey and the storyteller himself.
There are a couple of important missed opportunities for interviews that the author admits to - both w boukreev and w todd- in each case the author's reluctance to feel uncomfortable or to persist leaves the reader in the lurch.
What the reader learns is that it does take practice and a certain courage to become a good investigative journalist - and that the courage that takes one to Everest may be surpassed in some small ways by that exhibited by beat reporters who interview difficult witnesses almost every day.
Ratcliffe's story suffers from what might be a disjoint desire - to resolve a bitter mystery and to absolve himself of survivor's guilt by writing without opening himself to criticism or conversation with his subjects or his readers - that hubris and concurrent naïveté is the Achilles heel of this story if there is one.
November 24, 2015
I was enjoying the book until about halfway through, at which point it became a blow-by-blow of the author's quest to discover "the truth" about which teams had what weather forecasts in May 1996.
He reports in excruciating detail who he corresponded with, if he received a reply, if the letter was sent by certified mail, etc. In the end, Graham does uncover some interesting information. You really can't blame certain people for not wanting to speak with him about this painful event, especially since he seems to have approached people in a rather confrontational manner. It's natural that the people in leadership or guiding positions in 1996 might feel a bit defensive - they've been dragged through the mud by journalists, the media, and fellow climbers already.
I don't think you can get the type of definitive answers Graham was looking for 15 years down the line, with several of the main players dead. It seemed that he was wracked with guilt at having been present at Camp IV, yet unaware of the unfolding tragedy until it was too late. I hope his search healed him of that guilt.
I believe that Rob Hall and Scott Fischer made a series of bad judgment calls that cost them their lives, and cost many of their clients (and guide Andy Harris) their lives as well. The weather forecast data they may have had is irrelevant now.
I enjoyed the book overall, but it's only for the hardcore Everest or climbing fans, and should only be undertaken once you have a good understanding of the events of May 10th, 1996 from other sources.
He reports in excruciating detail who he corresponded with, if he received a reply, if the letter was sent by certified mail, etc. In the end, Graham does uncover some interesting information. You really can't blame certain people for not wanting to speak with him about this painful event, especially since he seems to have approached people in a rather confrontational manner. It's natural that the people in leadership or guiding positions in 1996 might feel a bit defensive - they've been dragged through the mud by journalists, the media, and fellow climbers already.
I don't think you can get the type of definitive answers Graham was looking for 15 years down the line, with several of the main players dead. It seemed that he was wracked with guilt at having been present at Camp IV, yet unaware of the unfolding tragedy until it was too late. I hope his search healed him of that guilt.
I believe that Rob Hall and Scott Fischer made a series of bad judgment calls that cost them their lives, and cost many of their clients (and guide Andy Harris) their lives as well. The weather forecast data they may have had is irrelevant now.
I enjoyed the book overall, but it's only for the hardcore Everest or climbing fans, and should only be undertaken once you have a good understanding of the events of May 10th, 1996 from other sources.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2016
A useful example of how far astray confirmation bias can take you. The author, possibly to expiate uneccesasry feelings of guilt, hypothesizes that the 1996 Everest tragedy was the result of a sinister conspiracy and cover up about weather reports. Any evidence that contradicts that is discarded, any that supports it assumed to be true without analysis. Unfortunately, his 'investigation' taken at face value makes events even more confusing. The result is a work that only further muddies the water and reminds us that we are blind to our own misconceptions and that eye witness testimony is invariably confused and incomplete. Reader of 'Into Thin Air' and 'The Climb' will get no new insights here.
March 29, 2015
Having first read both Krakauer's and Viesturs' respective books on the 1996 tragedy, I found Ratcliffe's account to be very eye-opening. The number of accounts/books published wherein the authors have chosen to hide the full story (I say "hide" because any writer with the ability to perform the most basic of research he would have, at the very least, unearthed the fact that the Danes and the IMAX team were receiving weather forecasts, and, let's face it, hiding that information from the other teams). More troubling is the specific members of the IMAX team who no doubt were privy to such critical weather forecasting have omitted this information from their accounts in order to save face. Quite a cowardly act. This is an excellent example that not all accounts and information, no matter how many stories jibe, is fact. Thank you Graham Ratcliffe for your perseverance to uncover the truth and, more importantly, do your best to clear Boukreev's name. Anatoli was an absolute hero, regardless of whether or not he followed Hall's instructions to head down ahead of the pack. He sacrificed his own life several times when everyone was too sick or tired (at least the climbers he knew were there) to help. Ratcliffe wonders where Boukreev was the last fatality of May 10, 1996, and I believe he was. He was unjustly raked over the coals to deflect from the others' errors and shortcomings, and as a result I believe Anatoli symbolically spent the next 1.5 years of this life on the peak of Everest until his unfortunate death. I am equally sad for Hall and Fisher, who let their competition of each other get in the way, with many of their clients, and themselves, paying the price. I truly hope Graham has been able to finally find the closure and peace he deserves. He did everything he could in the circumstances on May 10, 1996, and above all, he has surely allowed Boukreev to find his peace as well. Well done!!
April 24, 2021
The first half is a pretty fine, normal story of the months leading up to the climb. Great, vivid descriptions of travel and of cities and towns along the way, and details of how life works at Base Camp (the toilet situation!) that give you a feel for the experience. My impression is that he’s a solid climber, generally liked by his compatriots. He leaves out a lot of the inter-group politics and rivalries though (in Boukreev’s book, it sounds like Henry Todd is abrasive and self-interested; I think he’s the guy who cornered the market on the Poisk cylinders and was a bit of a jerk about marking them up. That stuff doesn’t come through at all. Just a bunch of bros here, bro-big around on the mountain!)
Galway through he gets really weirdly obsessed with the lack of/existence of a weather forecast for may 10. It sounds like his initial interest is a selfish one: he feels that Rob and Scott set his team up to fail (it almost sounds like he feels like they set them up to be endangered). I can’t tell why he’s SO obsessed with this. Is he trying to pin more blame on Scott and Rob? It seems very clear that they made a series of bad decisions, abd the weight of those combined decisions led to the disaster. The weather forecast is just one among many bad choices. What’s his motivation here? What does it change about our ideas of blame? None at all, for me.
And in the second half of the book, he becomes very unlikeable. He paints himself in the best light, of course, but reading between the lines, he alienates a lot of people through his obsession and the way he goes about investigating it.
It’s fine overall, but the whole second half, I was a bit “WHO CARES, move on!”
Galway through he gets really weirdly obsessed with the lack of/existence of a weather forecast for may 10. It sounds like his initial interest is a selfish one: he feels that Rob and Scott set his team up to fail (it almost sounds like he feels like they set them up to be endangered). I can’t tell why he’s SO obsessed with this. Is he trying to pin more blame on Scott and Rob? It seems very clear that they made a series of bad decisions, abd the weight of those combined decisions led to the disaster. The weather forecast is just one among many bad choices. What’s his motivation here? What does it change about our ideas of blame? None at all, for me.
And in the second half of the book, he becomes very unlikeable. He paints himself in the best light, of course, but reading between the lines, he alienates a lot of people through his obsession and the way he goes about investigating it.
It’s fine overall, but the whole second half, I was a bit “WHO CARES, move on!”
March 7, 2011
This is another account of the 1996 Everest disaster, but one that questions the received wisdom that the storm was a rogue storm that nobody expected and that took even the most experienced climbers by surprise. Well, it turns out that weather forecasts were actually available, only nobody has mentioned them so far.
Graham Ratcliffe is certainly not as good a writer as Jon Krakauer, but he seems to be a much better researcher of facts and 14 years later he proves that the death toll could have been avoided.
This is for aficionados only, but if you're an armchair Everest fan, it really is worth reading.
Graham Ratcliffe is certainly not as good a writer as Jon Krakauer, but he seems to be a much better researcher of facts and 14 years later he proves that the death toll could have been avoided.
This is for aficionados only, but if you're an armchair Everest fan, it really is worth reading.
November 13, 2016
Torn a bit about this, written by a British climber who was on Everest during the 1996 disaster. The first section is mostly the author's bio. During most of this I was mainly wondering why his wife hadn't divorced and/or killed him. Then comes a fairly standard recounting of what went on in 96 from his point of view. I have read several of these accounts now and they are always interesting for the details they add. The rest, at least half, is about a years and years long investigation he undertakes, sparked by a comment he read in a magazine about the weather forecasts...and who got them and who shared them...well I'm not going to elaborate except to say wouldn't EVERY expedition to Everest in modern times have access to the weather forecasts? And if not, why not? It isn't like the weather report needs a high security clearance or something. Also, they can go outside and look up. A plume blowing off the summit, dark clouds, these would be clues. He leaves a lot of potential information hanging...if he sent someone a letter or email requesting a conversation or answered questions and he didn't get a reply...well they must be hiding something! And he left it at that. Maybe he went into their Spam folder and they never saw a letter. AND just what dire conclusion was he trying to prove, that Rob Hall and Scott Fisher were in an evil conspiracy to deliberately strand them in a blizzard? These men both made major mistakes that day that did end in death -including their own- but I've never gotten the impression they were homicidal maniacs. I think the worst you could truly come up with is that they wanted to keep as many people as they could off the mountain on their summit day, and didn't care if that would mean the people who agreed to wait would end up having have to delay longer. Actually if EVERYONE who wanted to had tried to summit that day more people may have died.
Anyway, I enjoyed parts of this, some of it just confused me.
Anyway, I enjoyed parts of this, some of it just confused me.
January 10, 2018
I really enjoyed the memoir part of the book, however once after 60% mark the author started to present what he passes for "research", the quality plumetted. Confirmation bias & tunnel vision & questionable sources. The whole in-between-the-lines accusation, that Rob Hall set up Graham's group to venture into the storm (and die) is just bizzare. The actual weather forecasts and how the author got them would make for interesting two three chapters of the book at most, NOT 40%!
February 10, 2013
Interesting investigation of disaster on Everest combined with author's discussion of his own climbing adventures. Couldn't really warm to the author though, his incredible selfishness to wife and family put me right off him -someone whose personal ambition came before everything and everyone else,
October 27, 2018
Absolutely pointless. This man has no clue what "research" entails.
October 13, 2025
I have given this book 5 stars because of the extent of research in the name of truth by Graham Ratcliffe. If, like I, you have read books about the 1996 Everest disaster, such as Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, this book will reshape why and how events occurred as they did. It will rationally examine 5yrs of research facts and lines of enquiry that almost drove Graham into depression. He was there 10th May 1996 and his quest for the truth through this part autobiography has been his therapy from the trauma.
April 19, 2024
A powerfully persuasive, forensically argued exposé which must have taken a massive toll on the author's recollection, grief, research and (misplaced) sense of guilt. However, it's a price that enables Graham Ratcliffe to pursue the truth relentlessly and underwrites his determination to clarify what weather information was available to whom and who had access to the detailed and unequivocal meteorological forecasting both before and after the lethal storm that struck Everest on 10/11 May 1996.
This book is a tour de force and a worthy tribute to the 8 mountaineers who died on Everest during that storm, full meteorological details of which were available to the climbing teams well ahead of the weather disaster that precipitated those deaths, had the team leaders simply used those forecasts with the objectivity, rationality and caution they deserved.
This book could easily have morphed into a ranting witch-hunt but Ratcliffe skilfully and forensically evaded that cliched trap, in most respects. That's not to say that in all respects this account is perfectly argued and faultlessly pleaded - in a number of instances, the author makes 2+2 equal 5, such as when he uncovers the availability of met. office data and, illogically and immediately concludes that the data must, therefore, be totally "accurate" in every respect. That said, the weather data was, in fact pretty-much accurate but Ratcliffe's assertion that its mere availability rendered it, ipso facto "accurate" is too large a lacuna to be straddled from the evidence alone!
Mostly, however, the author masterfully builds the case, cites the evidence and successfully manages thesis, antithesis and synthesis with restraint, finesse and intellectual rigour. Admittedly, the work created as many questions as it answered but, by its conclusion, Ratcliffe has persuasively discarded otiose questions, honed the answers (where this is possible) and re-directed the more insightful questions to the correct protagonists. The frequency with which key personnel declined to answer the author's insightful questions, refused to engage with Ratcliffe and hastened the deletion/"losing" of vital documentation, in many respects, pleads Ratcliffe's case for him. However, such "ducking and diving" antics from key figures in this unfolding narrative are revealed with a lightness of touch and objective rationality rather than the reader being remorselessly pummelled with "conspiracy-theorists" cropping-up on every page: less, is definitely more, here and Ratcliffe's use of the evidential rapier is far more powerful and persuasively applied than would have been a self-pitying, "none of the conspirators is talking-to-me" howitzer!
Utterly-well done, Graham and I can only hope that the mammoth effort, colossal research and relentless pursuit of the truth brings to the grieving families, a measure of solace and support commensurate with the deft skill, poignancy and extraordinary power of this future classic - A Day to Die For.
Dr. Nigel H Williams.
This book is a tour de force and a worthy tribute to the 8 mountaineers who died on Everest during that storm, full meteorological details of which were available to the climbing teams well ahead of the weather disaster that precipitated those deaths, had the team leaders simply used those forecasts with the objectivity, rationality and caution they deserved.
This book could easily have morphed into a ranting witch-hunt but Ratcliffe skilfully and forensically evaded that cliched trap, in most respects. That's not to say that in all respects this account is perfectly argued and faultlessly pleaded - in a number of instances, the author makes 2+2 equal 5, such as when he uncovers the availability of met. office data and, illogically and immediately concludes that the data must, therefore, be totally "accurate" in every respect. That said, the weather data was, in fact pretty-much accurate but Ratcliffe's assertion that its mere availability rendered it, ipso facto "accurate" is too large a lacuna to be straddled from the evidence alone!
Mostly, however, the author masterfully builds the case, cites the evidence and successfully manages thesis, antithesis and synthesis with restraint, finesse and intellectual rigour. Admittedly, the work created as many questions as it answered but, by its conclusion, Ratcliffe has persuasively discarded otiose questions, honed the answers (where this is possible) and re-directed the more insightful questions to the correct protagonists. The frequency with which key personnel declined to answer the author's insightful questions, refused to engage with Ratcliffe and hastened the deletion/"losing" of vital documentation, in many respects, pleads Ratcliffe's case for him. However, such "ducking and diving" antics from key figures in this unfolding narrative are revealed with a lightness of touch and objective rationality rather than the reader being remorselessly pummelled with "conspiracy-theorists" cropping-up on every page: less, is definitely more, here and Ratcliffe's use of the evidential rapier is far more powerful and persuasively applied than would have been a self-pitying, "none of the conspirators is talking-to-me" howitzer!
Utterly-well done, Graham and I can only hope that the mammoth effort, colossal research and relentless pursuit of the truth brings to the grieving families, a measure of solace and support commensurate with the deft skill, poignancy and extraordinary power of this future classic - A Day to Die For.
Dr. Nigel H Williams.
October 30, 2017
Questions, questions…
The May 1996 Everest disaster claimed the lives of eight climbers from three different expeditions. Two of the victims were the leaders of their particular expedition. Many of the survivors have since written about their experience.
There was controversy over the deaths, some claiming that it was totally avoidable. Some also questioned an Everest climbing decision that has been like an unwritten law: Those above the Death Zone on Everest who cannot move are left to die. People have died in helping others, and Rob Hall of Adventure Consultants was told to abandon one of the climbers, but refused and died along with his client Doug Hansen near the South Summit.
Many of the survivors have authored books on their experience, with themes ranging from survivor’s guilt to allegations of misconduct with decisions made by the leaders of the expeditions. I have read all of them.
This book was written by someone who was there, but not on any of the expeditions that lost climbers on the mountain. One of the people who died, Yasuko Namba, died within 200 meters of the camp where the author was resting for his own summit bid, having avoided being involved in the disaster by delaying the summit bid to another day.
I am sorry, but what I am reading is a lot of “poor me, I feel so guilty.” There is also a large part of this book that has nothing at all to do with the “Day to die for.” I felt an outsider’s view would be great, but this book does nothing for me. It is a hot mess…
I give this book only two stars…
Quoth the Raven…
The May 1996 Everest disaster claimed the lives of eight climbers from three different expeditions. Two of the victims were the leaders of their particular expedition. Many of the survivors have since written about their experience.
There was controversy over the deaths, some claiming that it was totally avoidable. Some also questioned an Everest climbing decision that has been like an unwritten law: Those above the Death Zone on Everest who cannot move are left to die. People have died in helping others, and Rob Hall of Adventure Consultants was told to abandon one of the climbers, but refused and died along with his client Doug Hansen near the South Summit.
Many of the survivors have authored books on their experience, with themes ranging from survivor’s guilt to allegations of misconduct with decisions made by the leaders of the expeditions. I have read all of them.
This book was written by someone who was there, but not on any of the expeditions that lost climbers on the mountain. One of the people who died, Yasuko Namba, died within 200 meters of the camp where the author was resting for his own summit bid, having avoided being involved in the disaster by delaying the summit bid to another day.
I am sorry, but what I am reading is a lot of “poor me, I feel so guilty.” There is also a large part of this book that has nothing at all to do with the “Day to die for.” I felt an outsider’s view would be great, but this book does nothing for me. It is a hot mess…
I give this book only two stars…
Quoth the Raven…
February 15, 2016
An exciting story of the disaster on Everest that has been told by many who experienced it.
In this book Graham does not only tell the tale but researches what caused the team leaders to head up to the peak when the weather was not safe in spite of possibly having a recent weather report.
Interesting read that puts you half way up a mountain from the very first page.
Why did no one wake Graham up and could he have saved some of the people that perished if he had known of their plight?
The fact that many that had survived Everest have perished on some other peak already shows that this is a highly risky sport.
A cliff hanger of a book.
Parts of his investigation into why, are a bit long and could have been compressed but his speculations keep the interest alive.
In this book Graham does not only tell the tale but researches what caused the team leaders to head up to the peak when the weather was not safe in spite of possibly having a recent weather report.
Interesting read that puts you half way up a mountain from the very first page.
Why did no one wake Graham up and could he have saved some of the people that perished if he had known of their plight?
The fact that many that had survived Everest have perished on some other peak already shows that this is a highly risky sport.
A cliff hanger of a book.
Parts of his investigation into why, are a bit long and could have been compressed but his speculations keep the interest alive.
August 21, 2013
I love stories of Everest. This was another take on the 1996 Everest disaster most famously immortalized in Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air." "A Day to Die For" was not as well written, and did not give the same emotional account of climbing, but it did provide an interesting view on a part of the 1996 tragedy (the weather). Whether his interpretation of the information he uncovered is correct or not, I can't tell. But he does provide a new angle.
July 24, 2014
Love! But I love all things Mt. Everest related. This story, as told from the perspective of another survivor of that tragic date on Everest, is at odds with other historical narratives on the topic. Most of us recall Into Thin Air by Krakauer -especially since a movie was made of that book. This book sheds a different light on that event, the climbers, and also other books written by others who were on the mountain for that expedition.
August 10, 2015
Terrible !!!
Save your money! Boring, boring, boring. This author would write 2 pages describing every hotel they stayed in and another 2 pages of what he ate or drank. It was excruciating. Very little of the book was even about the 1996 disaster. A self-centered blowhard looking to cash in on a terrible tragedy he had nothing but his opinion on what might have happened. I couldn't even finish it. I actually felt angry to be so ripped off.
Save your money! Boring, boring, boring. This author would write 2 pages describing every hotel they stayed in and another 2 pages of what he ate or drank. It was excruciating. Very little of the book was even about the 1996 disaster. A self-centered blowhard looking to cash in on a terrible tragedy he had nothing but his opinion on what might have happened. I couldn't even finish it. I actually felt angry to be so ripped off.
February 21, 2022
Thought provoking.......
Hats off to Graham Ratcliffe with his dogged determination to find the truth. Perhaps people were unwilling to show those deceased in anything but a positive light. After contemplating the May 10th event in its entirety its easy to see the mistakes made due to very poor judgement. Its remarkable how many involved in reporting had no memory of weather reports!
Hats off to Graham Ratcliffe with his dogged determination to find the truth. Perhaps people were unwilling to show those deceased in anything but a positive light. After contemplating the May 10th event in its entirety its easy to see the mistakes made due to very poor judgement. Its remarkable how many involved in reporting had no memory of weather reports!
May 12, 2016
Everest '96 - A fresh perspective
Don't take Job Krakauer's "into thin air" as the definitive account of the '96 tragedy. There are many discrepancies in that account that warrants deeper scrutiny. With Ratcliffe you have a narrative that is factually correct and well researched. With no financial gain at stake I would take Ratcliffe over Krakauer any day!
Don't take Job Krakauer's "into thin air" as the definitive account of the '96 tragedy. There are many discrepancies in that account that warrants deeper scrutiny. With Ratcliffe you have a narrative that is factually correct and well researched. With no financial gain at stake I would take Ratcliffe over Krakauer any day!
October 2, 2016
Good, informative read
At times a bit too much detail in his own reminiscing of unrelated topics, but overall very informative and thoughtfully written. Seemingly good research as well from someone who lived through this tragedy.
At times a bit too much detail in his own reminiscing of unrelated topics, but overall very informative and thoughtfully written. Seemingly good research as well from someone who lived through this tragedy.
January 12, 2021
An attempt to make science fit a twisted argument
Dreadful book - prattles on about meteorology although he is not a scientist! One long bore about his neglect of his wife and family - some sort of guilt trip?
Dreadful book - prattles on about meteorology although he is not a scientist! One long bore about his neglect of his wife and family - some sort of guilt trip?
February 7, 2014
On the night of 10-11 May 1996, eight climbers perished in what remains the worst disaster in Everest's history. Following the tragedy, numerous accounts were published, with Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air becoming an international bestseller. But has the whole story been told?
A Day to Die For reveals for the first time the full, startling facts that led to the tragedy. Graham Ratcliffe, the first British climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest twice, was a first-hand witness, having spent the night on Everest's South Col at 26,000 ft, sheltering from the deadly storm. For years, he has shouldered a burden of guilt, feeling that he and his teammates could have saved lives that fateful night. His quest for answers has led to discoveries so important to an understanding of the disaster that he now questions why these facts were not made public sooner.
History is dotted with high profile disasters that both horrify and capture the attention of the public, but very rarely is our view of them revised to such devastating effect.
I love controversy, not to mention a conspiracy and this book seems to divide the climbing community and armchair adventurers alike.
Massive mistakes in judgement were made on Everest during the spring of 96, of that there is little doubt and climbers paid with their lives. But was Ratcliffe’s smaller expedition stitched up by the big boys of commercial mountaineering? Did they have information on the forthcoming weather patterns and were they willing to let others climb into a storm giving their paying clients a great chance of summiting?
The author has written a tenaciously researched account of the events that took place that spring, the conspiracy of silence surrounding the tragedy and his journey to find the truth and some peace of mind.
Ultimately he lets the reader make up their own mind and as the two main characters that made those critical decisions are dead it can all only be speculation…..
A Day to Die For reveals for the first time the full, startling facts that led to the tragedy. Graham Ratcliffe, the first British climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest twice, was a first-hand witness, having spent the night on Everest's South Col at 26,000 ft, sheltering from the deadly storm. For years, he has shouldered a burden of guilt, feeling that he and his teammates could have saved lives that fateful night. His quest for answers has led to discoveries so important to an understanding of the disaster that he now questions why these facts were not made public sooner.
History is dotted with high profile disasters that both horrify and capture the attention of the public, but very rarely is our view of them revised to such devastating effect.
I love controversy, not to mention a conspiracy and this book seems to divide the climbing community and armchair adventurers alike.
Massive mistakes in judgement were made on Everest during the spring of 96, of that there is little doubt and climbers paid with their lives. But was Ratcliffe’s smaller expedition stitched up by the big boys of commercial mountaineering? Did they have information on the forthcoming weather patterns and were they willing to let others climb into a storm giving their paying clients a great chance of summiting?
The author has written a tenaciously researched account of the events that took place that spring, the conspiracy of silence surrounding the tragedy and his journey to find the truth and some peace of mind.
Ultimately he lets the reader make up their own mind and as the two main characters that made those critical decisions are dead it can all only be speculation…..
September 3, 2017
I have seen many movies and documentaries based on Everest and the infamous 1996 tragedy where many climbers lost their precious lives. This book had been on my reading list for a pretty long time and hence the choice of the book. I did have with me Into Thin Air which is the first account of the tragedy but my instincts told me to pick this book. It turned out to be the best decision.
The book is divided in 4 parts viz, 1. Authors Everest summit from South side, 2. The 1996 Everest summit attempt from North side and the tragic events, 3. Subsequent summit attempts and quest to become first Britisher to have summitted twice from both sides, 4. Investigation of author of true account of what went wrong.
The first part focusses on determination and instincts. It narrates the journey and the contemplation on the second Everest summit. The second part is about the tragedy that is the worst in the history of Everest. The third part portrays the aspect of coming to terms with the tragedy, overcoming the guilt and attempting to conquer fears.
The fourth part completely focusses on unravelling the fact that Hall and Fischer did know about the upcoming storm prior to attempting summit and in fact put the lives of their teams and the author's team at stake. The truth was buried and was never revealed by anyone in many books and movies based on the fateful day.
Loved the book thoroughly and truly feel sorry for those who lost their lives due to wrong decisions of the expedition leaders. The tragedy could have been avoided and all the precious lives could have been saved. I am surprised that author instead of being enraged feels sorry for the leaders who themselves lost their lives.
The book is thoroughly engrossing and I couldn't put it down.
The book is divided in 4 parts viz, 1. Authors Everest summit from South side, 2. The 1996 Everest summit attempt from North side and the tragic events, 3. Subsequent summit attempts and quest to become first Britisher to have summitted twice from both sides, 4. Investigation of author of true account of what went wrong.
The first part focusses on determination and instincts. It narrates the journey and the contemplation on the second Everest summit. The second part is about the tragedy that is the worst in the history of Everest. The third part portrays the aspect of coming to terms with the tragedy, overcoming the guilt and attempting to conquer fears.
The fourth part completely focusses on unravelling the fact that Hall and Fischer did know about the upcoming storm prior to attempting summit and in fact put the lives of their teams and the author's team at stake. The truth was buried and was never revealed by anyone in many books and movies based on the fateful day.
Loved the book thoroughly and truly feel sorry for those who lost their lives due to wrong decisions of the expedition leaders. The tragedy could have been avoided and all the precious lives could have been saved. I am surprised that author instead of being enraged feels sorry for the leaders who themselves lost their lives.
The book is thoroughly engrossing and I couldn't put it down.
December 23, 2023
This is a hard one to review because I feel like there is alot of heresay about the intentions of Fischer and Hall who are unable to substantiate claims for obvious reasons.
Did they really know a storm was coming? Is the information gathered by Ratcliffe a case of confirmation bias?
The claims around asking the other expedition team to make their summit attempt on the 11th (to reduce traffic in death zone- which didn’t prevent that from happening anyway)and deliberately and knowingly putting them in harms way because they KNEW a storm was on the way perhaps due to the rivalry between Fischer and Hall and the fact they had high paying clients and were taking unnecessary risks?…I think that’s an unfair assumption and they are not here to answer to it.
I don’t think either of them were that caught up in their pursuits they would put another expedition team at unnecessary risk.
But who knows.
I think the turn around time was more of an issue than the storm and if they’d actually turnt around when it was proposed they would, maybe things would be different.
But that’s also complicated considering the need for fixed lines to be put in place and low oxygen reserves. They had one chance and one chance only to summit.
I think there was a level of rivalry considering both expedition teams had journalists reporting, fair statement. I also think the authors criticism of Into Thin Air is valid. I also think the character assignation of Boukreev is unfair and the authors acknowledgement of that important.
I just don’t know if the evidence this book offers about known weather conditions is enough to convince me that that was in fact the case.
This is a deeply complex, complicated and nuanced discussion. I will keep reading.
Did they really know a storm was coming? Is the information gathered by Ratcliffe a case of confirmation bias?
The claims around asking the other expedition team to make their summit attempt on the 11th (to reduce traffic in death zone- which didn’t prevent that from happening anyway)and deliberately and knowingly putting them in harms way because they KNEW a storm was on the way perhaps due to the rivalry between Fischer and Hall and the fact they had high paying clients and were taking unnecessary risks?…I think that’s an unfair assumption and they are not here to answer to it.
I don’t think either of them were that caught up in their pursuits they would put another expedition team at unnecessary risk.
But who knows.
I think the turn around time was more of an issue than the storm and if they’d actually turnt around when it was proposed they would, maybe things would be different.
But that’s also complicated considering the need for fixed lines to be put in place and low oxygen reserves. They had one chance and one chance only to summit.
I think there was a level of rivalry considering both expedition teams had journalists reporting, fair statement. I also think the authors criticism of Into Thin Air is valid. I also think the character assignation of Boukreev is unfair and the authors acknowledgement of that important.
I just don’t know if the evidence this book offers about known weather conditions is enough to convince me that that was in fact the case.
This is a deeply complex, complicated and nuanced discussion. I will keep reading.
November 15, 2023
Could've easily gotten 4 stars from me. It is a very interesting, at times fascinating, account of high altitude climbing focused on Everest, with the added condiment of sharing how a person who was in touch with the 1996 tragedy (albeit not directly affected by it) copes in the aftermath. The special touch and what sets this book apart from others that deal with that event is the dedicated research about the weather forecasting controversy and its subsequent results. Whether or not we as readers see these results as game changers and eye openers is something that escapes the author's responsibility and should not be, in my opinion, material for reviewing either positively or negatively.
But here's why I personally give 3 stars. A big portion of the book is not related at all with any of the attributes and subjects I praised above, writing a substantial amount of tangential stories that distract or seem to fill the space to complete a book that would've been short otherwise. Moving to even more personal grounds, some people comment on the author's selfishness regarding treatment towards his wife and family, but to me it's his hypocrisy that comes to mind. There is more than one look of disdain throughout the book towards writers and filmmakers who are milking the 1996 tragedy and trying to profit from it. I can only think that here he is doing the same thing, writing a book that is allegedly about his weather investigation and naming it "A day to die for", with an artistic photo (in my edition) of a frozen corpse on the cover.
But here's why I personally give 3 stars. A big portion of the book is not related at all with any of the attributes and subjects I praised above, writing a substantial amount of tangential stories that distract or seem to fill the space to complete a book that would've been short otherwise. Moving to even more personal grounds, some people comment on the author's selfishness regarding treatment towards his wife and family, but to me it's his hypocrisy that comes to mind. There is more than one look of disdain throughout the book towards writers and filmmakers who are milking the 1996 tragedy and trying to profit from it. I can only think that here he is doing the same thing, writing a book that is allegedly about his weather investigation and naming it "A day to die for", with an artistic photo (in my edition) of a frozen corpse on the cover.
February 20, 2016
the truth shall set us free!
I was drawn to this book after reading at least a dozen memoirs written by other esteemed and astute Top Mountaineers.
Thank you Graham for, in my estimation, the most logically researched and excellent reports of the facts of this monumental tragedy that happened over 14 years ago.
I respect you for not turning this unfortunate event of the 1996 Everest Disaster into a cash cow rush to publish like Jon Krakower did with his account of the way things unfolded in his memoir, "Into Thin Air". I find his book more like a novel compared to yours.
I am sure his guilt (Krakower's) prevents him from answering your questions regarding the weather forecasts. Or, could it be his excessive hubris? Or maybe it is survivor's guilt?
Bravo for the courage to write this book, and may God bless you and your family. I am sure you and your Brittish Team could have made a difference in the outcome of you had been aware of the disastrous events unfolding just meters away from your tent.
I was drawn to this book after reading at least a dozen memoirs written by other esteemed and astute Top Mountaineers.
Thank you Graham for, in my estimation, the most logically researched and excellent reports of the facts of this monumental tragedy that happened over 14 years ago.
I respect you for not turning this unfortunate event of the 1996 Everest Disaster into a cash cow rush to publish like Jon Krakower did with his account of the way things unfolded in his memoir, "Into Thin Air". I find his book more like a novel compared to yours.
I am sure his guilt (Krakower's) prevents him from answering your questions regarding the weather forecasts. Or, could it be his excessive hubris? Or maybe it is survivor's guilt?
Bravo for the courage to write this book, and may God bless you and your family. I am sure you and your Brittish Team could have made a difference in the outcome of you had been aware of the disastrous events unfolding just meters away from your tent.
April 9, 2022
Dire. Ostensibly about the 1996 Everest disaster; actually a self-absorbed account of the author's own climbing on Everest over the years. Sheds little or no light on the events of the disaster, and what it does appears heavily skewed and biased. The writing is poor and the book is not particularly engaging. The author, frankly, sounds like a complete boor - the kind of person you'd try and avoid getting caught up in conversation with - as well as singularly self-obsessed. I literally can't think of any positives except that it opened my eyes to the kinds of characters that undertake expeditions to Everest etc - they seem without exception to be completely selfish and self-absorbed (the author sells the family car and is supported financially by his wife to fund his expeditions, then calls her and demands she fly out and join him).
May 31, 2019
Boy, he certainly did his research
I really enjoyed the beginning of the book. I am a sucker for adventure stories . Adventure stories on Everest, just take my money, The author is a pretty good writer and has a story to tell. It is worth reading. He does ask the hard questions regarding the 1996 Everest disaster and I believe it probably makes more than a few people uncomfortable. I hope this book has helped to put some of his demons to rest regarding this tragic event.
I really enjoyed the beginning of the book. I am a sucker for adventure stories . Adventure stories on Everest, just take my money, The author is a pretty good writer and has a story to tell. It is worth reading. He does ask the hard questions regarding the 1996 Everest disaster and I believe it probably makes more than a few people uncomfortable. I hope this book has helped to put some of his demons to rest regarding this tragic event.
February 14, 2014
I very much enjoyed reading about the research that the author conducted in order to create a timeline of events pertaining to the weather conditions during the 1996 Everest disaster. People familiar with other novels and articles about this incident should appreciate Ratcliffe's determination to find what is believed to be true, rather than reading just another account of what it was like to summit Everest.
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