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Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains
No one writes about mountaineering and its attendant victories and hardships more brilliantly than Jon Krakauer. In this collection of his finest essays and reporting, Krakauer writes of mountains from the memorable perspective of one who has himself struggled with solo madness to scale Alaska's notorious Devils Thumb. In Pakistan, the fearsome K2 kills thirteen of the world's most experienced mountain climbers in one horrific summer. In Valdez, Alaska, two men scale a frozen waterfall over a four-hundred-foot drop. In France, a hip international crowd of rock climbers, bungee jumpers, and paragliders figure out new ways to risk their lives on the towering peaks of Mont Blanc. Why do they do it? How do they do it? In this extraordinary book, Krakauer presents an unusual fraternity of daredevils, athletes, and misfits stretching the limits of the possible. From the paranoid confines of a snowbound tent, to the thunderous, suffocating terror of a white-out on Mount McKinley, Eiger Dreams spins tales of driven lives, sudden deaths, and incredible victories. This is a stirring, vivid book about one of the most compelling and dangerous of all human pursuits.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1990
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About the author
Jon Krakauer
58 books16.6k followersJon Krakauer is an American writer and mountaineer, well-known for outdoor and mountain-climbing writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,164 reviews
June 2, 2022
Before the recognition he received for Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer was a serious outdoors type, writing about other serious outdoors types. In this collection of essays, Krakauer relates several stories of his personal adventures, one about a youthful, and maybe foolish venture to a particularly difficult climb in Alaska, another about his attempt at Eiger. And these are quite good. But I most enjoy Krakauer when he writes about the Damon-Runyon-esque characters who inhabit the world of extreme adventuring.
John Krakauer - image fr0m his Facebook pages
For example, in Gill, he writes of John Gill, the world’s foremost practitioner of “bouldering” (think fly on ceiling) as someone who might really levitate. Two drunken brothers manage to have a crack at a surprising number of major climbs despite their disinclination to organization and sobriety in The Burgess Boys. Chamonix is a town in France Krakauer calls the “death sport capital of the world.” The story features a bar in which large screens entertain the crowd with diverse scenes of death and near death. It is laugh-out-loud funny when Krakauer illuminates the sundry ethnic conflicts, with particular attention paid to the creative insults each enjoy using on the other. It called to mind Python-like Frenchmen launching diseased animals at their English foes while calling out “come back here so we can taunt you some more.”
While most of us are not likely to have a go at Eiger’s north face, work as bush pilots, try surviving hurricane force winds with temperatures so cold as to defy imagination while huddled in a torn tent or dubious ice cave at twenty-something thousand feet, it is a wonderful thing to have some crazy person who lives in that world to report to the rest of us what goes on there. Eiger Dreams is a fast, entertaining and informative read.
Review first posted in 2010
John Krakauer - image fr0m his Facebook pages
For example, in Gill, he writes of John Gill, the world’s foremost practitioner of “bouldering” (think fly on ceiling) as someone who might really levitate. Two drunken brothers manage to have a crack at a surprising number of major climbs despite their disinclination to organization and sobriety in The Burgess Boys. Chamonix is a town in France Krakauer calls the “death sport capital of the world.” The story features a bar in which large screens entertain the crowd with diverse scenes of death and near death. It is laugh-out-loud funny when Krakauer illuminates the sundry ethnic conflicts, with particular attention paid to the creative insults each enjoy using on the other. It called to mind Python-like Frenchmen launching diseased animals at their English foes while calling out “come back here so we can taunt you some more.”
While most of us are not likely to have a go at Eiger’s north face, work as bush pilots, try surviving hurricane force winds with temperatures so cold as to defy imagination while huddled in a torn tent or dubious ice cave at twenty-something thousand feet, it is a wonderful thing to have some crazy person who lives in that world to report to the rest of us what goes on there. Eiger Dreams is a fast, entertaining and informative read.
Review first posted in 2010
January 6, 2026
Jon Krakauer has been making a living writing for magazines since 1983. I probably read some of the stories here in Outside Magazine but honestly don’t remember them. The final story here was written especially for this book.
Krakauer begins with a story of his “failure” and turn back on the North Face of the Eiger, nothing to be ashamed of. The important thing is that he lived and went on to write many articles, books, and summited Mt. Everest, among other things. In Eiger Dreams he discusses all sorts of climbing enthusiasts from stories of Chamonix, ice climbing, bouldering and the Himalaya. The chapter on bouldering was interesting to me. It focused on the man who essentially invented the sport. He talks of his interest in Buddhism and the feeling of being part of the rock or inside the rock which reminds me of Nan Shepherd’s descriptions of the Craighorn’s in Scotland in her beautiful book, The Living Mountain.
I do have problems with many of Krakauer’s friends and associates in this book. I plainly don’t understand these people but that doesn’t stop me from reading this kind of book. The one upmanship, boozey testosterone, chain smoking, sensational deeds and stupid deaths are a huge part of the story. You get to read about the disagreements over which mountain is higher—Everest or K2. The far more climbed Everest gets most of the votes no doubt. It now appears to have a secure title. Far more people have climbed Everest or at least paid up to $100,000 to be helped up in relative luxury. K2 is more slender and beautiful plus is more difficult to climb with far fewer conquerors.
Krakauer is controversial. He slung around plenty of blame in his book on the 1996 disaster on Everest, but is an excellent writer. I prefer his single story books to this one chopped up into individual stories. That is the reason for a 4 star rating instead of a 5.
Krakauer begins with a story of his “failure” and turn back on the North Face of the Eiger, nothing to be ashamed of. The important thing is that he lived and went on to write many articles, books, and summited Mt. Everest, among other things. In Eiger Dreams he discusses all sorts of climbing enthusiasts from stories of Chamonix, ice climbing, bouldering and the Himalaya. The chapter on bouldering was interesting to me. It focused on the man who essentially invented the sport. He talks of his interest in Buddhism and the feeling of being part of the rock or inside the rock which reminds me of Nan Shepherd’s descriptions of the Craighorn’s in Scotland in her beautiful book, The Living Mountain.
I do have problems with many of Krakauer’s friends and associates in this book. I plainly don’t understand these people but that doesn’t stop me from reading this kind of book. The one upmanship, boozey testosterone, chain smoking, sensational deeds and stupid deaths are a huge part of the story. You get to read about the disagreements over which mountain is higher—Everest or K2. The far more climbed Everest gets most of the votes no doubt. It now appears to have a secure title. Far more people have climbed Everest or at least paid up to $100,000 to be helped up in relative luxury. K2 is more slender and beautiful plus is more difficult to climb with far fewer conquerors.
Krakauer is controversial. He slung around plenty of blame in his book on the 1996 disaster on Everest, but is an excellent writer. I prefer his single story books to this one chopped up into individual stories. That is the reason for a 4 star rating instead of a 5.
March 16, 2015
This is a wonderful collection of essays about mountain climbing. I greatly enjoyed Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster, and Eiger Dreams is just as good. Each chapter is an essay on some facet of mountain climbing. The first chapter is about climbing the Eiger. Other chapters are about climbing Mount Blanc and K2. Another chapter is about bouldering, and another is about the experiences of a bush pilot in Alaska, transporting mountain climbers to a glacier at the base of Mount McKinley. One chapter is about ice climbing, while another describes the experience of living in a tent for days on end, while a storm makes it impossible to get out.
A small stream of dry humor runs throughout the book. You have to have a sense of humor to engage in some of these dangerous, sometimes mind-numbing activities. One chapter describes how a team of doctors spend their summers on the slopes of Mt. McKinley. They study the effects of altitude sickness, and has saved numerous lives. All on their own dime. Krakauer asked one of the doctors "why they volunteered to spend their summers toiling in such a godforsaken place."
While describing the heavy human toll among climbers of K2, a troubling question gets asked: "Should a civilized society continue to condone, much less celebrate, an activity in which there appears to be a growing acceptance of death as a likely outcome?" During one summer, one out of five climbers who attempted the mountain did not come back alive.
When Krakauer told Coloradans that he intended to climb the Devil's Thumb (in Alaska) solo, they thought he had been smoking too much pot--they thought it was a "monumentally bad idea". But when he told Alaskans, they hardly reacted at all. They just wondered how much money there was in climbing such a mountain.
I am not a climber, but I find that Krakauer's writing style is ridiculously engaging. He puts you, the reader, right there on the mountain and lets you know how it feels. For a collection of non-fiction essays, this book is a real page-turner. Highly recommended.
A small stream of dry humor runs throughout the book. You have to have a sense of humor to engage in some of these dangerous, sometimes mind-numbing activities. One chapter describes how a team of doctors spend their summers on the slopes of Mt. McKinley. They study the effects of altitude sickness, and has saved numerous lives. All on their own dime. Krakauer asked one of the doctors "why they volunteered to spend their summers toiling in such a godforsaken place."
"Well," he explained as he stood shivering in a blizzard, reeling from nausea and a blinding headache while attempting to repair a broken radio antenna. "It's sort of like having fun, only different."
While describing the heavy human toll among climbers of K2, a troubling question gets asked: "Should a civilized society continue to condone, much less celebrate, an activity in which there appears to be a growing acceptance of death as a likely outcome?" During one summer, one out of five climbers who attempted the mountain did not come back alive.
When Krakauer told Coloradans that he intended to climb the Devil's Thumb (in Alaska) solo, they thought he had been smoking too much pot--they thought it was a "monumentally bad idea". But when he told Alaskans, they hardly reacted at all. They just wondered how much money there was in climbing such a mountain.
I am not a climber, but I find that Krakauer's writing style is ridiculously engaging. He puts you, the reader, right there on the mountain and lets you know how it feels. For a collection of non-fiction essays, this book is a real page-turner. Highly recommended.
May 12, 2023
Baby boy <3
December 8, 2012
I came to each of Krakauer's works independently- I read "Into the Wild" first on a recommendation, and years later I read "Into Thin Air" because someone told me it would be a good insight into the effects of altitude (as I prepared to climb Kilimanjaro, a mild but high peak). Finally, I found this collection of essays and realized that somehow I'd read the final essay somewhere before, once.
I can understand why some people think that Krakauer is a selfish bastard at times, because the very act of climbing is often a selfish one, in the eyes of others. Though Krakauer believes in the sacrosanct nature of the bond between ropemates, on Everest he notes that the nature of the beast drives many to an every-man-for-himself mentality. This is revisited in "A Bad Summer on K2" during a discussion of saving those near death at great risk to the lives of everyone else. Considering the effects of altitude on the human brain, I don't think any armchair philosophizing or moralizing applies here- people simply cannot and do not behave normally at 26000 feet, and everyone who climbs that high knows that to do so is to put your life on the line. Asking others to forsake theirs for a slim chance at saving yours... can we ever truly ask that of people? Every life is on the line in a storm. Is it more honorable to perish attempting to save someone (who may-and likely will- die despite your efforts) than it is to abandon them and hustle down to save your own skin? One reviewer commented on how selfish Krakauer was to risk his own life in such a callous manner as climbing the Devil's Thumb, and yet to risk his own life on Everest to attempt to save someone else seems more noble. Does anyone engaging in this armchair moralizing understand what it means to carry 180lb of dead weight down an mountain (without injuring the person further!) in bad conditions while you yourself are addled by altitude and saddled with gear, etc? I suppose these people think that such mountains should not be climbed at all.
But there it is. Some people will never understand why others are so willing to hang their entire lives on a half-inch of steel kicked or picked into ice a thousand feet off the ground. I think Krakauer does a good job of explaining the clarity ones life and mind take on when circumstances require such uncompromising focus on what is immediately in front of you. I think other athletes and aesthetes may have an easier time grasping this mentality, and perhaps will get greater enjoyment from this book.
I do wonder how the sport has changed in the last thirty years- many of these essays were written in the 80s and I imagine mentalities and technologies have changed things since then.
I can understand why some people think that Krakauer is a selfish bastard at times, because the very act of climbing is often a selfish one, in the eyes of others. Though Krakauer believes in the sacrosanct nature of the bond between ropemates, on Everest he notes that the nature of the beast drives many to an every-man-for-himself mentality. This is revisited in "A Bad Summer on K2" during a discussion of saving those near death at great risk to the lives of everyone else. Considering the effects of altitude on the human brain, I don't think any armchair philosophizing or moralizing applies here- people simply cannot and do not behave normally at 26000 feet, and everyone who climbs that high knows that to do so is to put your life on the line. Asking others to forsake theirs for a slim chance at saving yours... can we ever truly ask that of people? Every life is on the line in a storm. Is it more honorable to perish attempting to save someone (who may-and likely will- die despite your efforts) than it is to abandon them and hustle down to save your own skin? One reviewer commented on how selfish Krakauer was to risk his own life in such a callous manner as climbing the Devil's Thumb, and yet to risk his own life on Everest to attempt to save someone else seems more noble. Does anyone engaging in this armchair moralizing understand what it means to carry 180lb of dead weight down an mountain (without injuring the person further!) in bad conditions while you yourself are addled by altitude and saddled with gear, etc? I suppose these people think that such mountains should not be climbed at all.
But there it is. Some people will never understand why others are so willing to hang their entire lives on a half-inch of steel kicked or picked into ice a thousand feet off the ground. I think Krakauer does a good job of explaining the clarity ones life and mind take on when circumstances require such uncompromising focus on what is immediately in front of you. I think other athletes and aesthetes may have an easier time grasping this mentality, and perhaps will get greater enjoyment from this book.
I do wonder how the sport has changed in the last thirty years- many of these essays were written in the 80s and I imagine mentalities and technologies have changed things since then.
February 17, 2020
Despite having been to Mt. Everest base camp on the Tibetan side, I'm an armchair mountain climber. I enjoyed seeing the mountain and taking pictures, but was quite happy to get back to the hotel and climb into my warm bed. However, I love stories about mountain climbing and what people will do to get to the top. I admire their perseverance and courage - I watched the movie Free Solo two times! And I marvel over the dangers they face and sometimes the sheer stupidity - like going on a climb without being prepared. Then there's the heartbreak over the deaths.
This is a series of magazine articles Krakauer wrote for Outside, the Smithsonian, and others and they were all written in the late 1980s so it's a bit dated, but it was still a good read and gave some insight into the climber's mindset.
This is a series of magazine articles Krakauer wrote for Outside, the Smithsonian, and others and they were all written in the late 1980s so it's a bit dated, but it was still a good read and gave some insight into the climber's mindset.
July 17, 2024
What can I say? If you like reading Krakauer, you'll like this. Mountains, adventures, near-death (and actual death) experiences, and speculation on why people are compelled to take the risks of sports like climbing and canyoneering.
In the last chapter Krakauer describes and reflects on a poorly thought-out trip he made to solo climb a peak in Alaska when he was 23. I don't remember whether he references this in his book about Chris McCandless (Into the Wild) who was about the same age when he intentionally disappeared into the Alaskan wilderness, but I couldn't help but wonder whether his personal experience drove Krakauer's interest in McCandless.
In the last chapter Krakauer describes and reflects on a poorly thought-out trip he made to solo climb a peak in Alaska when he was 23. I don't remember whether he references this in his book about Chris McCandless (Into the Wild) who was about the same age when he intentionally disappeared into the Alaskan wilderness, but I couldn't help but wonder whether his personal experience drove Krakauer's interest in McCandless.
June 30, 2022
Nachdem ich letztes Jahr absolut geflasht war von Krakauers „In eisigen Höhen“, nahm ich mir zum einen vor, mehr von Krakauer zu lesen, zum anderen, insgesamt mehr über das Bergsteigen zu lesen.
Dieses Buch hier verbindet beide Vornehmungen: Auf den Gipfeln der Welt ist eine Sammlung von Krakauers Zeitschriftenartikeln, verfasst über einen langen Zeitraum hinweg in diversen Outdoor- und Klettermagazinen.
Insgesamt war „Auf den Gipfeln der Welt“ bei Weitem nicht so spannend wie „In eisigen Höhen“, aber das ist – denke ich – verständlich, schließlich kann Krakauer nicht ständig Todeskämpfe am Everest erleben. Allerdings war ich davon ausgegangen, dass es in dem Buch mehr um allgemeine Bergabenteuer oder Erstbesteigungen geht, nicht so viel um Krakauers eigene Klettererfahrungen. Grundsätzlich spricht das Buch eher ein Fachpublikum an und ist wahrscheinlich für Leser*innen, die selbst klettern, spannender als es jetzt für mich war.
Nicht so gut hat mir gefallen, dass Eigennamen von Bergen oder Spitznamen ins Deutsche übersetzt wurden. Macht man heutzutage ja nicht mehr so, aber meine Ausgabe ist auch ziemlich alt. Da aber die meisten Artikel über Ereignisse aus den 60er bis 80er Jahren sind, hat es mir insgesamt an Aktualität gefehlt, manche Fakten waren auch einfach überholt. Das ist natürlich klar, wenn das Buch schon über 20 Jahre auf dem Buckel hat, aber dadurch ist es eben auch keine Pflichtlektüre mehr.
Am besten gefallen hat mir das Kapitel „Ein schlechter Sommer am K2“. Einerseits, weil das der spannendste Artikel der Sammlung war, andererseits, weil Krakauer hier einmal ziemlich Klartext geredet hat, was Missstände in der Klettercommunity betrifft. Dabei kommt auch Everybody’s Darling und Talkshow-Dauergast Reinhold Messner nicht ganz ungestraft davon. Messner hatte damals betont, dass Klettern vor allem dann authentisch ist, wenn man mit möglichst wenigen Menschen, möglichst simpler Ausrüstung, ohne Sauerstoffzufuhr und in möglichst kurzer Zeit auf Berge steigt. In den 80er Jahren war das, was Urgestein Messner sagte, in der Kletterwelt Gesetz. Und so kostete dieser Ansatz des Bergsteigens in den Folgejahren vielen ambitionierten Bergsteigern, die Messners Grundsätzen gerecht werden wollten, das Leben. Natürlich kann man diese Unglücksfälle nicht Messner direkt anlasten, aber einen bitteren Beigeschmack hinterlässt es trotzdem.
Außerdem fand ich in diesem Artikel interessant, wie Krakauer verschiedene moralische Ansätze beim Bergsteigen vergleicht. Früher galt: Wir sind ein Team am Berg. Niemand wird zurückgelassen. Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts wurde daraus ein „wir sind ein Team, aber wenn es hart auf hart kommt, muss jeder selbst schauen, wo er bleibt“. Beide Ansätze haben ihre Berechtigung, Krakauer nimmt auch keine direkte Wertung vor, aber der Wandel des Zusammengehörigkeitsgefühls von Expeditionen war interessant nachzulesen.
Für ein Fachpublikum spannendes, für den allgemeinen Leser eher mäßig spannendes Sachbuch. Kann man mal lesen, muss man aber nicht.
2,75 🌟
Dieses Buch hier verbindet beide Vornehmungen: Auf den Gipfeln der Welt ist eine Sammlung von Krakauers Zeitschriftenartikeln, verfasst über einen langen Zeitraum hinweg in diversen Outdoor- und Klettermagazinen.
Insgesamt war „Auf den Gipfeln der Welt“ bei Weitem nicht so spannend wie „In eisigen Höhen“, aber das ist – denke ich – verständlich, schließlich kann Krakauer nicht ständig Todeskämpfe am Everest erleben. Allerdings war ich davon ausgegangen, dass es in dem Buch mehr um allgemeine Bergabenteuer oder Erstbesteigungen geht, nicht so viel um Krakauers eigene Klettererfahrungen. Grundsätzlich spricht das Buch eher ein Fachpublikum an und ist wahrscheinlich für Leser*innen, die selbst klettern, spannender als es jetzt für mich war.
Nicht so gut hat mir gefallen, dass Eigennamen von Bergen oder Spitznamen ins Deutsche übersetzt wurden. Macht man heutzutage ja nicht mehr so, aber meine Ausgabe ist auch ziemlich alt. Da aber die meisten Artikel über Ereignisse aus den 60er bis 80er Jahren sind, hat es mir insgesamt an Aktualität gefehlt, manche Fakten waren auch einfach überholt. Das ist natürlich klar, wenn das Buch schon über 20 Jahre auf dem Buckel hat, aber dadurch ist es eben auch keine Pflichtlektüre mehr.
Am besten gefallen hat mir das Kapitel „Ein schlechter Sommer am K2“. Einerseits, weil das der spannendste Artikel der Sammlung war, andererseits, weil Krakauer hier einmal ziemlich Klartext geredet hat, was Missstände in der Klettercommunity betrifft. Dabei kommt auch Everybody’s Darling und Talkshow-Dauergast Reinhold Messner nicht ganz ungestraft davon. Messner hatte damals betont, dass Klettern vor allem dann authentisch ist, wenn man mit möglichst wenigen Menschen, möglichst simpler Ausrüstung, ohne Sauerstoffzufuhr und in möglichst kurzer Zeit auf Berge steigt. In den 80er Jahren war das, was Urgestein Messner sagte, in der Kletterwelt Gesetz. Und so kostete dieser Ansatz des Bergsteigens in den Folgejahren vielen ambitionierten Bergsteigern, die Messners Grundsätzen gerecht werden wollten, das Leben. Natürlich kann man diese Unglücksfälle nicht Messner direkt anlasten, aber einen bitteren Beigeschmack hinterlässt es trotzdem.
Außerdem fand ich in diesem Artikel interessant, wie Krakauer verschiedene moralische Ansätze beim Bergsteigen vergleicht. Früher galt: Wir sind ein Team am Berg. Niemand wird zurückgelassen. Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts wurde daraus ein „wir sind ein Team, aber wenn es hart auf hart kommt, muss jeder selbst schauen, wo er bleibt“. Beide Ansätze haben ihre Berechtigung, Krakauer nimmt auch keine direkte Wertung vor, aber der Wandel des Zusammengehörigkeitsgefühls von Expeditionen war interessant nachzulesen.
Für ein Fachpublikum spannendes, für den allgemeinen Leser eher mäßig spannendes Sachbuch. Kann man mal lesen, muss man aber nicht.
2,75 🌟
July 2, 2021
No es uno de sus mejores libros pero las experiencias que cuenta son interesantes y motivadoras.
April 14, 2014
Love Krakauer. These essays are somewhat dated, but still interesting and delivered in his inimitable style. The was the last book fo his I had not already read, and while it ranks near the bottom as far as favorites because of the datedness and form, I'm glad I read it and I hope he is working on his next.
November 27, 2022
I am a big fan of Jon Krakauer's other books, so I thought I would give his collection of essays on mountaineering a go. Each chapter encompasses an array of fascinating stories of the brave souls who attempt to climb peaks of dizzying heights. I was surprised to find a good collection of stories on pilots who drop off climbers, people who boulder, canyoneers, and how mountains are measured.
I like the fact that each chapter is filled with details but is accessible as well. It has humor, heartbreak, and loads of tension. If you liked "Into Thin Air" and need to scratch that itch again, this will do it for you.
I like the fact that each chapter is filled with details but is accessible as well. It has humor, heartbreak, and loads of tension. If you liked "Into Thin Air" and need to scratch that itch again, this will do it for you.
April 2, 2009
Although I enjoyed this collection immensely, the writing wasn't Krakauer's strongest -- in fact, I'd label it his weakest effort to date when compared with Into the Wild and Into Thin Air. With the exception of the last piece, "Devil's Thumb," the book was composed entirely of clipped magazine articles. And it showed.
Complaints aside, however, the book was wonderful and showed a humanity that I haven't often found in other climbing/mountaineering/alpinist books. Reading it reminded me how much I enjoy these adventure-fluff stories -- they're my equivalent of a romance novel -- and it has been the impetus for me to get back into the non-fiction adventure genre.
In short, read Eiger Dreams; it's a quick read, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Complaints aside, however, the book was wonderful and showed a humanity that I haven't often found in other climbing/mountaineering/alpinist books. Reading it reminded me how much I enjoy these adventure-fluff stories -- they're my equivalent of a romance novel -- and it has been the impetus for me to get back into the non-fiction adventure genre.
In short, read Eiger Dreams; it's a quick read, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.
September 10, 2015
After Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air made him writer-famous, his publisher started pushing this essay collection, originally published in 1990, for readers who couldn't get enough of Krakauer's tales of mountains and the people who (attempt to) climb them. However, a lot of those readers, like me, were probably somewhat let down by this early effort, which consists largely of pieces Krakauer wrote for Outside magazine. The articles describing various mountains and mountain towns were educational, but not exactly riveting, and the profiles of well-known climbers were not uninteresting, exactly, but left me with a distinct why-am-I-reading-this feeling. The one humor piece, about how to survive in your tent for days as a blizzard rages outside, made it clear that while Krakauer might be a funny guy in person, he is no humor writer (and I think the topics he's chosen to write his books on bear this out).
This collection only really came alive for the last two essays, which, not coincidentally, are the two most reminiscent of Into Thin Air. One was an account of the horrific 1986 summer on K2, when 13 people died--more than had died on the peak in the past 84 years combined. Reading about the nightmarish conditions the climbers faced was absolutely riveting--although I felt guilty for deriving reading pleasure from their horrendous misfortunes, and at times was so disturbed I wondered if I'd have to hide the book.
The final essay, and the only one written especially for this book, was a memoir-like rendering of the time when Krakauer, as a 23-year-old, abandoned his dead-end job and took off alone for Alaska with the brazen certainty that he was going to scale the Devil's Thumb via its most difficult route, and that doing so would change his life. This engaging, suspenseful piece made me hope that someday Krakauer will grace us with a full-length memoir of his various adventures and their (sometimes serious) fallout.
So would I recommend Eiger Dreams? Well... not really. While I'm very glad I read the final two essays, I would say that on the whole this book is probably just for climbers and Krakauer completists. Everyone else would be better off reading Into the Wild and Into Thin Air instead.
This collection only really came alive for the last two essays, which, not coincidentally, are the two most reminiscent of Into Thin Air. One was an account of the horrific 1986 summer on K2, when 13 people died--more than had died on the peak in the past 84 years combined. Reading about the nightmarish conditions the climbers faced was absolutely riveting--although I felt guilty for deriving reading pleasure from their horrendous misfortunes, and at times was so disturbed I wondered if I'd have to hide the book.
The final essay, and the only one written especially for this book, was a memoir-like rendering of the time when Krakauer, as a 23-year-old, abandoned his dead-end job and took off alone for Alaska with the brazen certainty that he was going to scale the Devil's Thumb via its most difficult route, and that doing so would change his life. This engaging, suspenseful piece made me hope that someday Krakauer will grace us with a full-length memoir of his various adventures and their (sometimes serious) fallout.
So would I recommend Eiger Dreams? Well... not really. While I'm very glad I read the final two essays, I would say that on the whole this book is probably just for climbers and Krakauer completists. Everyone else would be better off reading Into the Wild and Into Thin Air instead.
May 28, 2014
What a page turner! And also the perfect book to drag along rock climbing or on a hike, which is what I did. I sat on a boulder and devoured this book until it was my turn to climb or belay.
Krakauer’s narrative style is simple and straight forward but still evocative in its description of nature because he doesn’t add anything superfluous, and that’s as it should be- K2, Eiger, Chamoix, etc., do not favor the superfluous, and they certainly don’t need anyone to dress up their reputations. He draws senses of awe and fear from his reader by telling it like it is, and if you’re the outdoorsy type of person you’ll get it. I have no desire to try and summit McKinley, but I understand.
Some of the information and “celebrities” are a bit dated as this was a collection of articles that he wrote in the 80’s but it’s a great look at the history of the sport, and the dangers that you might very well face today particularly the overpopulation on mountain peaks where few have earned the right to climb but many have paid to clutter up the slopes.
All in all I was very impressed with Krakauer’s writing style and his subject, and I look forward to reading more in the future.
Krakauer’s narrative style is simple and straight forward but still evocative in its description of nature because he doesn’t add anything superfluous, and that’s as it should be- K2, Eiger, Chamoix, etc., do not favor the superfluous, and they certainly don’t need anyone to dress up their reputations. He draws senses of awe and fear from his reader by telling it like it is, and if you’re the outdoorsy type of person you’ll get it. I have no desire to try and summit McKinley, but I understand.
Some of the information and “celebrities” are a bit dated as this was a collection of articles that he wrote in the 80’s but it’s a great look at the history of the sport, and the dangers that you might very well face today particularly the overpopulation on mountain peaks where few have earned the right to climb but many have paid to clutter up the slopes.
All in all I was very impressed with Krakauer’s writing style and his subject, and I look forward to reading more in the future.
July 31, 2009
In a previous book I had read by Krakauer "Into Thin Air"---about mountain climbing-- there was a quote that has stuck with me. One of the Everest mountaineers who chose not to try and help a climber (who subsequently died from being left behind) said this to justify his actions:
"There is no morality above 26,000 feet".
I had one foray into mountain climbing. It was 1998 and myself and two friends, Kevin and Lacey, were going to attempt the '14er' called Longs Peak. Out of all of the 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado Longs is the most popular climb because of its easy ascent. Imagine my surprise when at 2 am I was stumbling about in a rock field not understanding why my eyes would not and could not stay open. I had a massive head ache and could not keep my eyes open. I was not tired, I was jacked up on Diet Cokes and adrenaline, and yet could not keep my eyelids open for business. I was sans head lamp and found myself stumbling over boulders the size of pumpkins. That was the end of my journey. About 4 hours of hiking and turning back at who knows what altitude--I'd like to say I made it to 12 :D), my ascent to Longs was ended. We faced a bear sighting ahead of us on the hike back to our car(not good when one is menstruating, mind you!) and I was glad to make it home to my little apt at 18-J.
But I digress...shocking, I know. Since my wee little escapade into the wilds of the Colorado Rockies, I have always been fascinated by mountain climbers. And this book does not disappoint. Unlike other books on self-discovery (blah de blah de blah blah blaaaah) Eiger Dreams had some vivid moments of awareness that caused me to feel a real connection to the author. More importantly, it garnered a new level of respect for those who choose to make that their shining conquest. No, I will never know how it feels to summit Everest or climb, well, probably ever, over 12,000 ft, but Krakauer has a way of making the experience approachable and yet awe-inspiring at the same time.
In one instance he describes climbing a thin spire of rock on the Devil's Thumb in Alaska. He recalls the sensation of being attached to the rock by only crampons and an ice ax, and the overwhelming pulling sensation to let himself release the ax and just fall...fall back into the awaiting ice that would kill him 3000 feet below. He knows it will kill him, he knows the physics of the actions, yet still describes how he could not help himself. Quite possibly, it was the pull of gravity he was feeling. Not unlike the sensation of being on a ship in the Med on the way to Crete, and looking over the railing at midnight with the waves crashing like blocks of ice on a solid black sea. I got "the pull". I was blissed out of my gourd with hopefulness and youth and love, and I honestly thought I could slip over the railing and survive. I wanted. To. Feel. It.
This is a collection of short stories all interwoven on the foundation of mountaineering. Stories on glacier pilots who could land planes in white out conditions by knowing to 'turn left after a minute, turn right again after another minute' because they were so inured to the route they were traveling.
This is about the vagabonds and street fighters who climb perilous mountains in Tibet without permits and hide in the tall grasses when they hear cattle bells going by. This is about a boy's desire to summit Devil's Thumb and 18 years later trying to master that picture he'd traced so many times on pg 147.
If you are not into the outdoors, then this book will probably not impress you. If you believe that people who climb mountains are narcissistic selfish knobs who are only concerned about themselves (see above) then this is not for you. If you are married to a man who regales you with stories of men standing in circles around campfires and then waking to bears hours later in the dark...then you might appreciate this man's experiences.
If you live in Colorado and know where Pearl Street is in Boulder, and have felt the pull, than you may relate to this man's story. If you have been to Europe and had to fend off a loved one's near manic obsession with parasailing, then you should read this book.
John Menlove Edwards wrote the following, taken from him short story "Letter From A Man":
"So, as you would imagine, I grew up exuberant in body but with a nervy, craving mind. It was wanting something more, something tangible. It sought for reality intesnely, always if it were not there....But you see at once what I do. I climb".
Krakauer had a choice at the age of 8...go to Seattle and visit the Space Needle or go to the South Sister in Oregon and attempt his first summit. Glad he might the right choice.
"There is no morality above 26,000 feet".
I had one foray into mountain climbing. It was 1998 and myself and two friends, Kevin and Lacey, were going to attempt the '14er' called Longs Peak. Out of all of the 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado Longs is the most popular climb because of its easy ascent. Imagine my surprise when at 2 am I was stumbling about in a rock field not understanding why my eyes would not and could not stay open. I had a massive head ache and could not keep my eyes open. I was not tired, I was jacked up on Diet Cokes and adrenaline, and yet could not keep my eyelids open for business. I was sans head lamp and found myself stumbling over boulders the size of pumpkins. That was the end of my journey. About 4 hours of hiking and turning back at who knows what altitude--I'd like to say I made it to 12 :D), my ascent to Longs was ended. We faced a bear sighting ahead of us on the hike back to our car(not good when one is menstruating, mind you!) and I was glad to make it home to my little apt at 18-J.
But I digress...shocking, I know. Since my wee little escapade into the wilds of the Colorado Rockies, I have always been fascinated by mountain climbers. And this book does not disappoint. Unlike other books on self-discovery (blah de blah de blah blah blaaaah) Eiger Dreams had some vivid moments of awareness that caused me to feel a real connection to the author. More importantly, it garnered a new level of respect for those who choose to make that their shining conquest. No, I will never know how it feels to summit Everest or climb, well, probably ever, over 12,000 ft, but Krakauer has a way of making the experience approachable and yet awe-inspiring at the same time.
In one instance he describes climbing a thin spire of rock on the Devil's Thumb in Alaska. He recalls the sensation of being attached to the rock by only crampons and an ice ax, and the overwhelming pulling sensation to let himself release the ax and just fall...fall back into the awaiting ice that would kill him 3000 feet below. He knows it will kill him, he knows the physics of the actions, yet still describes how he could not help himself. Quite possibly, it was the pull of gravity he was feeling. Not unlike the sensation of being on a ship in the Med on the way to Crete, and looking over the railing at midnight with the waves crashing like blocks of ice on a solid black sea. I got "the pull". I was blissed out of my gourd with hopefulness and youth and love, and I honestly thought I could slip over the railing and survive. I wanted. To. Feel. It.
This is a collection of short stories all interwoven on the foundation of mountaineering. Stories on glacier pilots who could land planes in white out conditions by knowing to 'turn left after a minute, turn right again after another minute' because they were so inured to the route they were traveling.
This is about the vagabonds and street fighters who climb perilous mountains in Tibet without permits and hide in the tall grasses when they hear cattle bells going by. This is about a boy's desire to summit Devil's Thumb and 18 years later trying to master that picture he'd traced so many times on pg 147.
If you are not into the outdoors, then this book will probably not impress you. If you believe that people who climb mountains are narcissistic selfish knobs who are only concerned about themselves (see above) then this is not for you. If you are married to a man who regales you with stories of men standing in circles around campfires and then waking to bears hours later in the dark...then you might appreciate this man's experiences.
If you live in Colorado and know where Pearl Street is in Boulder, and have felt the pull, than you may relate to this man's story. If you have been to Europe and had to fend off a loved one's near manic obsession with parasailing, then you should read this book.
John Menlove Edwards wrote the following, taken from him short story "Letter From A Man":
"So, as you would imagine, I grew up exuberant in body but with a nervy, craving mind. It was wanting something more, something tangible. It sought for reality intesnely, always if it were not there....But you see at once what I do. I climb".
Krakauer had a choice at the age of 8...go to Seattle and visit the Space Needle or go to the South Sister in Oregon and attempt his first summit. Glad he might the right choice.
January 14, 2022
As always, Krakauer captures life-long dreams, defeats, and death-defying adventures in a few short pages. No one makes me simultaneously want to summit a mountain more or less.
September 28, 2024
A collection of magazine essays from 1982 to 1989, plus one original, all new to me and all worth reading. Even if a couple are pretty grim. They hold up well, 30+ years on. Highly recommended: 4+ stars.
Krakauer is an amazingly good storyteller. I hadn’t realized that he caught the mountaineering bug after college, scaling back after he had some scary near-misses, saw some friends die, and got married. An insanely risky sport! But fun (mostly) to read about.
Highlights & quotes:
Here's legendary mountaineer Yvon Chouinard, in poorer days, before he started Patagonia: “In relatively flush times, Chouinard recalls, “we’d splurge and buy damaged cans of cat food. We’d get them for a dime apiece, and stock up for the entire summer.” Lest anyone get the wrong impression, Chouinard is quick to add that “it was the fancy kind of cat food, the tuna flavored stuff.”
“On Being Tentbound.”
“The driest way to sleep was to remove all of his wet clothing, wedge himself as best he could into his clammy but somewhat waterproof backpack (trying to ignore the fact that it was awash with the remnants of soggy Fig Newtons), pull a rain parka on over that, and only then slither into his wringing-wet sleeping bag. “Night after night,” he remembers, “I’d have this delirious, half-conscious dream that I’d be hiking down the glacier and come upon a warm, dry cabin. Just as I’d start to open the door I would always wake up, shivering uncontrollably, wet and sticky with Fig Newton crumbs.”
“The Burgess Boys.” Two Yorkshire lads who’d lived for years with no visible means of support, between climbing trips to Europe and the Himalayas. One of them even married into the Denver social register! “When I asked Lorna what she thought of having a husband who was absent four or five months of every year, she admitted she’d been “really miserable for the first couple of years, but now I kind of like it; I like the pattern of coming and going, the way it keeps the relationship from getting stale…. Adrian being gone isn’t nearly as bad as the way these goddamn expeditions monopolize the household when he’s getting ready to go.”
“Eiger Dreams.” Krakauer and a young partner take on the North Face in Winter. Final score: Eiger 3, climbers 0. “By God, I had survived! I sat down in the snow and began to laugh.”
David's review is the best I saw here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Krakauer is an amazingly good storyteller. I hadn’t realized that he caught the mountaineering bug after college, scaling back after he had some scary near-misses, saw some friends die, and got married. An insanely risky sport! But fun (mostly) to read about.
Highlights & quotes:
Here's legendary mountaineer Yvon Chouinard, in poorer days, before he started Patagonia: “In relatively flush times, Chouinard recalls, “we’d splurge and buy damaged cans of cat food. We’d get them for a dime apiece, and stock up for the entire summer.” Lest anyone get the wrong impression, Chouinard is quick to add that “it was the fancy kind of cat food, the tuna flavored stuff.”
“On Being Tentbound.”
“The driest way to sleep was to remove all of his wet clothing, wedge himself as best he could into his clammy but somewhat waterproof backpack (trying to ignore the fact that it was awash with the remnants of soggy Fig Newtons), pull a rain parka on over that, and only then slither into his wringing-wet sleeping bag. “Night after night,” he remembers, “I’d have this delirious, half-conscious dream that I’d be hiking down the glacier and come upon a warm, dry cabin. Just as I’d start to open the door I would always wake up, shivering uncontrollably, wet and sticky with Fig Newton crumbs.”
“The Burgess Boys.” Two Yorkshire lads who’d lived for years with no visible means of support, between climbing trips to Europe and the Himalayas. One of them even married into the Denver social register! “When I asked Lorna what she thought of having a husband who was absent four or five months of every year, she admitted she’d been “really miserable for the first couple of years, but now I kind of like it; I like the pattern of coming and going, the way it keeps the relationship from getting stale…. Adrian being gone isn’t nearly as bad as the way these goddamn expeditions monopolize the household when he’s getting ready to go.”
“Eiger Dreams.” Krakauer and a young partner take on the North Face in Winter. Final score: Eiger 3, climbers 0. “By God, I had survived! I sat down in the snow and began to laugh.”
David's review is the best I saw here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
November 21, 2012
Indeed, Jon Krakauer is the master of the literature of Adventure...
I always hated literature. They are always boring. But Jon has his way in literature. It is completely impossible for me to write so many worlds about a mountain. A mountain is a mountain for me. But for Jon, it is more like a book of worlds. I am damn sure that make him walk a tiny hill, in the outskirts of your town and he could write a book about it. That too, very interesting one. Hats off to him.
About this book:-
The description of the book claims to reveal answer for the most significant question, - why would a normal want to do this stuff (adventure stuff)? I, myself, several times, wondered the same. Why would anyone want to do something so dangerous, so life threatening; which doesn't earn a penny. So that is why I picked up this book.
But the book doesn't give you the answer!
If I am not wrong (if I haven't missed the story), there isn't an instance in the whole book, I felt that I found the answer. Instead, the book is a collection of 12 stories - 11 published by author in different magazines and newspapers, and the last one - THE DEVILS THUMB - is exclusive for the book.
About the stories:-
EIGER DREAMS
It is a collection of stories related to the many climbers who tried to climb the mountain - The Eiger - when the author, himself, tried to summit it.
GILL
Personally, I enjoyed this story very much. It introduced me to the whole new new concept of 'bouldering'. The whole story revolves around John Gill, the person who first started 'Bouldering' and the concept of 'Bouldering'.
To read the whole review, click the below link...
http://booksreviewwala.blogspot.in/20...
I always hated literature. They are always boring. But Jon has his way in literature. It is completely impossible for me to write so many worlds about a mountain. A mountain is a mountain for me. But for Jon, it is more like a book of worlds. I am damn sure that make him walk a tiny hill, in the outskirts of your town and he could write a book about it. That too, very interesting one. Hats off to him.
About this book:-
The description of the book claims to reveal answer for the most significant question, - why would a normal want to do this stuff (adventure stuff)? I, myself, several times, wondered the same. Why would anyone want to do something so dangerous, so life threatening; which doesn't earn a penny. So that is why I picked up this book.
But the book doesn't give you the answer!
If I am not wrong (if I haven't missed the story), there isn't an instance in the whole book, I felt that I found the answer. Instead, the book is a collection of 12 stories - 11 published by author in different magazines and newspapers, and the last one - THE DEVILS THUMB - is exclusive for the book.
About the stories:-
EIGER DREAMS
It is a collection of stories related to the many climbers who tried to climb the mountain - The Eiger - when the author, himself, tried to summit it.
GILL
Personally, I enjoyed this story very much. It introduced me to the whole new new concept of 'bouldering'. The whole story revolves around John Gill, the person who first started 'Bouldering' and the concept of 'Bouldering'.
To read the whole review, click the below link...
http://booksreviewwala.blogspot.in/20...
November 16, 2013
Krakauer knows mountains and he knows climbing, personally. What he gives us in this collection of articles, memoirs, and musings helps a non-climber, like me, come closer to figuring out why these guys and gals are willing to risk their lives on a rock face.
Those who have read his later works, including Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, will find some of this territory familiar. I, too, came to Eiger Dreams well after having other Krakauer works under my belt. Yet, his early storytelling techniques were more than adequate.
I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was stories and observations relating to key mountains in North America, Europe and the Himalayas. As well as, profiles of some of the most celebrated and notorious alpinists (those who know how to climb), and some oddball permutations on the sport including bouldering and ice climbing.
At times, though he tries to talk to the layman, Krakauer will put together several sentences of alpinist jargon. A glossary would be a welcome addition to the copy I was reading. I terms of sheer enjoyment, he rightly uses his personal experience as bookends; covering climbs of Mt. Blanc and the Devils Thumb. His combination of humor and insight is a winner.
Those who have read his later works, including Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, will find some of this territory familiar. I, too, came to Eiger Dreams well after having other Krakauer works under my belt. Yet, his early storytelling techniques were more than adequate.
I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was stories and observations relating to key mountains in North America, Europe and the Himalayas. As well as, profiles of some of the most celebrated and notorious alpinists (those who know how to climb), and some oddball permutations on the sport including bouldering and ice climbing.
At times, though he tries to talk to the layman, Krakauer will put together several sentences of alpinist jargon. A glossary would be a welcome addition to the copy I was reading. I terms of sheer enjoyment, he rightly uses his personal experience as bookends; covering climbs of Mt. Blanc and the Devils Thumb. His combination of humor and insight is a winner.
July 17, 2024
This is a series of essays written a few decades ago about mountain climbing. I have read “into thin air” by the same author of course, but fell into this one as a follow up to “the god of the woods”. It’s a niche subject matter and I am not a climber, but I found it quite entertaining. He describes the cabin fever that ensues when you’re stuck in a small tent because of bad weather, and various adventures and misadventures. I can’t quite get it, I admit. Why risk your life to conquer a mountain just because it’s there? But it makes for great armchair adventure!
April 15, 2011
I read Eiger Dreams many years after Into Thin Air, which detailed the tragedy on Everest in 1996. Eiger Dreams is a compendium of magazine articles Krakauer wrote in the 80s. I always wondered how Krakauer could be such a selfish, cowardly, and ultimately detestable human being, as he admits being near the summit of Everest, as he cowers safely in his tent after his own successful summiting, while others freeze to death in a blizzard on the mountaintop.
Well, now I know. Krakauer has always been obsessed with mountaineering, especially ice climbing. And his particular brand thereof is the macho solo attempt, expemplified by his foolhardy ascent of the Devil's Thumb in Alaska, done without proper preparation, zero connection with the outside world, a callous indifference to the impact his death might make on those who love him (he never even mentions the loss his parents will feel at his death, should it occur, even though his death is constantly on his mind as he hangs by two ice picks 750 feet above the glacier).
In fine, Krakauer is a narcissist apparently incapable of empathy or true sacrificial love for a fellow human.
But he's a hell of a writer.
When he dies in some stupid nature debacle, I, for one, will not shed a tear. He is who he is and his honesty about himself (it slips through in these essays and shouts full-throated in Into Thin Air) leaves no room for doubt: he will, eventually, get what he deserves. Nature, red in tooth and claw, is as honest and implacable in her truths as Krakauer is in his. We shall see who wins.
Well, now I know. Krakauer has always been obsessed with mountaineering, especially ice climbing. And his particular brand thereof is the macho solo attempt, expemplified by his foolhardy ascent of the Devil's Thumb in Alaska, done without proper preparation, zero connection with the outside world, a callous indifference to the impact his death might make on those who love him (he never even mentions the loss his parents will feel at his death, should it occur, even though his death is constantly on his mind as he hangs by two ice picks 750 feet above the glacier).
In fine, Krakauer is a narcissist apparently incapable of empathy or true sacrificial love for a fellow human.
But he's a hell of a writer.
When he dies in some stupid nature debacle, I, for one, will not shed a tear. He is who he is and his honesty about himself (it slips through in these essays and shouts full-throated in Into Thin Air) leaves no room for doubt: he will, eventually, get what he deserves. Nature, red in tooth and claw, is as honest and implacable in her truths as Krakauer is in his. We shall see who wins.
October 27, 2025
4.5 actual
Jon Krakauer writes about his adventures in a way that doesn’t feel glorified or ostentatious, just real raw experience. He has a wonderful chapter about climbing the Devil’s Thumb in Alaska, the motivation to do so attributed to the assumption that reaching the summit would give him enlightenment or clarity in his life and his future, and instead he details the gruelling, isolating journey he took to get there, followed by a staunch lack of transformative experience from bagging the summit. He explains what he learned instead (which I won’t spoil), and this chapter is such a great example of why Krakauer is one of my favorite authors.
Jon Krakauer writes about his adventures in a way that doesn’t feel glorified or ostentatious, just real raw experience. He has a wonderful chapter about climbing the Devil’s Thumb in Alaska, the motivation to do so attributed to the assumption that reaching the summit would give him enlightenment or clarity in his life and his future, and instead he details the gruelling, isolating journey he took to get there, followed by a staunch lack of transformative experience from bagging the summit. He explains what he learned instead (which I won’t spoil), and this chapter is such a great example of why Krakauer is one of my favorite authors.
August 31, 2024
kroz 12 priča, krakauer je u svojem ležernom stilu ispričao mnoštvo manje poznatih detalja i informacija o outdoors aktivnostima. dok većina, vjerojatno, zna da su hillary i tenzing prvi ljudi na everestu i da postoji neka visoka planina koja se zove K2, ovo je zbirka krakauerovih dogodovština i susreta s ljudima koje su manje poznate i od kojih će ljubiteljima planina i ekstremnih doživljaja rasti zazubice. odstupa od klasičnih putopisa i daje pogled "iznutra", npr. kako je boraviti u šatoru dok traje mećava pet dana i čime da se čovjek okupira na 2x2 m prostora a da ne izgubi razum.
duhovito, britko, lucidno i informativno.
duhovito, britko, lucidno i informativno.
February 11, 2025
Honestly Krakauer is a great writer, but I shouldn’t have read into the wild and Eiger dreams back to back… Apparently, I can only handle so much of the 'white man tries to conquer nature’-genre of books when I’m also surrounded by it everyday living in Boulder 😶🌫️
October 20, 2017
I first read this book Oct 26, 2013. Following is my review.
This book has exciting stories of mountain/rock climbers all over the world. The first few had me on the edge of my seat. After that, however, the stories got old.
The second time was Oct.20, 2017. Following is my review.
The men and women in these short stories are ADDICTED to mountain climbing. Each story is about somebody’s insane desire to climb a mountain and the lengths they are willing to go to in order to achieve that dream. Each of them spends time in imminent danger of death. It is exciting and educational to read about their stories. I, personally wouldn’t have minded if there were only half as many stories, however. I didn’t like reading on and on about so many scrapes with ice, winds and death. I did learn interesting things about some of the biggest mountains in the world, though, which was nice.
This book has exciting stories of mountain/rock climbers all over the world. The first few had me on the edge of my seat. After that, however, the stories got old.
The second time was Oct.20, 2017. Following is my review.
The men and women in these short stories are ADDICTED to mountain climbing. Each story is about somebody’s insane desire to climb a mountain and the lengths they are willing to go to in order to achieve that dream. Each of them spends time in imminent danger of death. It is exciting and educational to read about their stories. I, personally wouldn’t have minded if there were only half as many stories, however. I didn’t like reading on and on about so many scrapes with ice, winds and death. I did learn interesting things about some of the biggest mountains in the world, though, which was nice.
November 5, 2013
Jon Krakauer is one of my very favorite nonfiction writers. If you haven't read any of his books, then you must read either Into the Wild or Into Thin Air (don't start with this one). This book is somewhat similar to the latter, in that it deals with mountain climbing, but this is a collection of shorter pieces he published in magazines, whereas Into Thin Air tells the story of a particularly deadly season on Mount Everest. I am one of those people who cannot imagine wanting to summit Everest, who thinks that most of those serious climbers are just crazy. But Krakauer makes me feel like I can almost understand why these people risk their lives on such extreme climbs. The pieces in Eiger Dreams are set around the world--Alaska, Europe, the Himalaya--and introduce the reader to some of the interesting and slightly crazy people who climb mountains.
April 17, 2015
So I approached this book thinking - I climb, I'm obsessed with mountains and Jon Krakauer is great, this should be fun. In the end I was like WHY AREN'T ALL OF THESE STORIES MOVIES!?!?!?! Seriously - every single story in here is just really fantastic. The most satisfying collection of essays I've read in quite a while.
May 23, 2024
Essays were a bit hit or miss, the good ones are really good though.
December 27, 2025
If you like Krakauer’s writing, you’ll like this. If you’re curious about the mental state of all types of climbers, you’ll love this. Thoughts on each essay:
Eiger Dreams — incredibly fascinating look at one of the most popular climbing destinations in the world
Gill — I had no idea where bouldering started, and reading about the founder was mint; his approach and mindset are downright interesting
Valdez Ice — didn’t know anything about ice climbing before this; not a fave but great to learn about nonetheless
On Being Tentbound — anyone with a shred of outdoor experience knows this feeling…
The Flyboys of Talkeetna — crazy to learn about an industry-stroke-extreme activity that I didn’t know anything about
Club Denali — tbh, really lessened my interest in ever attempting that peak
Chamonix — the French are REALLLLLY French-ing in this one, and it’s great
Canyoneering — desperately want to try this sport now!!!! The possibility of flash flooding/death has always turned me off, buttttt...
A Mountain Higher Than Everest? — I had NO idea that measuring peaks was so bloody difficult omg
The Burgess Boys — kinda desperate to know what they’re up to now lol they sound like real characters, having a hard time believing they’re real
A Bad Summer on K2 — I was familiar with the disasters written about in this, but anything in Krakauer’s voice turns into gold
The Devil’s Thumb — Krakauer writes of his time attempting TDT in Into the Wild, so I was familiar with the story. I think it’s a great wrap-up for the book, though, and truly shows the gamut of emotion experienced in a high-risk adventure
Eiger Dreams — incredibly fascinating look at one of the most popular climbing destinations in the world
Gill — I had no idea where bouldering started, and reading about the founder was mint; his approach and mindset are downright interesting
Valdez Ice — didn’t know anything about ice climbing before this; not a fave but great to learn about nonetheless
On Being Tentbound — anyone with a shred of outdoor experience knows this feeling…
The Flyboys of Talkeetna — crazy to learn about an industry-stroke-extreme activity that I didn’t know anything about
Club Denali — tbh, really lessened my interest in ever attempting that peak
Chamonix — the French are REALLLLLY French-ing in this one, and it’s great
Canyoneering — desperately want to try this sport now!!!! The possibility of flash flooding/death has always turned me off, buttttt...
A Mountain Higher Than Everest? — I had NO idea that measuring peaks was so bloody difficult omg
The Burgess Boys — kinda desperate to know what they’re up to now lol they sound like real characters, having a hard time believing they’re real
A Bad Summer on K2 — I was familiar with the disasters written about in this, but anything in Krakauer’s voice turns into gold
The Devil’s Thumb — Krakauer writes of his time attempting TDT in Into the Wild, so I was familiar with the story. I think it’s a great wrap-up for the book, though, and truly shows the gamut of emotion experienced in a high-risk adventure
April 26, 2024
Krakauer + mountains is always a good combo. While Eiger Dreams might not be my favorite of Krakeuer's books, I still really enjoyed it. In this collection of previously pushed articles, Krakauer expounds on why men (and it’s mostly men, not women) climb big mountains at great cost - emotionally, physically and fiscally. Eiger Dreams follows some interesting personalities as they attempt to conquer the world’s most famous peaks, like K2, Denali and El Capitan - but he also expounds on the birth of ice climbing and bouldering, to the culture of mountain towns, to how one should go about picking the right expedition partner. There’s something about Krakauer’s writing that is both expansive and insightful yet so very readable, and I blazed through this audiobook in a few of days. Some of these stories I wish were full length books!
This is my fourth read by Krakauer (I’ve also read Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster, Into the Wild and Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith) but I’m looking to round out the rest of his backlist by the end of this year!
This is my fourth read by Krakauer (I’ve also read Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster, Into the Wild and Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith) but I’m looking to round out the rest of his backlist by the end of this year!
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