The Mammoth Book of Mountain Disasters: True Stories of Rescue from the Brink of Death

by Mr Hamish MacInnes

Caught way up on the mountain, no one is safe, from the archetypal nightmare of Tony Kurtz, seen to freeze to death by his stranded rescuers as he hung off the Eiger, to events that unfolded on the Grand Teton, where rescuers narrowly escaped being clubbed to death by their reluctant rescuees.

This collection of 35 first-hand accounts will shock and inspire in equal measure. Here is the original draft of Joe Simpson's classic Touching the Void and the first full telling of Jamie Andrew's extraordinary rescue from the Alps, which made headlines in 1999. Plus a specially commissioned account of the epic winter rescue on Mount Ararat, 2000 - the most remote mission ever undertaken by a helicopter-rescue team. And the rescuers own grim battles for survival.

Compiled by one of the world's most respected mountaineers, this volume spans five continents - from the Appalachians to Mount Cook, from Peak Lenin to Siula Grande. It includes some of the brightest stars of mountaineering and mountain rescue: Joe Simpson, Doug Scott, Pete Sinclair, Milos Vrbe, Paul Nunn, Ludwig Gramminger, Karen Glazley, Ken Phillips and Blaise Agresti.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mountaineering, Adventure

516 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2003

Reviews

[Marianne]

don't climb mountains

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why do people climb mountains in the winter? All praise goes to the Mountain Rescue teams.

[April Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many in this collection are older stories, told by the individuals involved or by their rescuers. Not all are gripping writers, unfortunately. The best is Doug Scott's account of his climb on the Ogre. With two broken legs he climbs down from 23,000 feet, has to dig up the trash to eat when food runs out,and crawls on hands and knees over the rocky moraine of the glacier into base camp. He is carried to Askole by Baltu porters and loaded on a helicopter only to have the helicopter crash after rescue. Scott is a good story teller and a great climber.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the mountains and have always been fascinated by those who risk life and limb to climb them. This book is a look at some of the great failures in seeking their summits, as well as recounting natural disasters which befell those who were in harm's way. The majesty and power of these beautiful and often dangerous places will continue to haunt my imagination. If you feel the same pull, you may also find these accounts sad but very interesting.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers mountain rescues, both successful and not, from all over the world. There is a lot of learning to do in that countries around the world with extremely dangerous mountains. The book shows rescue efforts long before helicopter assitance was as available.

[Alex Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collection of mountain rescues, but somewhat patchy and repetitive. There are a few absolute gems in there, but rather focussed on historical rescues - I'd have preferred more current stories (from say the last decade) and more variety.