Die Trying: One Man's Quest to Conquer the Seven Summits

by Bo Parfet, Richard Buskin

In early 2003, a young Wall Street investment banker named Bo Parfet set out to accomplish something very few people had done before- climbing the highest mountain on every continent. What began as a casual interest would soon become a lifelong passion and in just over four years, Bo would overcome the odds and conquer all of the mountains- Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, Denali, Vinson Massif, Elbrus, Carstenz Pyramid, Kosciuskp, and Everest- with courage, unbridled passion, and determination. From dodging avalanches to crossing a ladder over a seemingly bottomless crevasse, to making his way through the Khumbu Icefall and burying a dead teammate at 27,000 feet, we experience all of the author's exhilarating, often terrifying climbs first-hand.

Genres: Biography

236 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Erin Kippen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another book where I enjoyed the subject but hated the author. Bo Parfet is a douche with a criminal lack of self awareness. He talks a lot about getting his ego in check but doesn't actually seem to make any progress on it. For example on his first trip to Kili he a) forces his partner to go slower because he can't keep up and b) only makes it when Richard, another teammate, shares his drink because Bo was severely underprepared for this trip. Two climbs later he spends the whole trip bitching and moaning about how slow Richard is (yes, the same Richard who helped him out) and how he's ruining his climb. Never seems to sense the irony in it. He also spends a LOT of time highlighting situations where somebody made a decision and he corrected them or said to do something different and it was a very good thing he did that because he turned out to be right. He talks a lot about how important it is for him to make really good friends, not the everyday fluffy not-real friends, but doesn't seem like a great friend back - a lot of "jokes" about how cheap Doc is, and he ropes two other friends into the trip to Vinson (one who is seriouly unprepared for the trip) so that he can get a cheap rate. Plus on that trip to Vinson the guide he's hired tells one of his friends to turn around, as he's struggling and is unprepared for the climb, and Bo tells him to keep going, putting both the friend and the guide at risk.

I wouldn't recommend this book. I only finished it because I hoped Bo would have an epiphany about what an ass and spend the last 100 pages apologizing to his friends and family.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was pure torture. The mountaineering stuff kept me going (just barely), but it reads like a 300-page MBA admissions essay by a not-terribly-bright trustafarian. Avoid!

[Kelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story of an investment banker who decides to climb the tallest mountain on each continent. Due to the massive amount of material, each mountain is given little description (as compared to Krakauer's blow by blow description of his Everest climb). However, I did appreciate the brief overview of each mountain and some of his experiences.

[Mark Kavanagh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Completely agree with Erin. I didn't warm to Bo at all. Look elsewhere if you want a good mountaineering read - try Joe Simpson

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book. It's honest and exciting. So inspiring to hear his story.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure how to rate this one. Overall, I really enjoyed the stories of the author's mountaineering experiences, but I found the author himself to be extremely unlikeable. At the very beginning of the book, he mentions how he was unsure about whether or not to include information about his life growing up. I wish he wouldn't have. Throughout the book, he comes across as a selfish spoiled rich kid with an attitude problem. He continuously talks about the importance of teamwork and being a good leader, but time and time again he demonstrates that he is really only out for himself on the mountains that he climbs. Lastly, I know that growing up with a learning disability is difficult, especially when teachers tell you that you will never amount to anything, but did he really need to remind us of his dyslexia in EVERY chapter??? I think the author has some incredible stories to tell, and the book could have been 4 or 5 stars if he would have had just a bit more self-awareness or a better editor.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't really think of myself as outdoorsy, but this book about a guy in the mid 2000s trying to climb all seven summits really made think I am because I've hiked some tallish peaks in my life, and done other stuff that would qualify as outdoorsy. What interested me most about this book was the culture surrounding some of the least known summits, like in Indonesia, Russia, and Argentina. In Indonesia for example, his hiking group has to pretend their military so they can get into the mine were the trail is to the mountain. And the stuff they had to eat at some of these places made me queasy just reading them! I understood some technical stuff (which surprised me), and maybe next time I do a real backpacking or hiking trip (or rock climbing for that matter which I did awhile ago), I'll remember that I am more outdoorsy than I think I am!

[Susan Liston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh dear, this was entertaining to read, but what a litany of horrific experiences. This guy has to be completely off the charts nuts to have gone through these ordeals and still keep clamoring for more. I do sort of feel inadequate, though, because apparently unless you have almost drowned while trapped underwater by a tree, been held at gunpoint by soldiers as you sneak through a military outpost, spun helplessly in an ice crevasse, watched companions die, suffered hypoxia at 28,000 feet, slept outside in forty below, had explosive diarrhea in what has been voted "The worst outhouse in the world", etc etc ETC....you, according to Bo, HAVE NOT LIVED. Whatever. Tell you what, you do it, Bo, I'll get some iced tea and read about it and we'll both be happy.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whatever drives some people to risk their lives and call it a thrill, is baffling. I feel for the families of those "cursed" with these kinds of compulsions. This author had an ok account of his adventures and anyone could on some level, respect his goals. I just always wonder how the person who has reached all these goals, how he can adjust to normal living.

[Priya Domadia · Rating 1 out of 5]

A story highlighting entitlement and narcissism.

[Richard Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read if you like stories about outdoor adventures and climbing used as an analogy for success in business and in life.

[Derek Meier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get-off-your-couch-Awesome!

This book is a fun, engaging and inspiring read. It’s a motivational book and one that illustrates how setting goals and overcoming challenges can help us feel more alive.

This is probably not your average climbing adventure story. It’s great if you need some inspiration and motivation in your life even if you’re not a climber or even an outdoors enthusiast. It serves as a great reminder that each day we wake up we get to choose how we want to live, and that we should choose for ourselves how we’re going to paint the proverbial canvass of life rather than watch life happen from the sidelines.

Sometimes it reads like a kick-ass resume that makes me want to just quit life altogether, but overall it served me better as a reminder to live life a bit more each day in each moment in my own skin, and to set some exciting goals.

There’s also a brilliant reminder that when your mind is screaming at you to quit, you’ve got to keep going even when you have the flu, really bad diarrhea and mild hallucinations, because the finish line of any goal is pure exhilaration!

I really hope I experience that exhilaration one day.

It's also very well written and engaging throughout.

[Charles Miske · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first began my own Seven Summits Quest I was looking for any books I could find by authors who had already completed it. Most were really dry and you never really doubted that they could pull it off. This one on the other hand leaves you on the edge of your seat biting your nails in places.

I enjoyed how he poked some fun at himself and his own failings and demonstrated his own growth as a character in the book. I felt it dragged just a little bit in those places where he talks about his investment banking and school projects, but that might just be because I'm a climber and mountaineer, and really wanted to focus more on that.

Whether you climb or not, I highly recommend it as an inspirational story about a man who sets himself an extremely high goal and achieves it in spite of many setbacks.

If you are on your own Seven Summits Quest, you can learn some of the behind the scenes happenings in many of the countries he visited. I found his chapter on Carstensz in Indonesia particularly helpful in my own adventure there last April.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast, interesting read, especially if you're fascinated by mountains. I wish Parfet had gone into more detail about his climbs, but the narrative he did provide is entertaining. The insight provided is a little bit basic in my opinion as compared to something like Jenkins' "A Man's Life". Regardless, the book is a good read and Parfet is accessible as a person who breaks free from the chains of Wall Street to follow his life's true passion.

[Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Educational read about the 7 summits largest summits of the world. Motivational book about how you can do almost anything if you put your mind to it (though obviously he was an extremist). But, as with my comments on a few other books recently, the author is not a writer and the book doesn't always flow well.

[JC · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came at the right time, when I was most in need of a push. Sure some parts did seem like 'hey reader I'm better than you'. Let's face it, he sort of is. Made me want to take risks and climb the mountains of my life, if not real ones.

[Elizabeth Noyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but definately not one of the best mountain books

[Karolis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice overview of all the summits and some entertaining stories about Bo's conquest.

[Eveque2014 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible book, would not recommend to anyone. The author is so full of himself it's ridiculous.

[Tristan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rich kid pays his was up many mountains.... The end

[Mandy France · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best mountain climbing books I have read. His accounts are personal and very detailed. A very enjoyable read.