What do you think?
Rate this book
Above the Clouds: The Diaries of a High-Altitude Mountaineer
A breathtaking and lavishly illustrated autobiography in essays on Anatoli Boukreev, the late world-famous mountaineer and author of The Climb.
When Anatoli Boukreev died on the slopes of Annapurna on Christmas day, 1997, the world lost one of the greatest adventurers of our time.
In Above the Clouds , both the man and his incredible climbs on Mt. McKinley, K2, Makalu, Manaslu, and Everest-including his diary entries on the infamous 1996 disaster, written shortly after his return-are immortalized. There also are minute technical details about the skill of mountain climbing, as well as personal reflections on what life means to someone who risks it every day. Fully illustrated with gorgeous color photos, Above the Clouds is a unique and breathtaking look at the world from its most remote peaks.
When Anatoli Boukreev died on the slopes of Annapurna on Christmas day, 1997, the world lost one of the greatest adventurers of our time.
In Above the Clouds , both the man and his incredible climbs on Mt. McKinley, K2, Makalu, Manaslu, and Everest-including his diary entries on the infamous 1996 disaster, written shortly after his return-are immortalized. There also are minute technical details about the skill of mountain climbing, as well as personal reflections on what life means to someone who risks it every day. Fully illustrated with gorgeous color photos, Above the Clouds is a unique and breathtaking look at the world from its most remote peaks.
304 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2002
68 people are currently reading
2412 people want to read
About the author
Anatoli Boukreev
2 books35 followersAnatoli Nikolaevich Boukreev was a mountaineer from Russia.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
March 17, 2020
This was boring. The journals themselves comprise about 70% of the book, the rest is prologue, epilogue and every other logue the publishers could think of to bump up the content of this slight book. If it had been edited, it might have been really good, but there wouldn't be much 'book' left about it.
I read The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest as a rebuttal to Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster. This book was an excellent read and I took it at face value until I read news reports suggesting it was untrue in major respects and defamed Anatoli Boukreev by falsley accusing him of less-than-heroic, self-serving behaviour.
The Climb was well-written and very focused on the subject - the 1996 climb where 8 people died, it would have been 11 if not for Boukreev - and well-edited. And that's where Above the Clouds: The Diaries of a High-Altitude Mountaineer falls down. It's all over the place. Interesting bits here and there but not enough to hold my attention any more than the over-long, totally non-critical introduction did.
It felt as though someone had come upon Boukreev's diaries and thought that there might be a market for them. That should have been me, but not this time.
I read The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest as a rebuttal to Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster. This book was an excellent read and I took it at face value until I read news reports suggesting it was untrue in major respects and defamed Anatoli Boukreev by falsley accusing him of less-than-heroic, self-serving behaviour.
The Climb was well-written and very focused on the subject - the 1996 climb where 8 people died, it would have been 11 if not for Boukreev - and well-edited. And that's where Above the Clouds: The Diaries of a High-Altitude Mountaineer falls down. It's all over the place. Interesting bits here and there but not enough to hold my attention any more than the over-long, totally non-critical introduction did.
It felt as though someone had come upon Boukreev's diaries and thought that there might be a market for them. That should have been me, but not this time.
December 21, 2008
Anatoli Bourkreev is known to American readers chiefly as the "heavy" in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, which told of the infamous 1996 disaster on Mount Everest. That book portrayed Boukreev as the selfish guide who put his own summit aspirations above the welfare of the clients he was hired to care for. Krakauer's book does admit that after reaching the summit, Boukreev performed heroically, saving three lives by being couragous and strong enough to go out into a storm when every other climber was too exhausted to even leave their tent. Still, Into Thin Air does not present a full and fair picture of the complex and complicated man Anatoli Boukreev, who died the next year on Annapurna, was.
Above the Clouds paints that picture. Published after Boukreev's death, it is a collection of writings from his diaries. Although that sounds like it could make for a rather dry book, Above the Clouds is anything but dry. The book speaks with the voice of Boukreev, and depicts with great clarity the unique person and climber that he was. Boukreev was a uniquely gifted athlete and climber. He was also an academic prodigy, especially gifted in math and science, graduating from college with a degree in physics. During the course of his mountaineering career, he climbed many of the world's tallest mountains, usually without supplemental oxygen and often alone and in record breaking time.
Among the most fascinating aspects of this book is the insight into the Soviet mindset that it provides. Boukreev's Soviet upbringing, training and worldview permeate the book. Boukreev was educated in the Soviet sports system, which regulated all sports activity, and attained the rank of Master of Sport. His observations on how the Soviet approach to climbing and to economics differ from the Western ideas is particularly interesting. Boukreev remained Soviet through and through, even when his contact with the West led him to acknowledge the superiority of aspects of Western life and thinking.
Boukreev was dedicated to his climbing, and never married, and his love of climbing and the physical and psychic challenges posed by climbing at high altitude shine through in his writing. At times the book is almost lyrical. A typical example is his description of the fatigue and satisfaction that come with intense physical effort:
"In general, I am so accustomed to exercise that I cannot sleep if I do not work hard enough during the day. Though the process is diferent for each individual, i think that if you maintain a normal pulse rate and can rehabilitate by sleeping well, you should work until you feel a pleasant tiredness, even at high altitude. Then the body accepts rest as a joy."
Boukreev was not unaware of the risk of high altitude climbing. He wrote that in climbing, he often encountered the bodies of climbers who had died, and this made him think of the significance of the desire to ascend into the zone of danger. He believed that the significance was to overcome obstacles, to have a way to evaluate his actions in life. In this, he placed great emphasis on preparation, both physical and emotional. In his view, the climber who saw a corpse on a climb should be led to ask "Am I prepared for this ascent, can I realize my ambitions without becoming a victim of them?" We would all do well to apply those words to our own endeavors.
In a poem, Boukreev wrote that "no summit is gained without pain." He also noted that "the last word will always belong to the mountain." Above the Clouds tells the story of a man who gained many summits, worked hard, prepared well and often rested joyfully. That the mountain did write the last word to his life would not have left him feeling unfulfilled.
Above the Clouds paints that picture. Published after Boukreev's death, it is a collection of writings from his diaries. Although that sounds like it could make for a rather dry book, Above the Clouds is anything but dry. The book speaks with the voice of Boukreev, and depicts with great clarity the unique person and climber that he was. Boukreev was a uniquely gifted athlete and climber. He was also an academic prodigy, especially gifted in math and science, graduating from college with a degree in physics. During the course of his mountaineering career, he climbed many of the world's tallest mountains, usually without supplemental oxygen and often alone and in record breaking time.
Among the most fascinating aspects of this book is the insight into the Soviet mindset that it provides. Boukreev's Soviet upbringing, training and worldview permeate the book. Boukreev was educated in the Soviet sports system, which regulated all sports activity, and attained the rank of Master of Sport. His observations on how the Soviet approach to climbing and to economics differ from the Western ideas is particularly interesting. Boukreev remained Soviet through and through, even when his contact with the West led him to acknowledge the superiority of aspects of Western life and thinking.
Boukreev was dedicated to his climbing, and never married, and his love of climbing and the physical and psychic challenges posed by climbing at high altitude shine through in his writing. At times the book is almost lyrical. A typical example is his description of the fatigue and satisfaction that come with intense physical effort:
"In general, I am so accustomed to exercise that I cannot sleep if I do not work hard enough during the day. Though the process is diferent for each individual, i think that if you maintain a normal pulse rate and can rehabilitate by sleeping well, you should work until you feel a pleasant tiredness, even at high altitude. Then the body accepts rest as a joy."
Boukreev was not unaware of the risk of high altitude climbing. He wrote that in climbing, he often encountered the bodies of climbers who had died, and this made him think of the significance of the desire to ascend into the zone of danger. He believed that the significance was to overcome obstacles, to have a way to evaluate his actions in life. In this, he placed great emphasis on preparation, both physical and emotional. In his view, the climber who saw a corpse on a climb should be led to ask "Am I prepared for this ascent, can I realize my ambitions without becoming a victim of them?" We would all do well to apply those words to our own endeavors.
In a poem, Boukreev wrote that "no summit is gained without pain." He also noted that "the last word will always belong to the mountain." Above the Clouds tells the story of a man who gained many summits, worked hard, prepared well and often rested joyfully. That the mountain did write the last word to his life would not have left him feeling unfulfilled.
August 14, 2011
This is the real Boukreev. That is how he should be remembered.
If anyone wants to understsand why we climb, why we strive to be on the top above the clouds this is one of the best book to go with.
Forget about the 1996 "controversy" and all the other human noisy stuff. This is a different level altogether.
If anyone wants to understsand why we climb, why we strive to be on the top above the clouds this is one of the best book to go with.
Forget about the 1996 "controversy" and all the other human noisy stuff. This is a different level altogether.
April 2, 2020
Mostly dull. Was exciting in parts in the middle, but too many parts not written by Boukreev. 🇷🇺
December 27, 2020
"Returning to the Everest region always brings me a feeling of relief, for I love the mountains...Such majesty is humbling, and one is reminded of how small humans are in the scheme of things."
Anatoli Boukreev, one of the world’s greatest mountaineers and most gifted athletes, found home up at high altitude where most people would struggle just to stay alive. His capacity maybe understood by one simple statement, he summited world’s most 8000 meter peaks without supplemental oxygen and in record breaking time, Mt. Everest twice in that list.
But surprisingly, his uniqueness was not his superhuman endurance or extraordinary climbing ability, rather his poetic view on life, his idea of significance of human endeavors and his never lasting love for the mountains, any mountain. Through his writing, his appreciation for the high intensity training and the joy of rest of the fatigued soul shines through. But above all, he portrays the significance and the priceless value of human life which have been lost many times on high mountains just by overestimating one’s ability or underestimating the all-consuming power of the mountain itself.
This book is a narration of the life of an extra ordinary man who thought of himself nothing more than a sincere devotee and admirer of the mountains. The infamous 1996 Everest expedition made him popular for all the wrong reasons, although in that expedition he performed an unimaginable rescue work under a fatal blizzard that took the life of 8 people in one night. Anatoli was a man who believed with his heart that “the last word will always belong to the mountain” no matter how prepared or experienced a person is. Like his life, his death was also poetic. He was lost in an avalanche while climbing the Annapurna and was never found. The man of the mountains, went back to the mountains in the end. And maybe this time the mountains let the man have the last word too.
Anatoli Boukreev, one of the world’s greatest mountaineers and most gifted athletes, found home up at high altitude where most people would struggle just to stay alive. His capacity maybe understood by one simple statement, he summited world’s most 8000 meter peaks without supplemental oxygen and in record breaking time, Mt. Everest twice in that list.
But surprisingly, his uniqueness was not his superhuman endurance or extraordinary climbing ability, rather his poetic view on life, his idea of significance of human endeavors and his never lasting love for the mountains, any mountain. Through his writing, his appreciation for the high intensity training and the joy of rest of the fatigued soul shines through. But above all, he portrays the significance and the priceless value of human life which have been lost many times on high mountains just by overestimating one’s ability or underestimating the all-consuming power of the mountain itself.
This book is a narration of the life of an extra ordinary man who thought of himself nothing more than a sincere devotee and admirer of the mountains. The infamous 1996 Everest expedition made him popular for all the wrong reasons, although in that expedition he performed an unimaginable rescue work under a fatal blizzard that took the life of 8 people in one night. Anatoli was a man who believed with his heart that “the last word will always belong to the mountain” no matter how prepared or experienced a person is. Like his life, his death was also poetic. He was lost in an avalanche while climbing the Annapurna and was never found. The man of the mountains, went back to the mountains in the end. And maybe this time the mountains let the man have the last word too.
Read
April 9, 2020Born in Mayak, Russia, in 1958, Boukreev became one of the world's greatest mountain climbers. But while his accomplishments included 21 ascents of 11 of the world's 14 highest mountains, Boukreev became known to the general public only after his work as a guide on a disastrous Mt. Everest climb was described in less than glowing terms in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. Boukreev's coauthored bestselling account of the tragedy, The Climb, was an attempt to set the record straight. This new posthumous collection is a series of narratives Boukreev wrote between 1987 and his death climbing Annapurna in 1997; it stands as an excellent addition to The Climb and as one of the most revealing and tough-minded descriptions of the life of a mountain climber. Three themes dominate the essays: the spiritual beauty and power of the mountains, the increasing commercialization of mountain climbing and the necessity for rigorous training by people (pros and newcomers alike) who want to climb the big mountains. The accounts—collected and edited by his companion Linda Wylie—capture Boukreev's thoughts during an often troubled period: by 1989, at the height of his powers, Boukreev had received the highest sports honors in Soviet history, but when the Soviet Union collapsed, Boukreev was forced to move to America, where he made his living as a guide for wealthy patrons on private climbing adventures—including the terrible Mt. Everest trip , which haunted him until he died i'm sure you would find the book thrilling
December 3, 2011
After reading Krakauer's Into Thin Air, it is so good to know the real story about Anatoli, when reading Above the Clouds!
He is a good honest individual and I respect the way he does things and also his attitude.
He writes as if to take you along on his journeys on the mountains.
And he was not a bad guide.
He just guided the way he knew how.
It was different from some standards.
I could even say Scott Fischer could have had a hand in it; he did not spell out the expectations he had of Anatoli. Also, that language barrier could not have helped.
Anatoli had some good advice on climbing but could not give it because of the language barrier, and perhaps, (not sure this is it, either)from feeling like he was not really part of the group.
He is a good honest individual and I respect the way he does things and also his attitude.
He writes as if to take you along on his journeys on the mountains.
And he was not a bad guide.
He just guided the way he knew how.
It was different from some standards.
I could even say Scott Fischer could have had a hand in it; he did not spell out the expectations he had of Anatoli. Also, that language barrier could not have helped.
Anatoli had some good advice on climbing but could not give it because of the language barrier, and perhaps, (not sure this is it, either)from feeling like he was not really part of the group.
June 4, 2020
A great insight into the life of one of the world's most accomplished high altitude mountain climbers. The book is derived from his diaries that he wrote after his climbs. I truly enjoyed his insight into the training, and his training for the mountains. The 1996 disaster is explained, and Anatoli did the unimaginable in what he humanly could do, and even that, haunted him. I truly enjoyed this book from cover to cover. A tribute to a man that only wanted to be in the mountains.
May 14, 2017
I can't find the words to describe how sad this made me. I keep writing and deleting, so I think I'll just stop trying
April 8, 2025
"Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion."
4,5
I really enjoyed this especially after reading Climbing High last year! These are Anatolis own words talking about his climbing expeditions and, yes, about the 1996 Everest disaster as well although that is not the main focus. More than that it focuses on his life philosophy and how he saw the world as an high altitude mountaineer. Obviously Climbing High is arguably more entertaining or I guess thrilling, following a distinct narrative of one event but Anatolis journals are way more personal, showing his personality and many of his thoughts on climbing and nature.
4,5
I really enjoyed this especially after reading Climbing High last year! These are Anatolis own words talking about his climbing expeditions and, yes, about the 1996 Everest disaster as well although that is not the main focus. More than that it focuses on his life philosophy and how he saw the world as an high altitude mountaineer. Obviously Climbing High is arguably more entertaining or I guess thrilling, following a distinct narrative of one event but Anatolis journals are way more personal, showing his personality and many of his thoughts on climbing and nature.
July 1, 2021
To climb only as a means of ego gratification is stupid, though for humans that is a compelling reason.
I read Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and was immediately obsessed with Everest memoirs. I couldn’t tell you why. I could say it’s the drama that thrills me. The strangeness of the landscape and the impotence of earthly ambition against the indifferent skies. How a situation can change in a second with no foreshadowing. Maybe I could say it’s the excellent writing? Probably not though. Probably it’s just a ghoulish fascination with other people’s suffering. Since I can’t bring myself to read MisLit this is my only outlet!
As most of you no doubt know, Krakauer was none too complimentary about brooding antihero, Anatoli Boukreev. Wherever I searched to indulge my morbid curiosity over the 1996 Everest disaster I would find the ardent members of Team Boukreev shouting his praises. Boukreev was framed! They said. Slandered! They cried. I knew Krakauer was not an impartial narrator and since I am now, as I said, obsessed, I’ve been reading even the most distantly related wikipedia page and talking to anyone fool enough to listen about my favourite character ANATOLI BOUKREEV. Altruistic hero or glory seeking villain?
Well, soon it came to pass that one of my victims wedged this book (hard back) into my mouth to shut me up and so here I am reviewing it. I thought it was OK. It was poetic and in some places gave an interesting insight into Boukreev’s motivations and ambitions as a world class mountaineer. In places it felt apologetic or excusatory, especially if one has spent many nights reading specific criticisms of his actions.
If you’re here looking for answers I think this book makes it quite clear that when you’re up a hill you make decisions and if you’re lucky you get walk down and spend a long time thinking about what led you to make those decisions. None of us without elite high altitude mountaineering experience can judge them.
March 19, 2012
"Returning to the Everest region always brings me a feeling of relief, for I love the mountains...Such majesty is humbling, and one is reminded of how small humans are in the scheme of things."
This book inspires me for its honesty and its passion. Anatoli Boukreev shared his life as a world-class high-altitude mountaineer. He grappled with the loss of national identity as the USSR collapses in the late 1980's. His love for mountaineering continued, and in his notes and journals, he longed for the "peaks that prop the Tibetan sky." This was especially true after the controversy surrounding the disastrous climb to Mount Everest in 1996, which claimed the life of his American friend Scott Fischer. In these pages, Anatoli searches his soul, and instead of seeing the evil Russian villain presented in Jon Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air, we witness a gentle giant who literally died for the mountains that he loved.
This book inspires me for its honesty and its passion. Anatoli Boukreev shared his life as a world-class high-altitude mountaineer. He grappled with the loss of national identity as the USSR collapses in the late 1980's. His love for mountaineering continued, and in his notes and journals, he longed for the "peaks that prop the Tibetan sky." This was especially true after the controversy surrounding the disastrous climb to Mount Everest in 1996, which claimed the life of his American friend Scott Fischer. In these pages, Anatoli searches his soul, and instead of seeing the evil Russian villain presented in Jon Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air, we witness a gentle giant who literally died for the mountains that he loved.
August 11, 2020
A fantastic glimpse of the famously quiet and misunderstood "tolya," who prevented the deaths (or actively saved from death) many climbers during his career as a climber.
Anatoli's public image suffered after the 1996 disaster when armchair climbers judged this incredible man for not saving more people. He condemned himself constantly for not doing more, as he did on other expeditions where he felt that his financial situation or his poor english made his expertise less appetizing.
There's a word for demanding too much of those we idolize and perceive as superhuman, and eventually killing them with our pressure and constant demands that they save us. This is what the world did to Anatoli, in my opinion after reading his journals from 1980-1997. The world consumed Anatoli Boukreev and made his life difficult, just as it has done to countless great men and women before and since.
Anatoli's public image suffered after the 1996 disaster when armchair climbers judged this incredible man for not saving more people. He condemned himself constantly for not doing more, as he did on other expeditions where he felt that his financial situation or his poor english made his expertise less appetizing.
There's a word for demanding too much of those we idolize and perceive as superhuman, and eventually killing them with our pressure and constant demands that they save us. This is what the world did to Anatoli, in my opinion after reading his journals from 1980-1997. The world consumed Anatoli Boukreev and made his life difficult, just as it has done to countless great men and women before and since.
Read
October 7, 2015SOME OF THE INTERESTED IN MOUNT EVEREST MEMERS SHOULD READ ABOVE THE CLOUDS AND WIFE ANATOLI BOUKREEV WITH ME. IN ADDITION TO THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBING STUFF AND HIS THOUGHTS ON 1996, THERE IS ALSO A LOT ABOUT THE USSR BREAKING APART AND HOW IT AFFECTED HIM. HE COMES OFF SO DIFFERENTLY WRITING IN HIS FIRST LANGUAGE, AND HE TALKS ABOUT ALMOAST NOT EVEN WANTING TO CLIMB MOUNTAINS BUT BEING COMPELLED TO DO IT ANYWAY.
READ IT AND COME BACK AND DD! HONESTLY SOME OF HIS WRITING IS RLY BEAUTIFUL. MY HEART BREAKS FOR HIM WHEN HE'S CLIMBING IN INAPPROPRIATE SHOES BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL HE'S GOT, AND WHEN HE GOES TO AMERICA AND JUST CAN'T FUCKING BELIEVE ALL THE GEAR THAT'S AVAILABLE.
READ IT AND COME BACK AND DD! HONESTLY SOME OF HIS WRITING IS RLY BEAUTIFUL. MY HEART BREAKS FOR HIM WHEN HE'S CLIMBING IN INAPPROPRIATE SHOES BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL HE'S GOT, AND WHEN HE GOES TO AMERICA AND JUST CAN'T FUCKING BELIEVE ALL THE GEAR THAT'S AVAILABLE.
March 26, 2023
A soulful account of the feats of a pioneering mountaineer. Amongst the descriptions of his climbs are philosophical musings on the purpose of climbing at high-altitude, the psychological pull of mountain summits, the fragility of human life in inhospitable environments, and the life lessons reaped from physical and mental challenges. His intoxicating love for the mountains is balanced by his appreciation of the dangerousness of his endeavours. I only wish the diary entries were fuller so that there was more to read about his extraordinary mountaineering journey.
December 27, 2021
24 years ago yesterday, Anatoli Boukreev was swept away in an avalanche during his attempt to summit Annapurna at age 39. He is one of my climbing heroes because when you read his writing, he seems so genuine, focused, he’s got a vision of what he wants his life in the mountains to be like and makes steps towards it, sometimes struggling or moving in the wrong direction for a bit before redirecting. He had this highly respectable moral code and his climbing evidently had this magnetic pull on him. The collapse of the Soviet Union really pulled the rug out from under him in the Kazakh climbing scene and he had to find new ways to chase the financial support he needed to make a life pushing himself to his limits in the high peaks. Finding a way to make money in the mountains grated on him, he did not seem to want to sell himself and was highly conflicted about guiding unprepared hikers into high altitude zones.
When he died, Anatoli was attempting what would have been his 12th of the world’s 14 8000m peaks. He was a strong, safe climber and I have no doubt he would have completed the set if he only had to rely on his own skills and hadn’t had to worry about external hazards like avalanche - but those hazards can never be separated from his sport and he always knew that. He still went to the “cathedral” of the high peaks to worship, not to conquer them, but just to become as high as them for a short moment.
When he died, Anatoli was attempting what would have been his 12th of the world’s 14 8000m peaks. He was a strong, safe climber and I have no doubt he would have completed the set if he only had to rely on his own skills and hadn’t had to worry about external hazards like avalanche - but those hazards can never be separated from his sport and he always knew that. He still went to the “cathedral” of the high peaks to worship, not to conquer them, but just to become as high as them for a short moment.
September 28, 2021
Above the Clouds Goes Above and Beyond Expectations
This book is excellent reading for "armchair enthusiasts,” serious mountaineers, or anyone in between. Before reading this book, I did not even know who Anatoli was. Now, I see him as one of the true great mountaineers. I really related to his feelings for the mountains, and I share many of his philosophies regarding climbing. Reaching the summit is not success; to be successful, you must make it safely down. Even if Mallory and Irvine reached the summit of Everest, they didn't achieve success by living to tell about it.
As a mountaineer and author, myself, I was incredibly pleased how easy I could relate to Anatoli's feelings and philosophies about the sport of mountaineering. On page 123 he states that he treated the mountains "like cathedrals where worship gives you strength and strips off the scale of ordinary life." He also told a different version of the accounts of the disastrous climbing month in May 1996 on Mt. Everest, which catapulted high altitude mountaineering to the front pages of newspapers around the world. I still view Reinhold Messner as the best mountaineer of all time, but had Anatoli lived longer he would have surely closed the gap.
TJ Burr
Mountaineer/Author
"Rocky Mountain Adventure Collection"
This book is excellent reading for "armchair enthusiasts,” serious mountaineers, or anyone in between. Before reading this book, I did not even know who Anatoli was. Now, I see him as one of the true great mountaineers. I really related to his feelings for the mountains, and I share many of his philosophies regarding climbing. Reaching the summit is not success; to be successful, you must make it safely down. Even if Mallory and Irvine reached the summit of Everest, they didn't achieve success by living to tell about it.
As a mountaineer and author, myself, I was incredibly pleased how easy I could relate to Anatoli's feelings and philosophies about the sport of mountaineering. On page 123 he states that he treated the mountains "like cathedrals where worship gives you strength and strips off the scale of ordinary life." He also told a different version of the accounts of the disastrous climbing month in May 1996 on Mt. Everest, which catapulted high altitude mountaineering to the front pages of newspapers around the world. I still view Reinhold Messner as the best mountaineer of all time, but had Anatoli lived longer he would have surely closed the gap.
TJ Burr
Mountaineer/Author
"Rocky Mountain Adventure Collection"
December 31, 2020
Fabulous read. RIP Anatili, thank you for your stories and wonderfully sketching the mountains, your thoughts and heartache.
Above the clouds - diary of a high altitude mountaineer. I absolute loved this book. You think you know the definition of passion, you haven't read this book. Pure passion and endurance.
Favourite quotes
"I am a sportsman, and for me a mountaintop is not worth the sacrifice of my life."
Who has gone far away, experiencing the pain of separation, and not known the joy of homecoming?
For a human to appreciate the mundane, habitual features of life, they must lose them for a while.
After years of self-analysis, I know that the ability to fall asleep after hard work is an indication that my body is properly adjusting to the altitude.
Men and women are judged not for what they have or where they come from, but who they are in hard circumstances.
Above the clouds - diary of a high altitude mountaineer. I absolute loved this book. You think you know the definition of passion, you haven't read this book. Pure passion and endurance.
Favourite quotes
"I am a sportsman, and for me a mountaintop is not worth the sacrifice of my life."
Who has gone far away, experiencing the pain of separation, and not known the joy of homecoming?
For a human to appreciate the mundane, habitual features of life, they must lose them for a while.
After years of self-analysis, I know that the ability to fall asleep after hard work is an indication that my body is properly adjusting to the altitude.
Men and women are judged not for what they have or where they come from, but who they are in hard circumstances.
January 10, 2020
Dağlar benim başarıya dönük tutkularımı tatmin edeceğim arenalar değildir. Onlar çok büyük ve saf katedrallerdir. Onlar benim dinimin ibadethanesidir. Ben dağları insanların tapındığı yer gibi görürüm. Onların sunağı üzerinde kendimi bedenen ve ruhen mükemmelleştirmeye uğraşırım. Onların karşısında yaşamımı anlamaya, kibirden, açgözlülükten ve korkudan arınmaya çalışırım. Onların yüce zirvelerinden b baktığımda geçmişimi görür, geleceğimi hayal eder ve sıra dışı bir duyarlılıkla bu anı yaşarım. Bu, mücadele gücümü tazeler ve görüşümü netleştirir. Dağlardayken, yaratılmış olmamı kutlarım. Çünkü her tırmanışta yeniden doğmuş gibi olurum.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2020
Interesting books where biography, history and diary are merged into one. Boukreev is mostly know as a one-dimensional Russian bad guy, due to Jon Krakauer's opinions about Everest 1996. This book shows there is much more to Boukreev than this one sided account: he was a top high altitude climber who climbed many mountains, but also a man who struggled with the downfall of the USSR, his new position in the world and the search for meaning in his life. All-in-all a very interesting read. 4 stars.
January 13, 2023
A glorious book! Despite the fact that I'm afraid to go on hotel balconies above the 12th floor, there is nothing I enjoy more than escaping to 8,000 meters in the Himalayas while other people battle -70 degree temperatures, 80 mph winds, snow avalanches, blizzards, falling rock and worst of all....dehydration. A tremendous experience while on my rocking chair with a hot coffee, black.
Above the Clouds....Five Stars!
Above the Clouds....Five Stars!
March 10, 2015
Better than Krakauer's silly account,
Some of the photos are just mug shots,
but others are really great.
Best photo I've seen of Everest from south col to Hillary step & summit.
and many other really good photos
Some of the photos are just mug shots,
but others are really great.
Best photo I've seen of Everest from south col to Hillary step & summit.
and many other really good photos
July 9, 2025
It was in 2013; I read about Anatoli Boukreev in a book. This book - Into thin Air by Jon Krakauer made him a villain. Intrigued by the story of 1996 Everest Disaster, I got hooked to reading more books about the disaster. The second book was “Left for dead” by Beck Weathers, whom Anatoli had rescued in the death zone. This is where I started admiring Anatoli. The Climb was an obvious choice for next read. I wanted to know more about Anatoli. When I searched, I found this book, “Above the clouds – The Diaries of a High-Altitude Mountaineer”.
Well, it’s not an autobiography, definitely not a biography but just a lot pages of journals from several expeditions. Expeditions which Anatoli was either just a team member, or climbing leader or a personal guide.
What had fascinated me about Anatoli was his philosophy of climbing. He says,” Mountains are not Stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion.”
Anatoli met his ultimate destiny at Annapurna in December 1997 and the book was published posthumously. He was a sports climber meaning he climbed without bottled oxygen. I often wondered how did he manage that. This book answered most of my questions. He was a Kazakh mountaineer, trained in the mountaineering schools of Undivided USSR during his early days. This book gives details about his grooming, training and strict discipline as a mountaineer.
Although he is more famous or infamous about 1996 disaster and rescue in death zone, one cannot ignore he had spent close to 48 hours in the death zone. He was also stranded in whiteout for about 5 hours. But this was not the first time he rescued people at such high altitude. He had done it just 6 months earlier in December 1995 at Manaslu when he had rescued 2 Kazakh climbers along with his team member Shafkat Gataullin.
This book turned out to be more of personal guidance to me as I guide / lead people in the mountains, both Sahyadri and the Himalayas. He writes about his fears and thoughts about guiding less experienced people who feel entitled due to the power of money. He mentions that Climbing as a guide is about three times more difficult than going alone.
Since this book is more of journal entries of various other expeditions, it was a serious read for me. I enjoyed but not everyone will like it.
Well, it’s not an autobiography, definitely not a biography but just a lot pages of journals from several expeditions. Expeditions which Anatoli was either just a team member, or climbing leader or a personal guide.
What had fascinated me about Anatoli was his philosophy of climbing. He says,” Mountains are not Stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion.”
Anatoli met his ultimate destiny at Annapurna in December 1997 and the book was published posthumously. He was a sports climber meaning he climbed without bottled oxygen. I often wondered how did he manage that. This book answered most of my questions. He was a Kazakh mountaineer, trained in the mountaineering schools of Undivided USSR during his early days. This book gives details about his grooming, training and strict discipline as a mountaineer.
Although he is more famous or infamous about 1996 disaster and rescue in death zone, one cannot ignore he had spent close to 48 hours in the death zone. He was also stranded in whiteout for about 5 hours. But this was not the first time he rescued people at such high altitude. He had done it just 6 months earlier in December 1995 at Manaslu when he had rescued 2 Kazakh climbers along with his team member Shafkat Gataullin.
This book turned out to be more of personal guidance to me as I guide / lead people in the mountains, both Sahyadri and the Himalayas. He writes about his fears and thoughts about guiding less experienced people who feel entitled due to the power of money. He mentions that Climbing as a guide is about three times more difficult than going alone.
Since this book is more of journal entries of various other expeditions, it was a serious read for me. I enjoyed but not everyone will like it.
April 7, 2025
Sono i diari di Anatolij Bukreev. È evidente che egli intendesse scrivere un libro riguardo a tutto ciò che aveva fatto, nonostante ciò ci rimangono solo 200 pagine di frammenti vari, alcuni ben scritti e ultimati, altri invece molto brevi o meno elaborati, dallo scalare la montagna più alta d'America, il Denali in 24 ore alla tragedia dell'Everest in cui fù lasciato da solo a salvare 3 alpinisti (è sempre bene punzecchiare chi ha lanciato la polemica, mentre Anatolij Bukreev bussava ad ogni tenda e chiedeva aiuto agli alpinisti che erano rientrati per prima, ognuno di loro preferì dormire mentre Bukreev fu costretto ad agire da solo nella tempesta e di notte, prendendosi inoltre la ***** mediatica dopo, tuttavia in verità il tempo ha dato ragione a Bukreev che verrà ricordato come l'Eroe, non come il nemico inventato dell'Everest).
Anatolij Bukreev ha vissuto la crisi dopo il Collasso dell'Unione Sovietica e i relativi fondi per le spedizioni della squadra sovietica di alpinismo cancellati, cosa che mise Anatolij in una fase di difficoltà, conoscendo pochissimo l'inglese e non essendo nel famoso ''giro'', il settore privato di delle spedizioni alpinistiche dell'Hmalaya che oggi è al pari di una setta a cui è difficile entrare e di come ad un certo punto cadde addirittura in depressione in quanto la crisi economica e l'incapacità di poter scalare montagne lo stavano distruggendo. Comunque sia egli alla fine riuscì a farsi strada e a guadagnarsi il rispetto di molti.
Ha i tratti dell'avventuriero, non è un fanatico della vita sedentaria e preferisce stare in montagna in una tenda, purtroppo il suo obiettivo, ovvero scalare tutti gli ottomila si è interrotto sull'Annapurna, impossibile però pensare che si sarebbe fermato lì se fosse riuscito nella sua impresa.
Anatolij Bukreev ha vissuto la crisi dopo il Collasso dell'Unione Sovietica e i relativi fondi per le spedizioni della squadra sovietica di alpinismo cancellati, cosa che mise Anatolij in una fase di difficoltà, conoscendo pochissimo l'inglese e non essendo nel famoso ''giro'', il settore privato di delle spedizioni alpinistiche dell'Hmalaya che oggi è al pari di una setta a cui è difficile entrare e di come ad un certo punto cadde addirittura in depressione in quanto la crisi economica e l'incapacità di poter scalare montagne lo stavano distruggendo. Comunque sia egli alla fine riuscì a farsi strada e a guadagnarsi il rispetto di molti.
Ha i tratti dell'avventuriero, non è un fanatico della vita sedentaria e preferisce stare in montagna in una tenda, purtroppo il suo obiettivo, ovvero scalare tutti gli ottomila si è interrotto sull'Annapurna, impossibile però pensare che si sarebbe fermato lì se fosse riuscito nella sua impresa.
October 1, 2025
Yet again I am convinced the world lost someone special with Anatoli's untimely death. I don't agree with all his ideas but that would be due to difference in upbringing. I have great respect for his loyalty to Kazakhstan and his training as a youth and for him wanting other young people to have the same opportunities after the collapse of the USSR. I had no idea he had a degree in physics as well as being an outstanding mountaineer.
His own letters and diaries bring a new depth to how devastated he was by Fisher's death and how hard it was for him to choose to save the clients rather than go for Fisher. Anatoli blamed himself for not being strong enough to save Fisher or Yasuko Namba (not even his client or team) after he had rescued the other 3. He shows nothing but respect for Fisher and Hall and explains how much guiding took out of him vs just climbing himself. Anatoli saved many lives over the years, even aborting his own plans to do so. His concerns re commercial guiding seem to be justified year after year. He was conflicted about making a living guiding when he knew many of the clients had no business being in the death zone.
I credit Anatoli with my sorting myself out because of reading "The Climb" and learning about samochuvstvie. If I hadn't read that book at that time, I would not have realised how much my mental health (PTSD) was impacting my physical health and would not have come out of survival mode in time to find my cancer before it spread (hopefully, not 100% in the clear yet, but I have a chance). I never met Anatoli or went near an 8000 metre peak but I still think he accidentally saved me too and I'm grateful to him. His views of listening to our bodies and looking after them can be applied to all of us better in the modern world. His loyalty to country, friends and family we could also learn from. His honesty we can learn from.
A phenomenal climber and a phenomenal human who did his best to survive in a world which changed rapidly. His confessed limited English made people misunderstand his intentions but he kept trying.
His own letters and diaries bring a new depth to how devastated he was by Fisher's death and how hard it was for him to choose to save the clients rather than go for Fisher. Anatoli blamed himself for not being strong enough to save Fisher or Yasuko Namba (not even his client or team) after he had rescued the other 3. He shows nothing but respect for Fisher and Hall and explains how much guiding took out of him vs just climbing himself. Anatoli saved many lives over the years, even aborting his own plans to do so. His concerns re commercial guiding seem to be justified year after year. He was conflicted about making a living guiding when he knew many of the clients had no business being in the death zone.
I credit Anatoli with my sorting myself out because of reading "The Climb" and learning about samochuvstvie. If I hadn't read that book at that time, I would not have realised how much my mental health (PTSD) was impacting my physical health and would not have come out of survival mode in time to find my cancer before it spread (hopefully, not 100% in the clear yet, but I have a chance). I never met Anatoli or went near an 8000 metre peak but I still think he accidentally saved me too and I'm grateful to him. His views of listening to our bodies and looking after them can be applied to all of us better in the modern world. His loyalty to country, friends and family we could also learn from. His honesty we can learn from.
A phenomenal climber and a phenomenal human who did his best to survive in a world which changed rapidly. His confessed limited English made people misunderstand his intentions but he kept trying.
February 16, 2025
Dopo aver visto il film Aria Sottile ero rimasto perplesso dato che Simone Moro, il noto alpinista italiano, aveva descritto un uomo completamente diverso sul suo libro Cometa sull'Annapurna quindi ho cercato a lungo questo libro che mi ha confermato che Bukreev era un fenomeno assurdo.
La storia di Anatolij Bukreev non è soltanto quella di uno straordinario atleta che divenne uno dei migliori alpinisti himalayani della sua generazione ma è anche quella di chi visse sulla sua pelle gli sconvolgimenti geopolitici che seguirono il collasso dell’Unione Sovietica, costringendolo a diventare prima un accompagnatore e poi una guida di alta quota sempre senza rinnegare la sua grandezza e la sua generosità.
Un posto in cielo é la rielaborazione dei diari di Bukreev da parte della sua compagna Linda Wylie nei quali emerge la personalitá timida e schiva di un uomo rigido con se stesso prima che con gli altri.
La storia di Anatolij Bukreev non è soltanto quella di uno straordinario atleta che divenne uno dei migliori alpinisti himalayani della sua generazione ma è anche quella di chi visse sulla sua pelle gli sconvolgimenti geopolitici che seguirono il collasso dell’Unione Sovietica, costringendolo a diventare prima un accompagnatore e poi una guida di alta quota sempre senza rinnegare la sua grandezza e la sua generosità.
Un posto in cielo é la rielaborazione dei diari di Bukreev da parte della sua compagna Linda Wylie nei quali emerge la personalitá timida e schiva di un uomo rigido con se stesso prima che con gli altri.
November 28, 2025
Much better than The Climb, but it would be a better book without the long, eye-roll inducing foreword by another of the people that seem to have formed a cult devoted to the martyrdom of Anatoli Boukreev.
The man himself actually seems like a pretty good egg with some good self-insights. After reading Ed Viesturs's book it feels astounding that Anatoli survived as long as he did, given the risks he took, but luck plays a big role in addition to skill on the big mountains.
There are some really interesting insights into the breakup of the USSR and he has a hilarious dig at Americans after guiding Denali once: "The only way I can explain such slow progress is that the Americans sit too long and don't climb in bad weather."
Also shoutout to the introvertism of Russians: "An uninvited guest is worse than a Tartar."
The man himself actually seems like a pretty good egg with some good self-insights. After reading Ed Viesturs's book it feels astounding that Anatoli survived as long as he did, given the risks he took, but luck plays a big role in addition to skill on the big mountains.
There are some really interesting insights into the breakup of the USSR and he has a hilarious dig at Americans after guiding Denali once: "The only way I can explain such slow progress is that the Americans sit too long and don't climb in bad weather."
Also shoutout to the introvertism of Russians: "An uninvited guest is worse than a Tartar."
August 4, 2025
Anatoli Boukreev was all but forgotten by me until my recent travels to Almaty, Kazakhstan. I happend upon a special exhibition at the Central State Museum of Kazakhstan (June 2025) and was once again captivated by his story. Having spent some time in both the Rockies and Tien Shan it was fun to think about common experiences we've had. I haven't been over 4400 meters so can only imagine his level of fitness and endurance to accomplish his mountaineering feats. The K2 story alone is worth the read.
September 12, 2025
Only finished about half the book so can't say if it gets better, but was rather disappointed. Compared to 'The Climb', this book lacks a central story. I very still respect Antoli as a mountaineer as well as his philosophy and sage wisdom towards safety in the mountains. However, there were too many short stories with little emotional grip. It felt like someone giving a flat tone monologue of what happened versus delving into the significant/emotional impact of each expeditions. Perhaps this is reflective of Antoli's poor English and stoic calm nature.
November 16, 2024
3.5/5 einfach das Tagebuch eines Bergsteigers. Sehr imposant natürlich und ich kann garnicht fassen wie unfassbar mental tough es sein muss, so viele 8000er und das auch noch ohne Sauerstoff zu besteigen. Der Inhalt war also krass aber das Buch an sich nicht so, beyond possible war deutlich besser geschrieben! Würde ich nicht weiterempfehlen…
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews