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The Next Everest: Surviving the Mountain's Deadliest Day and Finding the Resilience to Climb Again
A dramatic account of the deadly avalanche on Everest—and a return to reach the summit.On April 25, 2015, Jim Davidson was climbing Mount Everest when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake released avalanches all around him and his team, destroying their only escape route and trapping them at nearly 20,000 feet. It was the largest earthquake in Nepal in eighty-one years and killed nearly 8,900 people. That day also became the deadliest in the history of Everest, with eighteen people losing their lives on the mountain.After spending two unsettling days stranded on Everest, Davidson's team was rescued by helicopter. The experience left him shaken, and despite his thirty-three years of climbing and serving as an expedition leader, he wasn’t sure that he would ever go back. But in the face of risk and uncertainty, he returned in 2017 and finally achieved his dream of reaching the summit.Suspenseful and engrossing, The Next Everest portrays the experience of living through the biggest disaster to ever hit the mountain. Davidson's background in geology and environmental science makes him uniquely qualified to explain why the seismic threats lurking beneath Nepal are even greater today. But this story is not about “conquering” the world’s highest peak. Instead, it reveals how embracing change, challenge, and uncertainty prepares anyone to face their next “Everest” in life.
412 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 20, 2021
218 people are currently reading
8362 people want to read
About the author
Jim Davidson
34 books110 followersJim Davidson is a climber and international speaker who shares resilience lessons from a lifetime of mountain adventures. He was trapped on Mount Everest during the deadly 2015 earthquake, summited Everest in 2017, and has been a climber and expedition leader for 39 years. Jim also coauthored the New York Times bestselling adventure and survival memoir, The Ledge.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 254 reviews
February 20, 2021
Having trained his whole life to tackle Mount Everest, on April 15th, 2015 veteran climber Jim Davidson found himself on the mountain when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake would strike resulting in the deadliest day in its history. Escaping intact, Jim would spend the next two years wondering if his dream was over. Could he make another attempt? Was his age catching up with him? To even consider attempting the mountain a second time is a monumental task - especially having luckily escaped its deadliest day. Davidson struggled with the decision of whether or not to return to Everest. It wasn’t easy. But when you were on the cusp of a dream, it’s sometimes harder to let it slip through your fingers than to try again.
I love a good adventure story. It’s no secret that I enjoy reading about folks traveling to remote and uninhabitable locations – I mean, I think I’ve read half a dozen books about Arctic exploration alone. When I saw this one up for review on Netgalley, it immediately grabbed my attention. Having read what many consider the definitive Everest book in Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air a few years ago, I wondered if Davidson’s account would provide me with something new or would it simply be a re-tread of familiar territory?
Davidson’s story is a different one. While both books deal with disasters taking place on Everest (Krakauer’s being a storm), Davidson’s is also tied to his personal history and his seemingly endless tank of resilience when faced with challenges. Being on Everest while an earthquake struck isn’t the only setback he experienced while mountaineering over the years. I won’t spoil it, but Davidson has a wealth of experience of finding the courage to get back up when life knocks you down.
I came away from this book feeling inspired, to say the least. Considering Davidson is a keynote motivational speaker, this perfectly fits the bill. Normally, I enjoy reading before I go to bed and it’s not often that a book will keep me up late when I’m actually hoping that it will tire out my eyes. The Next Everest did indeed keep me up past my bedtime as I just had to know what happened next. The mark of a true page turner.
I love a good adventure story. It’s no secret that I enjoy reading about folks traveling to remote and uninhabitable locations – I mean, I think I’ve read half a dozen books about Arctic exploration alone. When I saw this one up for review on Netgalley, it immediately grabbed my attention. Having read what many consider the definitive Everest book in Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air a few years ago, I wondered if Davidson’s account would provide me with something new or would it simply be a re-tread of familiar territory?
Davidson’s story is a different one. While both books deal with disasters taking place on Everest (Krakauer’s being a storm), Davidson’s is also tied to his personal history and his seemingly endless tank of resilience when faced with challenges. Being on Everest while an earthquake struck isn’t the only setback he experienced while mountaineering over the years. I won’t spoil it, but Davidson has a wealth of experience of finding the courage to get back up when life knocks you down.
I came away from this book feeling inspired, to say the least. Considering Davidson is a keynote motivational speaker, this perfectly fits the bill. Normally, I enjoy reading before I go to bed and it’s not often that a book will keep me up late when I’m actually hoping that it will tire out my eyes. The Next Everest did indeed keep me up past my bedtime as I just had to know what happened next. The mark of a true page turner.
October 16, 2021
Eh, it's a solid 3.5? But I've read a lot of Everest books and specifically I adore Into Thin Air so my bar is high. The pacing really drags in parts, bogged down by repetitive minutia and I wished more than once for an editor to have reined in the narrative places, by explaining "hey once you've painstakingly described and explained going through the ice fields or circling the alter and so on, you can skip that with a short line of transition in other spots." This is essentially a painstaking blow-by-blow of two trips to Everest with a draggy middle about training (interesting enough, but needed trimming, or may not have felt draggy if the first half had been trimmed), with some attempts at narrative theming/personal touches by jumping back and forth in time to impart lessons learned and taken onto this trip. There I felt the editor's hand, but those parts, again, dragged a little. I just don't care about painting that much.
I mean it is what it is: a straightforward, slightly myopic memoir. That's ok--just know that's what it is. I kept expecting/wanting more context about Everest--the history, quirks, sharper edges, but the book skirts those things repeatedly. I fared OK because I've read pretty much every book about the 1996 disaster and watched a ton of documentaries--but things I missed was more about the history, the issues/politics/implications of how rich Westerners dominate this ridiculous pursuit (ie: Western/wealthy entitlement, putting sherpa lives in danger, etc.), information about North face vs. South (Nepal vs. Tibet), etc.
But it wasn't bad! I just had to push myself forward at some points, much like Davidson at high altitude, where I've never had an issue propelling myself through any other disaster memoir. Many sections were riveting, however. The pacing in the final third was fantastic--edge of your seat stuff.
I mean it is what it is: a straightforward, slightly myopic memoir. That's ok--just know that's what it is. I kept expecting/wanting more context about Everest--the history, quirks, sharper edges, but the book skirts those things repeatedly. I fared OK because I've read pretty much every book about the 1996 disaster and watched a ton of documentaries--but things I missed was more about the history, the issues/politics/implications of how rich Westerners dominate this ridiculous pursuit (ie: Western/wealthy entitlement, putting sherpa lives in danger, etc.), information about North face vs. South (Nepal vs. Tibet), etc.
But it wasn't bad! I just had to push myself forward at some points, much like Davidson at high altitude, where I've never had an issue propelling myself through any other disaster memoir. Many sections were riveting, however. The pacing in the final third was fantastic--edge of your seat stuff.
April 30, 2023
The Next Everest: Surviving the Mountain's Deadliest Day and Finding the Resilience to Climb Again is a powerful memoir by Jim Davidson. I listened to it on audiobook and Tim Campbell did a fabulous job of narration. The audiobook is interspersed with Go Pro audio recordings from Jim Campbell during his Everest climbs.
Davidson grew up working at his father's painting company as a teenager and college student. He is fearless about heights because he often painted church steeples and electrical towers. His father shared great life and leadership lessons while they worked together.
Davidson is motivated to mountain climb because he "seeks awe." His first trip to climb Mt. Everest was in 2015. He was at 20,000 feet when Nepal experienced a 7.8 earthquake that killed 9,000 people including 18 who were on Mt. Everest. There continued to be large earthquake tremors which closed the route to climb down the mountain. Forty hours after the earthquake, a helicopter rescue saved Davidson and those climbing with him. Right in the midst of this natural disaster, several media outlets (ABC, NBC, CNN and others) wanted Davidson to conduct interviews while stranded on Everest. Weather conditions, poor cellular connections, and the need to conserve personal energy hampered the media frenzy.
Davidson does a phenomenal job sharing personal and professional experiences throughout the book, including the death of his hiking partner, Mike Price, when they both fell into a crevasse while hiking together at Mt. Rainer.
Davidson shares poignant memories and moments about his wife and two children and the impact of his passion for climbing. To prepare for to ascend Mt. Everest, it takes 23 - 60 days on the mountain as well as 900 hours of training and climbing other mountains in advance of summiting Everest.
One of the messages his son wrote to him to be read while on Everest gave the advice that his son received from his hockey coach, "Keep your skates moving." Davidson took this advice to heart and rephrased it to be "Keep your booths moving." This helped him continue climbing when he was feeling incredibly exhausted.
This book touched me greatly because I grew up in Colorado and Davidson lives in Colorado. The majestic Rocky Mountains include 25 mountain peaks that are over 14,000 feet tall (known as fourteeners). I grew up at the base of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak inspires my soul. My husband lived near Aspen and the mountain that sings to his soul is Maroon Peak, known as the Maroon Bells.
We have lived in the Seattle area for the past five years and the Cascade Mountains are phenomenal. Mt. Rainer is the only fourteener and it is glorious! Mt. Adams, Mt. Baker, Mt. Saint Helens and many other mountains create the spectacular beauty of the PNW.
Davidson's book shares several tales of deaths of mountain climbers, including the death of Swiss climbing legend, Ueli Steed, who was climbing on a nearby peak while Davidson was scaling Everest the second time. A family friend of ours died at the age of 42 while ice climbing. All climbing enthusiasts face the possibility of danger, injury, and death.
Davidson's mantra, "I have to do more, become more, than I ever did before, in order to grow" sums up the message of his life and this book.
Davidson grew up working at his father's painting company as a teenager and college student. He is fearless about heights because he often painted church steeples and electrical towers. His father shared great life and leadership lessons while they worked together.
Davidson is motivated to mountain climb because he "seeks awe." His first trip to climb Mt. Everest was in 2015. He was at 20,000 feet when Nepal experienced a 7.8 earthquake that killed 9,000 people including 18 who were on Mt. Everest. There continued to be large earthquake tremors which closed the route to climb down the mountain. Forty hours after the earthquake, a helicopter rescue saved Davidson and those climbing with him. Right in the midst of this natural disaster, several media outlets (ABC, NBC, CNN and others) wanted Davidson to conduct interviews while stranded on Everest. Weather conditions, poor cellular connections, and the need to conserve personal energy hampered the media frenzy.
Davidson does a phenomenal job sharing personal and professional experiences throughout the book, including the death of his hiking partner, Mike Price, when they both fell into a crevasse while hiking together at Mt. Rainer.
Davidson shares poignant memories and moments about his wife and two children and the impact of his passion for climbing. To prepare for to ascend Mt. Everest, it takes 23 - 60 days on the mountain as well as 900 hours of training and climbing other mountains in advance of summiting Everest.
One of the messages his son wrote to him to be read while on Everest gave the advice that his son received from his hockey coach, "Keep your skates moving." Davidson took this advice to heart and rephrased it to be "Keep your booths moving." This helped him continue climbing when he was feeling incredibly exhausted.
This book touched me greatly because I grew up in Colorado and Davidson lives in Colorado. The majestic Rocky Mountains include 25 mountain peaks that are over 14,000 feet tall (known as fourteeners). I grew up at the base of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak inspires my soul. My husband lived near Aspen and the mountain that sings to his soul is Maroon Peak, known as the Maroon Bells.
We have lived in the Seattle area for the past five years and the Cascade Mountains are phenomenal. Mt. Rainer is the only fourteener and it is glorious! Mt. Adams, Mt. Baker, Mt. Saint Helens and many other mountains create the spectacular beauty of the PNW.
Davidson's book shares several tales of deaths of mountain climbers, including the death of Swiss climbing legend, Ueli Steed, who was climbing on a nearby peak while Davidson was scaling Everest the second time. A family friend of ours died at the age of 42 while ice climbing. All climbing enthusiasts face the possibility of danger, injury, and death.
Davidson's mantra, "I have to do more, become more, than I ever did before, in order to grow" sums up the message of his life and this book.
January 22, 2021
“Mountaineering is a form of moving meditation.” — Jim Davidson
THE NEXT EVEREST is a harrowing true story of how climber Davidson survived a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that set off avalanches across the world’s highest peak. It was April 25, 2015, Everest’s worst disaster.
Davidson’s evocative descriptions made me feel I was right beside him, taking one step on perilous ice, then a breath, another step, then another breath, heart racing to three times normal. I recalled climbing the highest point on the Continental Divide, the 14,278-foot Grays Peak in Colorado. Incredibly fit, I still found myself frighteningly breathless. It was summer without ice, just a long steady hike to heaven. I understand why climbers climb.
Yet only the most courageous of them climb Everest. And on that fateful day, disaster trumpeted its arrival, startling Jim from sleep:
“Ice dust thickened the air. When I inhaled, frozen sludge choked my windpipe. I gagged and gasped hard, which sent even more ice daggers down my throat. They scratched and burned and chilled my airway.”
Miraculously, Jim and his team survived and were helicoptered off the mountain two days later, deeply shaken. It took two more years before Jim healed enough psychologically to consider trying again. In 2017, he mounted Everest’s summit.
Why do climbers put themselves at such risk? How could Jim even think about doing Everest again? The questions are eloquently answered in this thrilling memoir that kept me up into the wee smalls. Most highly recommended!
5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 20 Apr 2021
#TheNextEverest #NetGalley
Thanks to Jim, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.
THE NEXT EVEREST is a harrowing true story of how climber Davidson survived a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that set off avalanches across the world’s highest peak. It was April 25, 2015, Everest’s worst disaster.
Davidson’s evocative descriptions made me feel I was right beside him, taking one step on perilous ice, then a breath, another step, then another breath, heart racing to three times normal. I recalled climbing the highest point on the Continental Divide, the 14,278-foot Grays Peak in Colorado. Incredibly fit, I still found myself frighteningly breathless. It was summer without ice, just a long steady hike to heaven. I understand why climbers climb.
Yet only the most courageous of them climb Everest. And on that fateful day, disaster trumpeted its arrival, startling Jim from sleep:
“Ice dust thickened the air. When I inhaled, frozen sludge choked my windpipe. I gagged and gasped hard, which sent even more ice daggers down my throat. They scratched and burned and chilled my airway.”
Miraculously, Jim and his team survived and were helicoptered off the mountain two days later, deeply shaken. It took two more years before Jim healed enough psychologically to consider trying again. In 2017, he mounted Everest’s summit.
Why do climbers put themselves at such risk? How could Jim even think about doing Everest again? The questions are eloquently answered in this thrilling memoir that kept me up into the wee smalls. Most highly recommended!
5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 20 Apr 2021
#TheNextEverest #NetGalley
Thanks to Jim, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.
February 19, 2021
Surviving the Mountain’s Deadliest day and Finding the Resilience to Climb Again
What a stunning true story of adventure, disaster and resilience. Jim Davidson, a high altitude climber shares gripping adventures from summiting Mount Everest, surviving earthquakes, avalanches and escaping alone from deep glacial crevasse.
In April 2015, Jim Davidson was climbing Mount Everest when a 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal. He was stranded above base camp for 40 hours before he was brought to safety but important to him was getting back to base camp and help people get to safety and trying to rebuild. This disaster ended his first attempt to reach the summit. He finally achieved his dream with an estimate of 60 other climbers when he returned two years later.
M. Davidson describes in details his 36 years of climbing experiences and the physical and mental preparation one needs to do. Three keys points he tells us: more training than you have ever done in your life, increase the difficulty and be discipline enough to keep up with it and hit it harder the next time.
“The Next Everest” is said in the first person narrative. Step by step M. Davidson tells us his next move in words filled with emotions. When he describes the tremors and aftershocks, the avalanche and the rumbling noises you can feel in his words how scared he was but in crisis he stayed cool and calmly acted decisively to make things better and safer for everyone. A lot is said in this book, I would say even too much at times such is a lengthy description of human poop...yes even that detailed, although he did tell us to make a point. Every word is vividly said as he describes his ascends and descends in order to reach the summit of the highest peak in the world.
The 2015 tragic incident was well publicized around the word. I remember it so well.
In a few words:
This is a poignant account that captures the true essence of Mount Everest and the resilience of the human spirit. I will let you discover this gem of a book and the treasures it hides....
My thanks to St.Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC: this is the way I see it.
What a stunning true story of adventure, disaster and resilience. Jim Davidson, a high altitude climber shares gripping adventures from summiting Mount Everest, surviving earthquakes, avalanches and escaping alone from deep glacial crevasse.
In April 2015, Jim Davidson was climbing Mount Everest when a 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal. He was stranded above base camp for 40 hours before he was brought to safety but important to him was getting back to base camp and help people get to safety and trying to rebuild. This disaster ended his first attempt to reach the summit. He finally achieved his dream with an estimate of 60 other climbers when he returned two years later.
M. Davidson describes in details his 36 years of climbing experiences and the physical and mental preparation one needs to do. Three keys points he tells us: more training than you have ever done in your life, increase the difficulty and be discipline enough to keep up with it and hit it harder the next time.
“The Next Everest” is said in the first person narrative. Step by step M. Davidson tells us his next move in words filled with emotions. When he describes the tremors and aftershocks, the avalanche and the rumbling noises you can feel in his words how scared he was but in crisis he stayed cool and calmly acted decisively to make things better and safer for everyone. A lot is said in this book, I would say even too much at times such is a lengthy description of human poop...yes even that detailed, although he did tell us to make a point. Every word is vividly said as he describes his ascends and descends in order to reach the summit of the highest peak in the world.
The 2015 tragic incident was well publicized around the word. I remember it so well.
In a few words:
This is a poignant account that captures the true essence of Mount Everest and the resilience of the human spirit. I will let you discover this gem of a book and the treasures it hides....
My thanks to St.Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC: this is the way I see it.
May 14, 2021
Jim Davidson survived one of the deadliest days on Mt. Everest on April 25, 2015. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit while he was climbing Mt. Everest with his team. After his experience, he didn't think he'd ever build up the strength to go back. He finally returned in 2017 to face Mt. Everest once again.
I loved Into Thin Air, so I was really excited when I found out this book was coming out. We get to hear details not only about Jim Davidson's life, but the earthquake as well which was really interesting to learn about. He also dives into the intense training he had to go through before climbing Mt. Everest and what he did differently in terms of training the second time around.
I really enjoyed Jim Davidson's writing and his ability to tell his story by weaving in history and science. He worked as an environmental geologist for 20 years so he knows what he's talking about, and it's easy to understand even if you're not well versed in science.
If you liked Into Thin Air or if you're a fan of memoirs, you'll love this one! I also highly recommend checking out the audiobook, it's easy to listen to and will definitely suck you in! This book totally surpassed my expectations, and I can't wait to see what Jim Davidson comes out with next.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc!
I loved Into Thin Air, so I was really excited when I found out this book was coming out. We get to hear details not only about Jim Davidson's life, but the earthquake as well which was really interesting to learn about. He also dives into the intense training he had to go through before climbing Mt. Everest and what he did differently in terms of training the second time around.
I really enjoyed Jim Davidson's writing and his ability to tell his story by weaving in history and science. He worked as an environmental geologist for 20 years so he knows what he's talking about, and it's easy to understand even if you're not well versed in science.
If you liked Into Thin Air or if you're a fan of memoirs, you'll love this one! I also highly recommend checking out the audiobook, it's easy to listen to and will definitely suck you in! This book totally surpassed my expectations, and I can't wait to see what Jim Davidson comes out with next.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc!
April 30, 2021
Jim Davidson has a unique story to tell. He not only climbed Everest; he was present on the mountain in 2015 when a 7.8 earthquake hit, taking dozens of lives. Jim, of course, did not make it to the summit on that expedition and was forced to return home.
The Next Everest covers this story and, as the title suggests, his return years later and his successful summiting of Everest. Unfortunately, the author's writing wasn't quite up to the task of what should have been a slam dunk adventure and disaster story that engaged me from start to finish. Instead, I found Davidson focused too often on the minuteae of the day to day of climbing or prepping for a climb. He also repeated himself to the point where my eyes glazed and I lost focus.
So, I am glad to have learned about an earthquake I previously knew nothing about. But it's not an entry into the mountaineering and adventuring canon I will return to.
3.5 stars
The Next Everest covers this story and, as the title suggests, his return years later and his successful summiting of Everest. Unfortunately, the author's writing wasn't quite up to the task of what should have been a slam dunk adventure and disaster story that engaged me from start to finish. Instead, I found Davidson focused too often on the minuteae of the day to day of climbing or prepping for a climb. He also repeated himself to the point where my eyes glazed and I lost focus.
So, I am glad to have learned about an earthquake I previously knew nothing about. But it's not an entry into the mountaineering and adventuring canon I will return to.
3.5 stars
April 24, 2021
In 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Nepal. It destroyed villages, killing nearly 9000 people. And it trapped climbers on Mount Everest. The author of this book, Jim Davidson, was on the mountain that day. He spent two days trapped at nearly 20,000 feet not knowing if he and his fellow climbers would live or die. In the end, he and his climbing team were rescued. After the ordeal, he wasn't sure if he could ever return to the mountain. But in 2017 he did....and summitted.
I'm obsessed with Mount Everest. I have to admit it...and the fact that I'm not exactly sure why. I will never climb it...and aspire to one day at least get to see it....but that might not ever happen. There's just something spectacularly beautiful about the mountain. Nature at its most beautifully brutal. The highest point on earth....a point where just taking a step and breathing is all a human being can physically do. Climbers pay a lot of money to travel to the mountain and attempt to summit. I don't care for the tourism side of things. They leave so much waste on the mountain and disrespect a place that for the Sherpa people is a sacred mountain. And too many of the wealthy climbers also disrespect the Sherpa that work so hard to make the mountain accessible. For me, the draw is the mountain itself. I can understand why it is a holy place for the Sherpa. The power and beauty of nature itself rising up to more than 29,000 feet. It just amazes me.
I watch every documentary I find on Mount Everest....and read every book I come across. I was familiar with the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath. I've watched multiple documentaries about the avalanche on Mount Everest that day and the destruction of villages in the region. When I saw this book by Jim Davidson was coming out, I had to read it. And I'm glad I did! Davidson's story of danger, survival and perseverance is mesmerizing!
This book was a total binge read for me. I couldn't put it down. When the book came out, I immediately bought the audio book. This isn't just a story about a disaster in Nepal, but a story about a man's survival and subsequent fight to succeed at a life goal -- summiting the highest peak in the world.
Awesome book!
**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
I'm obsessed with Mount Everest. I have to admit it...and the fact that I'm not exactly sure why. I will never climb it...and aspire to one day at least get to see it....but that might not ever happen. There's just something spectacularly beautiful about the mountain. Nature at its most beautifully brutal. The highest point on earth....a point where just taking a step and breathing is all a human being can physically do. Climbers pay a lot of money to travel to the mountain and attempt to summit. I don't care for the tourism side of things. They leave so much waste on the mountain and disrespect a place that for the Sherpa people is a sacred mountain. And too many of the wealthy climbers also disrespect the Sherpa that work so hard to make the mountain accessible. For me, the draw is the mountain itself. I can understand why it is a holy place for the Sherpa. The power and beauty of nature itself rising up to more than 29,000 feet. It just amazes me.
I watch every documentary I find on Mount Everest....and read every book I come across. I was familiar with the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath. I've watched multiple documentaries about the avalanche on Mount Everest that day and the destruction of villages in the region. When I saw this book by Jim Davidson was coming out, I had to read it. And I'm glad I did! Davidson's story of danger, survival and perseverance is mesmerizing!
This book was a total binge read for me. I couldn't put it down. When the book came out, I immediately bought the audio book. This isn't just a story about a disaster in Nepal, but a story about a man's survival and subsequent fight to succeed at a life goal -- summiting the highest peak in the world.
Awesome book!
**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
July 18, 2021
The tagline "Surviving the Mountain's Deadliest Day" is technically true; Davidson was on Everest on the highest-fatality day in its history. But the avalanche missed him and his team entirely. It seems a bit disingenuous to claim a tragedy that you were only peripheral to. A solid half of his account of the trip seems to be dedicated to the media calls he fielded, the candy bars he ate, and the backstories of other random climbers he encountered.
It's not a terrible book. Even a "boring" day on the slopes of Mount Everest is somewhat interesting, and there were plenty of neat factoids scattered throughout. But The Next Everest's potential gets bogged down by aimless details, flat attempts at emotion, and awkward privilege.
(I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
It's not a terrible book. Even a "boring" day on the slopes of Mount Everest is somewhat interesting, and there were plenty of neat factoids scattered throughout. But The Next Everest's potential gets bogged down by aimless details, flat attempts at emotion, and awkward privilege.
(I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
December 12, 2022
Review: Resilience is a tricky word to either define or describe when it is believed a person has it. Nonetheless, it is the perfect word to describe the adventures on Mount Everest experienced by the author of this book, Jim Davidson. Not only did he survive through a 7.8 magnitude earthquake while ascending Everest in 2015 (it killed approximately 8900 people) but after the quake aborted that attempt to reach the summit, he was determined to try again and did so triumphantly two years later. This book is his memoir of those two events and other parts of his life that led up to them.
The audiobook, which is narrated by Tim Campbell, is very detailed and very descriptive of the earthquake and the two days spent by Davidson and his team awaiting rescue. Even though the reader/listener will know how it ends, it is still very tense and dramatic with twists and setbacks. Davidson also does a wonderful job describing what was going through his mind at the time, especially with the concern about other climbers. He reminds his audience that any loss of life in the climbing community is a painful loss and each time he heard about another death, it is easy to see how he was hurt. That this came through so well with another person doing the narrating shows how good Campbell’s reading of the book is.
Davidson’s return to Everest, while very inspiring, didn’t evoke the same amount of emotion or drama for me, but it was still a very good account of the climb, as was his description of past events in his life that either made him decide to be a climber or shaped the kind of person that he became. He doesn’t talk a lot about his family. The most that he does is when he describes his satellite calls to them while stranded after the quake. These parts of the book didn’t seem to come together as nicely as the passages on the mountain, but nonetheless help the reader/listener put together the total picture of Davidson’s two trips on the world’s tallest peak – a great story of resilience.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
The audiobook, which is narrated by Tim Campbell, is very detailed and very descriptive of the earthquake and the two days spent by Davidson and his team awaiting rescue. Even though the reader/listener will know how it ends, it is still very tense and dramatic with twists and setbacks. Davidson also does a wonderful job describing what was going through his mind at the time, especially with the concern about other climbers. He reminds his audience that any loss of life in the climbing community is a painful loss and each time he heard about another death, it is easy to see how he was hurt. That this came through so well with another person doing the narrating shows how good Campbell’s reading of the book is.
Davidson’s return to Everest, while very inspiring, didn’t evoke the same amount of emotion or drama for me, but it was still a very good account of the climb, as was his description of past events in his life that either made him decide to be a climber or shaped the kind of person that he became. He doesn’t talk a lot about his family. The most that he does is when he describes his satellite calls to them while stranded after the quake. These parts of the book didn’t seem to come together as nicely as the passages on the mountain, but nonetheless help the reader/listener put together the total picture of Davidson’s two trips on the world’s tallest peak – a great story of resilience.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
April 28, 2021
Listening to this story as an audiobook was an absolutely fantastic, thrilling immersive experience! It opens with clips of live footage from Jim Davidson's GoPro camera while at Camp I during the 2015 earthquake that prompted the most deadly avalanche in Everest's history. You can hear the terror in the climbers voices, and wind and helicopter blades in the background. I've been a huge fan of Everest stories since reading Into Thin Air, which prompted me to read all of Jon Krakauer's books and everything written about the Everest accidents in 1996. But I have never listened to an audiobook about Everest, and this one surpassed all my expectations. As an experienced mountaineer myself, I really enjoyed listening to the words of a very experienced climber, for the story of his trips to Everest and other formidable mountains, and for his reflections and thoughts on life and how to move on from this disaster into future climbing and other life experiences.
August 28, 2021
As an arm chair mountaineer it pains me to give this book a bad review, but it was a very disappointing read. As others pointed out there is a pervasive element of self aggrandizing throughout the book that is hard to read past. There was a really interesting story and experience to be shared here, and it wasn't. The author is a geologist that happenned to be on the mountain during the 2015 7.8 magnitude earthquake after all. Instead the writing fell flat, was unorganized, and focused on things that left me scratching my head (i.e., detailed calculations on the number of possible poops on the mountain). It really missed the mark.
September 25, 2021
Davidson is no Krakauer. I love this genre in large part because of Jon Krakauer's brilliant writing. This book is no comparison to the best of adventure /outdoor/nature writing. I almost stopped reading after the first 50 pages. There were so many references to him getting out his GoPro camera and the interviews he did from Everest after the 2015 earthquake that I didn't think I would keep reading. (Seriously, you would think he's paid by the GoPro camera people. There are a LOT of mentions of the damn GoPro camera.) He also goes to great pains to talk about his geology expertise and how he shared that with the presumably well-educated ER doctor on Everest in 2015. He tells her there will be aftershocks. I'm pretty sure that's common earthquake knowledge and not something you need a geology degree to know.
The fact that the true tragedy was that a huge earthquake hit Nepal comes across as an afterthought that someone recommended he added in. The tragedy in 2015 was very certainly not that a privileged middle aged white guy had his adventure trip cancelled, was quickly rescued, and had to reschedule for 2017. And don't worry - he's sure to tell us that his $11,000 climbing permit was extended so he didn't have to pay that again, a fact which was very much not my main concern. Indeed, I think the Nepali government would have been very justified in not extending climbing permits from 2015 to raise funds to aid the earthquake recovery. Davidson acknowledges the real tragedy of the earthquake in passing, but again the emphasis is on his fundraising and charitable efforts not on the suffering on the Nepali people.
The description of finally reaching the summit and the logistics of climbing Mt. Everest are interesting and engaging enough in the latter half of the book. But the attempts at being sentimental and culturally sensitive fall flat (very flat). He mentions, for instance, that he knows the non-Western names for Mt. Everest and suggests that his guide was impressed by this knowledge. I would certainly hope if you're climbing Everest that you're aware of its non-Western names. The motivational bits are even worse. There is a lot of very cliche and lackluster advice like "fear is contagious, but so is confidence" (ugh) and "patience is passive perseverance" (Why is it passive? Again, ugh.) There is also no serious discussion of handling post-traumatic stress aside from his repeated use of the term "post-traumatic growth". If you're looking for a insightful perspective on handling post-traumatic stress, this book does not have it.
He mentions the beginning of the covid pandemic in 2020, but fails to mention that 11 people died trying to climb Everest in the 2019 season and that this led to the Nepali government reconsidering the rules surrounding letting people try to climb Everest. He misses a huge opportunity to talk about the very contentious issue of whether Westerners should still be flocking to the Himalayas to attempt Everest (or other mountains like K2). Many are privileged white people - like Davidson - who pay what are exorbitantly high wages in local terms to get Nepali sherpas to risk their lives getting adventure tourists up the mountain. Is that ethical? There's no serious discussion of this. Davidson does, however, talk about his "spreadshit" defending that Everest is not actually covered in poo and his limited attempt to pick up trash frozen into the ground on Everest while also defending that the mountain is not covered in trash. None of that touches on the central issue of the ethics of the Everest industry.
The whole account goes a long way towards convincing me that middle aged Western white guys (and lots of other rich people too) need to stop setting up Everest as a thing to be conquered for their own vanity. Please: leave the poor mountain alone.
The fact that the true tragedy was that a huge earthquake hit Nepal comes across as an afterthought that someone recommended he added in. The tragedy in 2015 was very certainly not that a privileged middle aged white guy had his adventure trip cancelled, was quickly rescued, and had to reschedule for 2017. And don't worry - he's sure to tell us that his $11,000 climbing permit was extended so he didn't have to pay that again, a fact which was very much not my main concern. Indeed, I think the Nepali government would have been very justified in not extending climbing permits from 2015 to raise funds to aid the earthquake recovery. Davidson acknowledges the real tragedy of the earthquake in passing, but again the emphasis is on his fundraising and charitable efforts not on the suffering on the Nepali people.
The description of finally reaching the summit and the logistics of climbing Mt. Everest are interesting and engaging enough in the latter half of the book. But the attempts at being sentimental and culturally sensitive fall flat (very flat). He mentions, for instance, that he knows the non-Western names for Mt. Everest and suggests that his guide was impressed by this knowledge. I would certainly hope if you're climbing Everest that you're aware of its non-Western names. The motivational bits are even worse. There is a lot of very cliche and lackluster advice like "fear is contagious, but so is confidence" (ugh) and "patience is passive perseverance" (Why is it passive? Again, ugh.) There is also no serious discussion of handling post-traumatic stress aside from his repeated use of the term "post-traumatic growth". If you're looking for a insightful perspective on handling post-traumatic stress, this book does not have it.
He mentions the beginning of the covid pandemic in 2020, but fails to mention that 11 people died trying to climb Everest in the 2019 season and that this led to the Nepali government reconsidering the rules surrounding letting people try to climb Everest. He misses a huge opportunity to talk about the very contentious issue of whether Westerners should still be flocking to the Himalayas to attempt Everest (or other mountains like K2). Many are privileged white people - like Davidson - who pay what are exorbitantly high wages in local terms to get Nepali sherpas to risk their lives getting adventure tourists up the mountain. Is that ethical? There's no serious discussion of this. Davidson does, however, talk about his "spreadshit" defending that Everest is not actually covered in poo and his limited attempt to pick up trash frozen into the ground on Everest while also defending that the mountain is not covered in trash. None of that touches on the central issue of the ethics of the Everest industry.
The whole account goes a long way towards convincing me that middle aged Western white guys (and lots of other rich people too) need to stop setting up Everest as a thing to be conquered for their own vanity. Please: leave the poor mountain alone.
December 29, 2021
2.5 rounded up. I didn't have a good time with this one and found myself just pushing through to finish. I feel like it's a little misleading because, yes, the author was on Everest during a terrible avalanche but he was (fortunately!) evacuated very early (3rd out of 100+ people) and spends most of that portion of the book discussing how many interviews with news outlets he did. It was distracting and I did not care about how many times he spoke with CNN or the Weather Channel.
However, I do love Everest and the stories of people who climb it. The later portion of the book detailing his actual summit was interesting to me because of my baseline interest but doesn't bring anything new to the genre. Overall, an okay read if you're really interested in the topic but there are other ones to try out first.
I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway.
However, I do love Everest and the stories of people who climb it. The later portion of the book detailing his actual summit was interesting to me because of my baseline interest but doesn't bring anything new to the genre. Overall, an okay read if you're really interested in the topic but there are other ones to try out first.
I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway.
December 3, 2021
I've read a few Everest books, with the intent of understanding why someone would risk their lives doing something so utterly foolish. This is not the best of them, there are multiple timelines and the plot scatters without meaning or purpose. Some parts were quite interesting, such as Everest NOT being covered in garbage and poop, ha ha!
April 26, 2021
Audiobook narrated by Tim Campbell and he did a great job. Clear and easy to understand. The author did play some actual audio from the trip and it enhanced the experience.
This was a memoir about a man who’s determined to reach the top of Everest.
Have you heard how dangerous this is? Can you imagine having a family member go? Is it selfish? Do you say goodbye? For good? How do you sleep while they’re gone? OMG! I was holding my breathe the whole time. Danger, danger, danger. That’s all I felt. Whew! I’m glad it’s over and I hope no one even slightly related to me ever tries to go. I’m so glad Covid shut it down. If you love a non fiction adventure then you’ll love this.
Something I didn’t realize:
• that people left trash on the mountain.
• that it feels like you have hangover/drunk because of so little oxygen when you make it to the top!
• That it generally takes over 60 days to do this.
• That you can’t get there without oxygen tanks.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher. I’ve voluntarily given my review.
This was a memoir about a man who’s determined to reach the top of Everest.
Have you heard how dangerous this is? Can you imagine having a family member go? Is it selfish? Do you say goodbye? For good? How do you sleep while they’re gone? OMG! I was holding my breathe the whole time. Danger, danger, danger. That’s all I felt. Whew! I’m glad it’s over and I hope no one even slightly related to me ever tries to go. I’m so glad Covid shut it down. If you love a non fiction adventure then you’ll love this.
Something I didn’t realize:
• that people left trash on the mountain.
• that it feels like you have hangover/drunk because of so little oxygen when you make it to the top!
• That it generally takes over 60 days to do this.
• That you can’t get there without oxygen tanks.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher. I’ve voluntarily given my review.
May 4, 2021
Jim Davidson's new book, "The Next Everest" is an inspiring read. He has a conversational way of writing that glides a reader on page after page. His story is a compelling page-turner. I cheered when he achieved his dream after so many challenges and losses. What inspired me the most was his perspective about perseverance, resilience and post-traumatic growth: "This gradual process of post-traumatic growth cannot remedy past tragedies or restore life to the way it 'used to be.' But, post-traumatic growth does make us more resilient for the changes, challenges, and uncertainties that we will surely encounter on the next Everest." His perspective reminds me of Dr. Viktor Frankl, who wrote "Man's Search for Meaning" and Dr. Jerry Sittser, who wrote "A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss." Both would be excellent books to read along with Jim's books. Also strongly recommend Jim's first book, The Ledge: An Inspirational Story of Friendship and Survival."
January 28, 2021
Many thanks to #Netgalley for my advance copy. This book was amazing. It was so engaging and suspenseful that I could not put it down. The writing was descriptive and thoughtful, covering experiences from childhood, the 2015 Everest earthquake and the 2017 Everest expedition. There were so many times I found myself holding my breath as I read. It was that good! Plus, I learned a fair bit about Mount Everest, Nepal and mountaineering which was all new to me.
I highly recommend this to anyone seeking motivation, inspiration or just a fantastic story!
I highly recommend this to anyone seeking motivation, inspiration or just a fantastic story!
April 20, 2021
An inspirational and fascinating mountaineering survival story. Tackling tough physical and mental goals, facing dangerous conditions and risk-taking clearly flow in Davidson’s blood. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
January 10, 2021
Inspiring and terrifying. Imagine what kind of resilience it takes to go through such a traumatic experience and to go back!! Absolutely amazing human! This is a wild ride full of all the feels.
February 8, 2021
A tense page-turner that will appeal to readers who love true life adventures and stories of survival. Fans of Krakauer will eat this up.
July 1, 2021
Really gripping account of survival after an earthquake and avalanche on Everest and a detailed account of the author's later successful attempt to summit.
The book does a really good job of communicating the details of an Everest summit, how much planning goes into it and the teamwork, physical fitness, and continuous risk assessment that goes into any attempt. This, more than anything else I've read, also rationally discussed the incredible risk and danger inherent in any attempt to climb Everest. the descriptions of what it was like at the high camps really made me respect the determination of climbers to overcome the physical punishment that climbing at such high altitude causes. Davidson also does a good job exploring both the spiritual and economic/colonial aspects of Himalayan climbing and it's impacts (both good and bad) on Nepal. And the depiction of the earthquake and avalanche that begins the book was harrowing and suspenseful.
The author goes into his past a good amount to illustrate why he developed the determination to attempt Everest, but it really felt like he could have spent more time talking about why he changed his mind and making the decision to go back to the mountain after narrowly missing death. That said, it's a minor quibble and this has made me want to read more mountaineering stories.
**Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The book does a really good job of communicating the details of an Everest summit, how much planning goes into it and the teamwork, physical fitness, and continuous risk assessment that goes into any attempt. This, more than anything else I've read, also rationally discussed the incredible risk and danger inherent in any attempt to climb Everest. the descriptions of what it was like at the high camps really made me respect the determination of climbers to overcome the physical punishment that climbing at such high altitude causes. Davidson also does a good job exploring both the spiritual and economic/colonial aspects of Himalayan climbing and it's impacts (both good and bad) on Nepal. And the depiction of the earthquake and avalanche that begins the book was harrowing and suspenseful.
The author goes into his past a good amount to illustrate why he developed the determination to attempt Everest, but it really felt like he could have spent more time talking about why he changed his mind and making the decision to go back to the mountain after narrowly missing death. That said, it's a minor quibble and this has made me want to read more mountaineering stories.
**Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 9, 2021
THE NEXT EVEREST
Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a chance to review this story! This is out April 20!
This is Jim Davidson’s story about a lifetime of climbing/preparing to summit Everest just to be sent home after the Nepali earthquake in 2015 and everything after.
Davidson is a natural writer. He paints beautiful pictures of something (literally climbing Everest) that most people will never get to experience in their lifetime. At the same time, he wonderfully conveys the ideas of bravery, community, loss, and resilience. He pays tribute to the Nepali sherpas and acknowledges the privileges he had even as he was momentarily trapped on the side of a mountain as an earthquake ripped through.
The second half of this book is his decision to attempt to summit again and the preparation (mental & physical) that goes with it. As an experienced climber, mountaineer and scientist, he knew how to prepare to summit the worlds tallest mountain. However, preparing to do so after living through a deadly earthquake months before is a whole different story.
You don’t have to be interested in climbing or mountains to enjoy this one (although I very much am). He writes so that even someone with no experience can easily understand. I many times found myself choked up with tears or smiling along with him as he tells his story!
Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a chance to review this story! This is out April 20!
This is Jim Davidson’s story about a lifetime of climbing/preparing to summit Everest just to be sent home after the Nepali earthquake in 2015 and everything after.
Davidson is a natural writer. He paints beautiful pictures of something (literally climbing Everest) that most people will never get to experience in their lifetime. At the same time, he wonderfully conveys the ideas of bravery, community, loss, and resilience. He pays tribute to the Nepali sherpas and acknowledges the privileges he had even as he was momentarily trapped on the side of a mountain as an earthquake ripped through.
The second half of this book is his decision to attempt to summit again and the preparation (mental & physical) that goes with it. As an experienced climber, mountaineer and scientist, he knew how to prepare to summit the worlds tallest mountain. However, preparing to do so after living through a deadly earthquake months before is a whole different story.
You don’t have to be interested in climbing or mountains to enjoy this one (although I very much am). He writes so that even someone with no experience can easily understand. I many times found myself choked up with tears or smiling along with him as he tells his story!
March 14, 2021
True story of two Everest climbs years apart and dreams come true. Best Everest book I've read. Recommend it highly.
November 19, 2021
This book would have benefitted from a ghostwriter or co-author who had a more detached perspective. This author was unable to discern the big events from the minutia and often gave them both the same weight leading to overwhelming amounts of unnecessary and uncompelling information that really brought down the pace of the book in the mid-section. An editor with a red pen could have wrangled this back into shape, maybe by slapping the thesaurus from his hand. The similes and synonyms were eye-rollingly pretentious. Why write " The familiar feeling of crampons biting ice calmed me" when you can instead write "The familiar feeling of metal spikes biting into frozen water calmed me"? (chapter 33). He spent pages documenting his poop spreadsheet and climber's pee bottle options and preferences, none of which moved the story along, but throws out a statement like (paraphrased) "everybody helped, even Russel Brice" without explaining why Brice's assistance was so surprising (I know why as I've watched his television series and read about the controversial season in Dark Summit).
The author didn't seem to understand what audience he was speaking to in this book. Was it veteran climbers or Everest junkies who would be able to infer things left unsaid (the Brice comment) or the general public with little context of life on the mountain (the poop spreadsheets and pee bottle discussion)? I think it may be that this was written for himself, to purge himself of a emotions he couldn't resolve until this book was completed.
The author didn't seem to understand what audience he was speaking to in this book. Was it veteran climbers or Everest junkies who would be able to infer things left unsaid (the Brice comment) or the general public with little context of life on the mountain (the poop spreadsheets and pee bottle discussion)? I think it may be that this was written for himself, to purge himself of a emotions he couldn't resolve until this book was completed.
April 19, 2021
Fantastic.
May 2, 2021
While Everest is in the title, this memoir is less about Everest and more about the journeys to Everest. I have read many books about Everest and I realized the story was always about the summit. Not this book. This book is about what kind of person it takes to summit Everest, especially after surviving an earthquake there. After reading Krakauer‘s Into Thin Air many, many years ago, and comparing it to this book, it is interesting to see how the journey to the summit has changed. I was saddened to read The Hillary Step is no more. It’s a different era now. Climate change is real. Technology has changed. And just the other day I read that a climber at Basecamp has Covid. All in all a well written book and I would add it to my recommendations lists for friends. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
March 14, 2021
Beautifully written. The courage, the determination and the strength of the Climbers and Sherpas are remarkable. This novel draws the reader in to experience the details, mental anguish and rewards of Climbing the worlds tallest mountain.
April 6, 2021
The Next Everest by Jim Davidson
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
This nonfiction chronicles Davidson's story, which jumps between his childhood helping his father out with painting jobs, different climbs he has gone on, and the story of the Nepal Earthquake in 2015. He was climbing the mountain and was planning on moving farther up the morning of the earthquake and subsequent avalanches. This is a harrowing tale that evokes the style and prose of Into Thin Air, and is a must-read for any aspiring climber, mountaineer or armchair adventurer. As a budding climber and mountaineer, I was excited to read his recounting of this horrible disaster and how he felt it could be better handled in the future or what went right. It was interesting hearing the story from someone who had lived it. Rarely do I feel completely transported by the book, but his descriptions of the climb itself were breathtaking and I felt as though I was on the mountain with him, and I admit it, I cried. Please read this is if you want to feel transported to another realm.
This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
This nonfiction chronicles Davidson's story, which jumps between his childhood helping his father out with painting jobs, different climbs he has gone on, and the story of the Nepal Earthquake in 2015. He was climbing the mountain and was planning on moving farther up the morning of the earthquake and subsequent avalanches. This is a harrowing tale that evokes the style and prose of Into Thin Air, and is a must-read for any aspiring climber, mountaineer or armchair adventurer. As a budding climber and mountaineer, I was excited to read his recounting of this horrible disaster and how he felt it could be better handled in the future or what went right. It was interesting hearing the story from someone who had lived it. Rarely do I feel completely transported by the book, but his descriptions of the climb itself were breathtaking and I felt as though I was on the mountain with him, and I admit it, I cried. Please read this is if you want to feel transported to another realm.
This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 11, 2021
The Next Everest: Surviving the Mountain's Deadliest Day and Finding the Resilience to Climb Again is an autobiography memoir written by Jim Davidson. It centers on a practiced mountaineer, who recounts his fraught efforts to scale the world's tallest mountain.
Jim Davidson is a climber and international speaker who shares resilience lessons from a lifetime of mountain adventures. He was trapped on Mount Everest during the deadly 2015 earthquake, summit Everest in 2017, and has been a climber and expedition leader for 39 years.
For Colorado-based climber and speaker Davidson, summiting Mount Everest was a longtime dream. He trained hard for it, arriving at base camp in 2015 and making his way up icefalls and over crevasses only to experience the devastating avalanche following a massive earthquake.
Even in tamer weather, the mountain can be deadly. The year before his first effort, a glacial block the size of a ten-story building sheared away from an ice ramp, killing sixteen Nepali workers below. The giant mountain offers countless ways to die, including slipping off the rickety ladders that span breaks in the ice.
Living through avalanches and helping locate and identify the dead were terrible enough, but the disappointment over the end of his first climb just nine hours after I left base camp was nearly spirit-crushing, as was the discovery that he had officially crossed the line from pre-diabetic to diabetic.
The Next Everest: Surviving the Mountain's Deadliest Day and Finding the Resilience to Climb Again is written rather well. Davidson goes into incredible detail of both of his Everest ascents. Strange things about climbs and adventures: if the circumstances are right the sheer audacity of what one does can inexorably weld the most intricate details of a climb into the readers mind. Davidson has the power of recollection in describing almost every step, grunt, stumble, and leap as he traverses the dreaded Khumbu Icefall and up the Western Cwn to the summit of Everest.
All in all, The Next Everest: Surviving the Mountain's Deadliest Day and Finding the Resilience to Climb Again<?i> is essential reading for alpinists, although armchair travelers will be bound up in Davidson's thrill-a-minute narrative also.
Jim Davidson is a climber and international speaker who shares resilience lessons from a lifetime of mountain adventures. He was trapped on Mount Everest during the deadly 2015 earthquake, summit Everest in 2017, and has been a climber and expedition leader for 39 years.
For Colorado-based climber and speaker Davidson, summiting Mount Everest was a longtime dream. He trained hard for it, arriving at base camp in 2015 and making his way up icefalls and over crevasses only to experience the devastating avalanche following a massive earthquake.
Even in tamer weather, the mountain can be deadly. The year before his first effort, a glacial block the size of a ten-story building sheared away from an ice ramp, killing sixteen Nepali workers below. The giant mountain offers countless ways to die, including slipping off the rickety ladders that span breaks in the ice.
Living through avalanches and helping locate and identify the dead were terrible enough, but the disappointment over the end of his first climb just nine hours after I left base camp was nearly spirit-crushing, as was the discovery that he had officially crossed the line from pre-diabetic to diabetic.
The Next Everest: Surviving the Mountain's Deadliest Day and Finding the Resilience to Climb Again is written rather well. Davidson goes into incredible detail of both of his Everest ascents. Strange things about climbs and adventures: if the circumstances are right the sheer audacity of what one does can inexorably weld the most intricate details of a climb into the readers mind. Davidson has the power of recollection in describing almost every step, grunt, stumble, and leap as he traverses the dreaded Khumbu Icefall and up the Western Cwn to the summit of Everest.
All in all, The Next Everest: Surviving the Mountain's Deadliest Day and Finding the Resilience to Climb Again<?i> is essential reading for alpinists, although armchair travelers will be bound up in Davidson's thrill-a-minute narrative also.
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