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Sierra Club Exhibit Format Series #12
Everest: The West Ridge
The classic, gripping mountaineering saga of the first ascent of Everest's West Ridge.
181 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1966
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
August 28, 2016
The first successful summit attempts of Mt. Everest occurred in the mid 20th century. Of course the first, and most historical, was achieved in 1953 by a British expedition when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first to stand on the top of the world. Their route was up the southeast ridge, still the most used route today. The Chinese were the first to conquer the famous northeast ridge in 1960. Famous because because of the earlier, and unsuccessful, British attempts from that side. This was the ridge where Mallory and Irvine disappeared in 1924. These two ridges still account for 97% of the attempts today.
This book is about the west ridge, originally thought unclimbable, and the first successful summit by Americans in 1963. This well written account will be interesting to mountaineering enthusiasts, Everest fans in particular, as one of the great achievements on a mountain that is one of the deadliest and most difficult climbs in the world.
This book is about the west ridge, originally thought unclimbable, and the first successful summit by Americans in 1963. This well written account will be interesting to mountaineering enthusiasts, Everest fans in particular, as one of the great achievements on a mountain that is one of the deadliest and most difficult climbs in the world.
January 18, 2022
It's hard to get my brain wrapped around how much I enjoyed this book.
First - I have a hard time reading autobiographical books. The ones I read tend to be from athletes (including climbers), business people, and other celebrities. Their writing always suffers intense survivor bias. As hard as they work, as talented as they are, there's always an element of luck that they tend to ignore. Then they look back to their growing-up experiences and assign everything they went through as a reason for their success. As much as it bothers me, I remind myself, "these people are who/where they are in no small part because they are irrationally confident. I will never be able to relate to their thought processes."
Thomas Horbein's thought process and emotions (at least what comes through in his writing) are how I think I would mentally approach Himalayan climbing fame if it was mine. That's not to put us on equal footing - it's obvious that he's an incredible climber. It's just to say that I found his approach to the work so relatable because it was so self-aware and sincere.
Second - this book is beautifully well written. He sets scenes, describing both the nature and the emotions of the moment, so well that I don't think a documentary movie could do it any better. He then seamlessly transitions into detailed descriptions of extremely dangerous hiking and climbing. Never has a book made me want to climb Everest (by the West Ridge no less) and stay as far away from Everest as possible at the same time. The photos included are amazing.
Third - the (largely unspoken) relationship with Willi is something really special to read about. We would all be lucky to have a friend like that. This makes his forewords over the years that much more interesting to read.
Anyone with an interest in climbing should read this book. Anyone who doesn't know much about climbing should still read this book - it's only 188 pgs. However, it is not meant as an authority on Everest by any means - so you'll probably lack some context. So go read Into Thin Air, get some context, and then come back and read this book.
First - I have a hard time reading autobiographical books. The ones I read tend to be from athletes (including climbers), business people, and other celebrities. Their writing always suffers intense survivor bias. As hard as they work, as talented as they are, there's always an element of luck that they tend to ignore. Then they look back to their growing-up experiences and assign everything they went through as a reason for their success. As much as it bothers me, I remind myself, "these people are who/where they are in no small part because they are irrationally confident. I will never be able to relate to their thought processes."
Thomas Horbein's thought process and emotions (at least what comes through in his writing) are how I think I would mentally approach Himalayan climbing fame if it was mine. That's not to put us on equal footing - it's obvious that he's an incredible climber. It's just to say that I found his approach to the work so relatable because it was so self-aware and sincere.
Second - this book is beautifully well written. He sets scenes, describing both the nature and the emotions of the moment, so well that I don't think a documentary movie could do it any better. He then seamlessly transitions into detailed descriptions of extremely dangerous hiking and climbing. Never has a book made me want to climb Everest (by the West Ridge no less) and stay as far away from Everest as possible at the same time. The photos included are amazing.
Third - the (largely unspoken) relationship with Willi is something really special to read about. We would all be lucky to have a friend like that. This makes his forewords over the years that much more interesting to read.
Anyone with an interest in climbing should read this book. Anyone who doesn't know much about climbing should still read this book - it's only 188 pgs. However, it is not meant as an authority on Everest by any means - so you'll probably lack some context. So go read Into Thin Air, get some context, and then come back and read this book.
September 24, 2020
Hands down, one of the best Everest/climbing books I've read. No politics, all camaraderie, grit and eloquence. Some amazing photos to boot.
May 9, 2010
"Here man seemed to be reaching for something. His grip was tenuous, inconsequential, yet full of beauty and meaning." -The Author
I'm not a mountain climber. I read Everest books to grapple with the existential issues, and to contemplate how I might take my lifestyle up a notch using the climber's principles. I would not recommend Everest: The West Ridge for first-time readers of this subgenre. Start with Into Thin Air , Dead Lucky , or Touching My Father's Soul A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest . From page one, these books struck me as more accessible.
Hornbein's book, published by The Mountaineers Books, gives a technical account of pioneering a new route to the summit. The first third of the book seemed bogged down in logistics. I would imagine it's engrossing stuff for serious mountaineers, but for layman like me, it's harder to find intellectual purchase in these chapters.
This is not to say that I found this book boring or inhuman. Hornbein adeptly constructs his own layered identity as the protagonist. He starts out as a cool customer, almost disinterested with this large, premiere American expedition in 1963. Yet as the story unfolds, his deep desire to conquer the mysterious ridge begins bubbling to the surface.
Hornbein paints with a fine stroke, both in describing the landscape and the climbers. He and his climbing partner Willi Unsoeld become a multi-faceted duo, at once supporting and competing with each other as they belay up and down the ice and rock. This offers more than a few moments of laugh-out-loud humor to balance out the tension.
Hornbein ends the book on a paradoxical note, questioning the merits of an unquestionably successful expedition. It's a perfectly justified conclusion. Still, it felt like a hasty wrap-up to a surprisingly deep and cerebral work. I also felt other writers have done more justice to the Sherpas, an ethnic group who largely come off as simple-minded employees here. Similarly, Hornbein's wife at home is relegated to the status of emotional motif rather than being an integral character.
In any case, Hornbein climbed the mountain. I sure haven't. And he tells the story with a deliberateness and nuance that I really respected. I highly recommend this book to readers interested in a deeper exploration of climbing Everest, especially as relates to the internal politics of large national expedition.
I'm not a mountain climber. I read Everest books to grapple with the existential issues, and to contemplate how I might take my lifestyle up a notch using the climber's principles. I would not recommend Everest: The West Ridge for first-time readers of this subgenre. Start with Into Thin Air , Dead Lucky , or Touching My Father's Soul A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest . From page one, these books struck me as more accessible.
Hornbein's book, published by The Mountaineers Books, gives a technical account of pioneering a new route to the summit. The first third of the book seemed bogged down in logistics. I would imagine it's engrossing stuff for serious mountaineers, but for layman like me, it's harder to find intellectual purchase in these chapters.
This is not to say that I found this book boring or inhuman. Hornbein adeptly constructs his own layered identity as the protagonist. He starts out as a cool customer, almost disinterested with this large, premiere American expedition in 1963. Yet as the story unfolds, his deep desire to conquer the mysterious ridge begins bubbling to the surface.
Hornbein paints with a fine stroke, both in describing the landscape and the climbers. He and his climbing partner Willi Unsoeld become a multi-faceted duo, at once supporting and competing with each other as they belay up and down the ice and rock. This offers more than a few moments of laugh-out-loud humor to balance out the tension.
Hornbein ends the book on a paradoxical note, questioning the merits of an unquestionably successful expedition. It's a perfectly justified conclusion. Still, it felt like a hasty wrap-up to a surprisingly deep and cerebral work. I also felt other writers have done more justice to the Sherpas, an ethnic group who largely come off as simple-minded employees here. Similarly, Hornbein's wife at home is relegated to the status of emotional motif rather than being an integral character.
In any case, Hornbein climbed the mountain. I sure haven't. And he tells the story with a deliberateness and nuance that I really respected. I highly recommend this book to readers interested in a deeper exploration of climbing Everest, especially as relates to the internal politics of large national expedition.
November 19, 2013
Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award Classics Award for 2013. One of the best books ever written on climbing Mt. Everest
December 1, 2025
Absolute BANGER!! If you’re not into mountaineering, it won’t be for you, but this happens to be one of my longtime special interests. I found this account so frank about what goes into a team — carefully balanced decisions, big personalities, collective perseverance. The feat that’s accomplished by the end is just impressive, full stop. Despite knowing the outcome, the summit assault made me so anxious and I welled up at the success.
A must-read for any fellow armchair mountaineers hehe
A must-read for any fellow armchair mountaineers hehe
January 27, 2013
A recollection of one of the greatest achievements in mountaineering history, that is both meditative and funny. The 1963 American Everest Expedition put 6 people on the summit, two of them (including Hornbein) blazing a route up the West Ridge that has never been equaled. This book does utmost justice to the seemingly overused phrase, "a triumph of the human spirit."
March 16, 2018
In late May, 1963, two men, having spent the night at 27,000 feet on a ledge carved out of ice on a sheer cliff face, begin the final ascent to the highest place on Earth, Mt. Everest, 29,029 feet above sea level. They are climbing without fixed ropes, freestyle, with no support team and no chance of rescue. They are wearing reindeer-skin boots, woolen pants, shirts and mitts and windbreaker jackets. Except for rudimentary oxygen tanks and masks, they are without any of the high tech gear that is standard to even the lowliest mountaineer today. It is an achievement in mountaineering that is in many ways unrivaled for its sheer audacity and, unless you are a climbing aficionado, largely unknown. This is the story told in “Everest: The West Ridge” by Tom Hornbein, one of the two men that made the historic summit of Everest by the previously untried West Ridge. Told in an almost matter of fact and humble manner, it is the stuff every boy and most men dream of privately. Of facing death, going on anyway, and winning. It is the stuff of legends and dreams.
Climbing Everest by a route no man had ever tried before. Knowing that they could not reach the summit with time to get down. Knowing that the route they chose did not allow them to turn back or retreat. Hornbein never admits it in this book, but he had to know that death was more probable than survival. And still they made the decision to go forward, a conscious decision in my mind that left only success or death as the two possible outcomes. Hornbein dances near to this issue throughout the book, but for some reason never tackles it head on. Maybe it was a decision he did not want to admit to for some reason. But when faced with the opportunity to do what no man had ever done before, even if it meant his death, he pushed on and grasped for the gold ring, and then spent the better part of the rest of his life trying to pretend it was no big deal.
Only dumb luck and iron will saved them. But they succeeded, the gods smiled at their audacity and will to succeed. There are two kinds of bravery and heroism I think. The first kind occurs when you have a split second to react, to save a life or lives with little time to think or ponder. The second kind occurs when you have lots of time to think. When the only life at risk is yours. When the easiest course is to turn back and no one would think the worse of you. But you move ahead anyway, knowing the two outcomes are success or death. That is a special kind of heroism and the subject of this book. Serendipity and luck also course through this story. How it never could have happened without the alignment of the heavens and almost mystical providence. The other key element I took from this book is how, when served up similar circumstances, men react and behave so differently. How some men, experienced mountaineers and strong climbers, never acclimated to altitude and suffered cruel defeat while supposedly lesser men soared to glory and thrived in the inhospitable environment presented to them. How is it that the man recruited to be the radio operator, needed to provide a willing back for manual labor because of the illness of others, ends up on the North ridge of Everett at 27,000 feet blazing a trail to the final camp?
I highly recommend this book, as well as the excellent historical recounting of the expedition The Vast Unknown, by Broughton Coburn.
Climbing Everest by a route no man had ever tried before. Knowing that they could not reach the summit with time to get down. Knowing that the route they chose did not allow them to turn back or retreat. Hornbein never admits it in this book, but he had to know that death was more probable than survival. And still they made the decision to go forward, a conscious decision in my mind that left only success or death as the two possible outcomes. Hornbein dances near to this issue throughout the book, but for some reason never tackles it head on. Maybe it was a decision he did not want to admit to for some reason. But when faced with the opportunity to do what no man had ever done before, even if it meant his death, he pushed on and grasped for the gold ring, and then spent the better part of the rest of his life trying to pretend it was no big deal.
Only dumb luck and iron will saved them. But they succeeded, the gods smiled at their audacity and will to succeed. There are two kinds of bravery and heroism I think. The first kind occurs when you have a split second to react, to save a life or lives with little time to think or ponder. The second kind occurs when you have lots of time to think. When the only life at risk is yours. When the easiest course is to turn back and no one would think the worse of you. But you move ahead anyway, knowing the two outcomes are success or death. That is a special kind of heroism and the subject of this book. Serendipity and luck also course through this story. How it never could have happened without the alignment of the heavens and almost mystical providence. The other key element I took from this book is how, when served up similar circumstances, men react and behave so differently. How some men, experienced mountaineers and strong climbers, never acclimated to altitude and suffered cruel defeat while supposedly lesser men soared to glory and thrived in the inhospitable environment presented to them. How is it that the man recruited to be the radio operator, needed to provide a willing back for manual labor because of the illness of others, ends up on the North ridge of Everett at 27,000 feet blazing a trail to the final camp?
I highly recommend this book, as well as the excellent historical recounting of the expedition The Vast Unknown, by Broughton Coburn.
October 9, 2020
I really enjoyed this book, one of the dozens (hundreds?) out there describing ascents of Mt. Everest. To me it seems to represent a literary bridge between the dry, factual accounts of early mountaineering expeditions, and the vivid, sometimes explosive tell-all books on the bestseller lists more recently.
And in fact, some reviewers state that this book is indeed one of those old-time dry accounts, but I disagree. Yes, the writing is more formal, in the way that classic fiction (Dickens) was more dispassionately written than modern thrillers, but there are plenty of instances where Hornbein "tells all," whether through doubts about his or other climbers' efforts or frame of mind, or in expressing his own doubts about why he is climbing Everest and whether it will accomplish any real good. He is more contemplative and personal than some older books I have read, but the writing style is more passive and journalistic at times, unlike wonderful mountaineering books by - say, Joe Tasker or Peter Boardman. (Or Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, to use a well-known and more recent example.) But stick with the book even if it seems tame to you. I found the intensity increased as the climax of the climb approached in the final third of the book.
But in reading a lot of books on the subject, I have become used to their different styles, so I was able to appreciate this book as part of the evolution of the expedition genre. And, as a bonus, it was while reading this Kindle book when I was feeling tired that I accidentally discovered how to hold my finger down on a picture to bring up the "Zoom" option, and increase the size of all the pictures. I could have used that knowledge while reading a lot of other Kindle books!
And in fact, some reviewers state that this book is indeed one of those old-time dry accounts, but I disagree. Yes, the writing is more formal, in the way that classic fiction (Dickens) was more dispassionately written than modern thrillers, but there are plenty of instances where Hornbein "tells all," whether through doubts about his or other climbers' efforts or frame of mind, or in expressing his own doubts about why he is climbing Everest and whether it will accomplish any real good. He is more contemplative and personal than some older books I have read, but the writing style is more passive and journalistic at times, unlike wonderful mountaineering books by - say, Joe Tasker or Peter Boardman. (Or Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, to use a well-known and more recent example.) But stick with the book even if it seems tame to you. I found the intensity increased as the climax of the climb approached in the final third of the book.
But in reading a lot of books on the subject, I have become used to their different styles, so I was able to appreciate this book as part of the evolution of the expedition genre. And, as a bonus, it was while reading this Kindle book when I was feeling tired that I accidentally discovered how to hold my finger down on a picture to bring up the "Zoom" option, and increase the size of all the pictures. I could have used that knowledge while reading a lot of other Kindle books!
June 10, 2017
Like all books about Everest I was riveted. This book is about the 1963 summit of Mt Everest via the west ridge. (Ueli Steck who just died this weekend was planning on summiting via this route). I really enjoyed reading this book; though I enjoy reading all books about Everest, so take that with a grain of salt. I struggled with some of the technical detail about climbing as I am not a climber. I also really wished there were more maps to reference. The pictures, even though they were from 1963, were so stunning. Moar Everest books please!
July 25, 2018
In reading the book, I realized that just because one has had the opportunity to experience something extraordinary, doesn't automatically necessitate good writing. *Duh! I know* I was in awe of Tom Hornbein’s personal journey; not only did he have the guts to venture into the unknown, but he also survived overnight in Everest! All those elements combined made me have high hopes for this book, until I realized, to my disappointment, that the writing was quite stilted. :( In here, I found a man in his 30’s, searching to define his manhood through mountaineering - which, in all honesty, wasn’t very inspiring nor relatable mainly due to the way it was presented. I think I would have found it more engaging had he focused on fleshing out, and give context to the decision making, and oxygen tanks he was in charge of planning for the group. I have read many memoirs in the past to see the importance of good writing - it makes a huge difference in capturing how it would feel and be in their shoes. Tom’s language ran flat, and didn’t reach out to pull the reader closer into his personal trials and tribulations. Instead, I felt like I was just getting talked at endlessly, or made to sit and listen to someone rant excitedly about what happened to them. *yawn* I found the forewards at the beginning of the book more enjoyable to read (perhaps b/c it was written later in life), and his language was more eloquent.
April 13, 2016
Always enjoy reading mountaineering books. You can just feel the passion and drive of these individuals who seek the highest peaks despite the risks involved. This is the story of the first summiting of Everest by the west route. Meeting their goals and the interaction between the climbers, who each have their own agenda and big egos, is always interesting. Managing to achieve those goals while still getting along may be the biggest challenge on the mountain. Hornbeam is somewhat different as he is driven to climb but also happy with his life in the real world.
March 2, 2019
4.5 stars. A good account of the American 1963 Everest expedition. Lots of good photos to accompany the main text. The only slight downside - little has been described about the final summit day as well as the descent. It gets over in a jiffy esp. when compared to the lengthy descriptions of the preparation days (even when they were killing time on Base/Adv Base camps). But may be it is just me trying to nitpick things. The climb itself was a great achievement and still is by any standards. So a recommended read for all mountaineering fans.
January 27, 2010
I wish he'd spent less time on logistics and decisions leading up to the climb, but it's still a very interesting account of the first ascent of the West Ridge. Also very interesting to read about a climb in 1963 since the technology available to them was so vastly different from today. They really had to rely on grit and experience.
August 7, 2023
The story is classic and the photographs are beyond amazing!
September 17, 2022
Tom Hornbein was an intense young man, and as terrific a writer as a climber. I was fascinated by Hornbein’s account of the team dynamics, the preparations for the climb, and the rigours of climbing a previously unclimbed ridge of Everest. His creative and contemplative descriptions continually drew me in to the story he told. And the quality of this 50th anniversary edition of the book is superb with its multiple prefaces from previous editions, and its many large and beautiful photographs helping the reader to imagine what Hornbein so capably described. Many times I found myself pausing to re-read a sentence that just seemed far too thoughtful to be passed over too quickly.
That happened as I read Hornbein’s stirring description of his and Willi Unsoeld’s brief time at the top of the world: “We felt the lonely beauty of the evening, the immense roaring silence of the wind, the tenuousness of our tie to all below. There was a hint of fear, but not for our lives, but of a vast unknown which pressed in upon us. A fleeting feeling of disappointment — that after all those dreams and questions this was only a mountain top — gave way to the suspicion that maybe there was something more, something beyond the three-dimensional form of the moment. If only it could be perceived… The question of why we had come was not now to be answered, yet something up here must yield an answer, something only dimly felt, comprehended by senses reaching farther yet than the point on which we stood; reaching for understanding, which hovered but a few steps higher.”
That happened as I read Hornbein’s stirring description of his and Willi Unsoeld’s brief time at the top of the world: “We felt the lonely beauty of the evening, the immense roaring silence of the wind, the tenuousness of our tie to all below. There was a hint of fear, but not for our lives, but of a vast unknown which pressed in upon us. A fleeting feeling of disappointment — that after all those dreams and questions this was only a mountain top — gave way to the suspicion that maybe there was something more, something beyond the three-dimensional form of the moment. If only it could be perceived… The question of why we had come was not now to be answered, yet something up here must yield an answer, something only dimly felt, comprehended by senses reaching farther yet than the point on which we stood; reaching for understanding, which hovered but a few steps higher.”
July 2, 2025
I enjoyed a lot of pieces in this book but it wasn’t mine to highlight so I kinda lost where they were. I want to remember a few quotes included:
“The true mountaineer is a wanderer, and by a wanderer I do not mean a man who expends his whole time in traveling to and fro in the mountains on the exact track of his predecessors…”
“‘What is the use of climbing Everest?’ ‘It is no use…’ we shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, not any coal or iron. We shall not find a foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. It’s no use. So if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go. What we get from this adventure is sheer joy. And joy is after all the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for.” -George Leigh Mallory
“Never let success hide its emptiness from you, achievement its nothingness, toil its desolation. And so keep alive the incentive to push on further, that pain in the soul which drives us beyond ourselves.” -Dave Hammarskjold
I can’t remember where it was, but the idea of adventure and being “outward bound” is something I also want to remember!
“The true mountaineer is a wanderer, and by a wanderer I do not mean a man who expends his whole time in traveling to and fro in the mountains on the exact track of his predecessors…”
“‘What is the use of climbing Everest?’ ‘It is no use…’ we shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, not any coal or iron. We shall not find a foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. It’s no use. So if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go. What we get from this adventure is sheer joy. And joy is after all the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for.” -George Leigh Mallory
“Never let success hide its emptiness from you, achievement its nothingness, toil its desolation. And so keep alive the incentive to push on further, that pain in the soul which drives us beyond ourselves.” -Dave Hammarskjold
I can’t remember where it was, but the idea of adventure and being “outward bound” is something I also want to remember!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2021
So I own a copy of the small format paperback but have seen the large format Sierra Club version (format pioneered by Dave Brower (Exec. Dir.)). This was one of the first books on climbing I purchased some time in the early 1970s.
Thomas Hornbein assembled not only a good set of photos but also some of the best class quotes about climbing, in particular George Leigh Mallory's more detailed follow-on to "Because it's there." Look up the quote yourself about joy.
Very nicely documented at the time for the National Geographic, Hornbein ups the ante of the 3rd or 4th ascent (depending whose counting the 1960 Chinese ascent from the North (overnight)). And by a newer harder technical route.
This huge American effort during the Cold War would go on to have consequences with the subsequent closing of the Nepalese-Chinese border for about 6-7 years. How this big expedition style also influenced expedition funding closer to home also had consequences (monetary and lives) at a time when climbing in the USA was in somewhat technical and political infancy.
Thomas Hornbein assembled not only a good set of photos but also some of the best class quotes about climbing, in particular George Leigh Mallory's more detailed follow-on to "Because it's there." Look up the quote yourself about joy.
Very nicely documented at the time for the National Geographic, Hornbein ups the ante of the 3rd or 4th ascent (depending whose counting the 1960 Chinese ascent from the North (overnight)). And by a newer harder technical route.
This huge American effort during the Cold War would go on to have consequences with the subsequent closing of the Nepalese-Chinese border for about 6-7 years. How this big expedition style also influenced expedition funding closer to home also had consequences (monetary and lives) at a time when climbing in the USA was in somewhat technical and political infancy.
November 29, 2019
This is the story of the first Americans to summit Mt. Everest in 1963. I went looking for it because it was cited several times in “Into Thin Air.”
It isn’t a minute by minute, blow by blow account of the climb, but there’s enough of that here to be satisfying. However it offers a fascinating look into the logistics of putting together an Everest expedition.
If “Into Thin Air” is more of an accessible every man’s book about Everest, “The West Ridge” is written more to an audience that is familiar with mountaineering terms and concepts, however to me it’s kind of a welcome change from many of the books written by Everesters in recent years. Hornbein and his companions were very obviously professionals, which gives the book a different, but welcome, feel.
Also, the color photographs included are absolutely gorgeous and clinch a 5 star rating for me.
It isn’t a minute by minute, blow by blow account of the climb, but there’s enough of that here to be satisfying. However it offers a fascinating look into the logistics of putting together an Everest expedition.
If “Into Thin Air” is more of an accessible every man’s book about Everest, “The West Ridge” is written more to an audience that is familiar with mountaineering terms and concepts, however to me it’s kind of a welcome change from many of the books written by Everesters in recent years. Hornbein and his companions were very obviously professionals, which gives the book a different, but welcome, feel.
Also, the color photographs included are absolutely gorgeous and clinch a 5 star rating for me.
January 18, 2022
I cannot imagine the drive, determination, skill and courage the American Mount Everest Expedition of March 1963 involved. To the men on this expedition to summit and to stand on the highest place on earth was a dream, but the realization of the dream came at great human cost. The goal attained left climber Thomas Hornbein with the question: What possible difference could climbing Everest make? The realization of the dream left only a memory. Everest would not even retain their footprints, although one of the climbers John (Jake) Edgar Breitenbach was killed in the Khumbu Icefall by a collapsing wall of ice March 23, 1963 and was buried on the mountain.
George Leigh Mallory, of Mt. Everest summit fame, said: There is no use to climbing Mt. Everest, but for the sheer joy of it all. And joy is the pupose of life. ¨We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life.¨
George Leigh Mallory, of Mt. Everest summit fame, said: There is no use to climbing Mt. Everest, but for the sheer joy of it all. And joy is the pupose of life. ¨We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life.¨
June 11, 2022
This is the epic 1963 tale of climbing a new route on the highest mountain on earth as part of a large American expedition, told through the eyes of one half of the summit team. Hornbein describes in enjoyable and euphoric detail the decisions and tribulations in the run up to the climb, which takes in part of the SW Face and a small portion of the West Ridge proper, before shooting up the prominent steep gully (named after Hornbein himself) that splits the right sight of the North Face. Pretty good writing for a climbing book.
There are just a couple of places where the involvement of the Sherpani people could've been noted better (it is in the most part), however considering that this book was written six decades ago, there are reasonably inclusive mentions of the Sherpas in the overall effort.
There are just a couple of places where the involvement of the Sherpani people could've been noted better (it is in the most part), however considering that this book was written six decades ago, there are reasonably inclusive mentions of the Sherpas in the overall effort.
February 24, 2018
An impressive tale about some of the first bravesmen to mount the Everest through a never before taken route, in the 1960s, back when there was not much advanced technology, and people had to carry extremely heavy oxygen tanks with them, this book teaches you a bit about bravery, recklessness, endurance, and the mental battle with yourself, when faced with a seemingly impossible challenge, that somehow becomes possible. Written by one of the participants, it might be the closest sensation will get to actually climbing this giant.
August 29, 2019
Just wanted to read it a while ago after seeing Hornbein's interview with Jon Krakauer (Into Thin Air); I love the way it's written and the story is quite entertaining, especially after they crossed the 26ooo ft line. Also, have to point it out, there are a slew of pictures in the book, so you'll grasp the atmosphere and surroundings, since sometimes it's hard to imagine how the Cwm or Lhotse face looks like, of course you can easily google it, however the pictures taken back at the time are worth a lot more. 7/10
June 30, 2020
Je mnoho knih o výstupech na nejvyšší hory, ale tato je pro mne zcela speciální a jedinečná. Dramatický příběh americké expedice z roku 1963, psaný jedním z účastníků prvního výstupu západním hřebenem. Výstupu, na který bylo třeba mnoho vůle a odhodlání, a o tom všem ten příběh je především. Čím více horám obětujete, tím více dostanete zpátky.
Navíc je kniha skvostně provedena, se spoustou nádherných fotografií a citátů. Dá se v ní celé dny jen tak listovat, obdivovat fotografie - západ slunce na vrcholu Everestu je dechberoucí, a číst si o lidech, kteří tam nahoře našli sami sebe.
Navíc je kniha skvostně provedena, se spoustou nádherných fotografií a citátů. Dá se v ní celé dny jen tak listovat, obdivovat fotografie - západ slunce na vrcholu Everestu je dechberoucí, a číst si o lidech, kteří tam nahoře našli sami sebe.
March 6, 2025
It seems to me that this book is catered more towards alpinists than laymen/laywomen like me - the sort of Sunday hikers who love being in the mountains only as long as they steer clear of anything too technical or too exposed, but still feel curious about the psychological and material conditions of high-altitude mountaineering. I read "Into Thin Air" a few years back and loved it, and that definitely works better for the kind of reader that I am (Krakauer's writing also has literary value beyond the topic at hand, I feel, while in this case the quality of the writing itself only goes so far). Still, this was an interesting read.
May 6, 2020
Tom Horbein’s classic account is a canonic work of Everest literature.
In this thrilling memoir, Doctor Horbein relates his ascent of the west ridge of Mount Everest along with superstar mountaineer Willi Unsoeld.
The climb, cutting edge at the time (and to this day for that matter) was a landmark feat that ushered the start of new standards for Himalayan alpine climbing.
Well written, a fascinating story, and a good measure of humanity...Doctor Horbein weaves quite a tale.
In this thrilling memoir, Doctor Horbein relates his ascent of the west ridge of Mount Everest along with superstar mountaineer Willi Unsoeld.
The climb, cutting edge at the time (and to this day for that matter) was a landmark feat that ushered the start of new standards for Himalayan alpine climbing.
Well written, a fascinating story, and a good measure of humanity...Doctor Horbein weaves quite a tale.
June 9, 2019
From the blurb I read about this book in a previous Everest book, I expected a lot of facts about the emotional states and inner workings of Hornbein's Everest team. There was a little information about some of the differences of opinion and conflicts, but it was a pretty superficial look at the expedition. The photos were wonderful.
October 20, 2021
This is a climbers book - a recount of one of the men who made it to the summit of Everest on the 1963 American expedition. It portrays the delightful walk in, the frustration and planning and preparation on the lower camps, and the feelings of after the climb has been accomplished. The pictures are stunning. The font is tiny. If you are a climber this is a must-read book.
October 19, 2024
Too many forwards and intros and prefaces. I think I read the 4th version because it had the prefaces from versions 1-3 and then also 4 and also a forward by someone and another pre-something and an introduction by his friend. Gosh that was a solid third of the book. Once the real story starts, all the prefaces have spoiled the whole thing. Read those LAST after you get the thrilling story first.
December 28, 2024
Perhaps the only book on mountain climbing that I did not enjoy. It did provide an interesting look at the some of the decision making process on where and how to climb and who would do what. But, it was way too much. My interest in mountain climbing decision making is not what/where but decisions that involve death or life (best one is Addicted to Danger, by Jim Wickwire).
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