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Mountain Madness
"You're either cruisin' or you're bummin', so you might as well cruise."--Scott Fischer Mountain climber Scott Fischer's mantra would lead him to scale the highest and most treacherous peaks on earth. Best known as one of the guides who perished near the summit of Mount Everest during the tragic spring of 1996, Scott Fischer became for many an iconic symbol of audacity, hubris, and the limits of human endurance. But to those who knew him well, Scott was much more than an action figure at the heart of a modern-day cautionary tale. Now in this vivid, candid biography, Robert Birkby--one of Scott's close friends--gives us a fascinating, in-depth portrait of who Scott Fischer really was and what led him to the top of the world.
As a teenage athlete growing up in New Jersey, Scott felt a restless drive to reach beyond the limits of his suburban environment. He discovered the freedom he sought during summers in the rugged mountains of Wyoming. A natural mountaineer blessed with tremendous physical strength and willpower, Scott thrived on the challenges of climbing, the beauty of the high country, and the like-minded people he found there. With the creation of a guide service he called Mountain Madness, Scott meshed his need to climb with his joy in sharing with others the lofty, rarified realms he had made his own.
In adrenaline-filled narratives that take us to the world's tallest places, Robert Birkby traces the expeditions that made Scott one of the most respected climbers of the close-knit mountaineering community. From Alaska to the Soviet Union, from the granite walls of Yosemite to the punishing storms of the Himalayas, Scott's achievements are hair-raising, inspiring, and always exhilarating--a relentless quest for new highs that builds inexorably to the rendezvous with disaster on Everest.
Scott's life was a journey filled with adventures, deep friendships, and dramatic successes and failures in the obscure reaches of some of the world's most beautiful and dangerous places. A captivating homage to a man who eagerly went where few dare to go, Mountain Madness is an extraordinary account of courage, passion, and extreme living.
As a teenage athlete growing up in New Jersey, Scott felt a restless drive to reach beyond the limits of his suburban environment. He discovered the freedom he sought during summers in the rugged mountains of Wyoming. A natural mountaineer blessed with tremendous physical strength and willpower, Scott thrived on the challenges of climbing, the beauty of the high country, and the like-minded people he found there. With the creation of a guide service he called Mountain Madness, Scott meshed his need to climb with his joy in sharing with others the lofty, rarified realms he had made his own.
In adrenaline-filled narratives that take us to the world's tallest places, Robert Birkby traces the expeditions that made Scott one of the most respected climbers of the close-knit mountaineering community. From Alaska to the Soviet Union, from the granite walls of Yosemite to the punishing storms of the Himalayas, Scott's achievements are hair-raising, inspiring, and always exhilarating--a relentless quest for new highs that builds inexorably to the rendezvous with disaster on Everest.
Scott's life was a journey filled with adventures, deep friendships, and dramatic successes and failures in the obscure reaches of some of the world's most beautiful and dangerous places. A captivating homage to a man who eagerly went where few dare to go, Mountain Madness is an extraordinary account of courage, passion, and extreme living.
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First published February 1, 2008
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November 9, 2008
Mountain Madness is a biography of Scott Fischer. It is also the name of the guiding company he founded, and an expression which epitomizes his passion for climbing and his enthusiasm for living life at full throttle. Fischer's life exemplifies the choices we all face as we strive to make the most of our lives, and the role that chance and fate play in determining the paths and outcomes of our lives.
Scott Fischer knew early on that he wanted to climb tall mountains, that this was his passion, and that he wanted to make this his life's work. He was also aware of the serious implications of these goals. As a teenager, Scott told his future fiancee about his desire to climb mountains and his determination to live a life full of adventures. "He told me that he had this idea of being the best climber he could, and climbing harder and harder mountains until one day he just didn't come back."
Given this mindset, it was perhaps inevitable that Scott would end up on some of the hightest and most dangerous mountains in the world, and would die on the highest. Along the way, he had great adventures, climbed with some of the most accomplished climbers in the world, and always had fun. A strong climber and charismatic personality, Scott travelled the world and made friends everywhere. He also got married and had two children.
In 1992 Scott climbed the world's second highest mountain, K2, with Ed Viesturs. Viesturs later said that he felt the decision to go for the summit of K2 was the worst mistake of his climbing career because it meant ignoring warning signs which signalled unreasonable risks and danger. It was a lesson Scott didn't take to heart as Viesturs did. Scott continued his climbing career, especially wanting to summit Mount Everest. Frustatingly enough, while other climbers he knew did so, this goal continued to elude Scott. Finally, after two unsuccessfull attempts to climb Mount Everest, Scott achieved that life-long goal in 1994.
Two years later, in 1996, at age 40, Scott returned to Everest, guiding a group of paying customers. Before leaving, he told an interviewer that his greatest fear was "not coming home from a trip, leaving my kids without a dad. That scares me. We can control a lot of things on expeditions, but even so, things happen."
On this expedition, the fate that the teenage Scott had predicted, and that the mature Scott feared, came to pass. Things did happen on Everest that year, among them crowded conditions which caused climbers to summit later in the day than was safe, and a sudden and deadly storm. All of Scott's clients survived, but Scott did not.
Exhausted from his efforts on the mountain, and not feeling well, Scott nonetheless made the fateful decision to push on to the summit late in the day. But Scott was not strong enough to survive the descent. Before he was able to reach the safety of high camp, he reached the end of his strength, and simply laid down in the snow high on the mountain, unable to go any further. His death there was perhaps his inevitable fate, the product of the forces driving him, the choices he made and chance events.
In Moby Dick, Herman Melville explored the relationship between chance, fate and free will in human life, as well as the impact of an obsessive compulsion. For Scott Fisher, Mount Everest was his Moby Dick, a goal he felt compelled to pursue, and an obsession he did pursue until it destroyed him. He made the risky choice to push toward the summit. Perhaps in that he had no choice. Ed Viesturs no doubt would have made a different choice. But Scott Fischer had a different outlook on life. His was indeed a "life lived on high," tinged with "madness" and lived exuberantly, but with awareness and acceptance of the consequences.
Friends would say that Scott Fischer lived more in his 40 years that most people live in 80, and that is doubtless true. He paid a high price for his decisions, but lived the life he wanted to live. Mountain Madness is the story of that life, and an invitation to us all to have the courage to live the lives we want to live, and to live them remembering that no one is guaranteed tomorrow.
Scott Fischer knew early on that he wanted to climb tall mountains, that this was his passion, and that he wanted to make this his life's work. He was also aware of the serious implications of these goals. As a teenager, Scott told his future fiancee about his desire to climb mountains and his determination to live a life full of adventures. "He told me that he had this idea of being the best climber he could, and climbing harder and harder mountains until one day he just didn't come back."
Given this mindset, it was perhaps inevitable that Scott would end up on some of the hightest and most dangerous mountains in the world, and would die on the highest. Along the way, he had great adventures, climbed with some of the most accomplished climbers in the world, and always had fun. A strong climber and charismatic personality, Scott travelled the world and made friends everywhere. He also got married and had two children.
In 1992 Scott climbed the world's second highest mountain, K2, with Ed Viesturs. Viesturs later said that he felt the decision to go for the summit of K2 was the worst mistake of his climbing career because it meant ignoring warning signs which signalled unreasonable risks and danger. It was a lesson Scott didn't take to heart as Viesturs did. Scott continued his climbing career, especially wanting to summit Mount Everest. Frustatingly enough, while other climbers he knew did so, this goal continued to elude Scott. Finally, after two unsuccessfull attempts to climb Mount Everest, Scott achieved that life-long goal in 1994.
Two years later, in 1996, at age 40, Scott returned to Everest, guiding a group of paying customers. Before leaving, he told an interviewer that his greatest fear was "not coming home from a trip, leaving my kids without a dad. That scares me. We can control a lot of things on expeditions, but even so, things happen."
On this expedition, the fate that the teenage Scott had predicted, and that the mature Scott feared, came to pass. Things did happen on Everest that year, among them crowded conditions which caused climbers to summit later in the day than was safe, and a sudden and deadly storm. All of Scott's clients survived, but Scott did not.
Exhausted from his efforts on the mountain, and not feeling well, Scott nonetheless made the fateful decision to push on to the summit late in the day. But Scott was not strong enough to survive the descent. Before he was able to reach the safety of high camp, he reached the end of his strength, and simply laid down in the snow high on the mountain, unable to go any further. His death there was perhaps his inevitable fate, the product of the forces driving him, the choices he made and chance events.
In Moby Dick, Herman Melville explored the relationship between chance, fate and free will in human life, as well as the impact of an obsessive compulsion. For Scott Fisher, Mount Everest was his Moby Dick, a goal he felt compelled to pursue, and an obsession he did pursue until it destroyed him. He made the risky choice to push toward the summit. Perhaps in that he had no choice. Ed Viesturs no doubt would have made a different choice. But Scott Fischer had a different outlook on life. His was indeed a "life lived on high," tinged with "madness" and lived exuberantly, but with awareness and acceptance of the consequences.
Friends would say that Scott Fischer lived more in his 40 years that most people live in 80, and that is doubtless true. He paid a high price for his decisions, but lived the life he wanted to live. Mountain Madness is the story of that life, and an invitation to us all to have the courage to live the lives we want to live, and to live them remembering that no one is guaranteed tomorrow.
August 19, 2020
Životopisný príbeh Scotta Fischera písaný jeho priateľom Robertom Birkbym. Fischer je pre väčšinu ľudí známy ako jeden z tragédie na Evereste z roku 1996. Birkby osvetľuje jeho život pred tragédiou pomocou vlastných spomienok, kníh, článkov i spomienok iných ľudí zo Scottovho života.
Prvý dojem po dočítaní knihy bol, že potrebujem "siahnuť" po zodpovednejšom prístupe a tak som si otvorila knihu od Scottovho lezeckého partnera Eda Viestursa (mimochodom, Scott je jedným z tých, ktorým je jeho dielo venované). To, čo Birkby popísal ako ďalší Scottov skvelý výkon - aj keď situáciu popisuje objektívne - považuje Viesturs za svoje najväčšie zlyhanie úsudku v horolezeckej kariére. A o tom to celé je. Autor v tejto knihe opisuje život človeka, ktorý mal vlastné hranice nastavené úplne mimo limitov bežných ľudí a aj mimo limitov väčšiny horolezcov. To, čo mu dvadsať rokov vychádzalo napriek mnohým pádom, zraneniam a operáciám, jednoducho na konci nevyšlo.
Inak sa kniha čítala dobre, občas sa Birkby trochu zamotal, ale inak to bol opäť raz zaujímavý náhľad do horolezeckého života nielen konkrétneho človeka ale aj celej generácie okolo neho.
Prvý dojem po dočítaní knihy bol, že potrebujem "siahnuť" po zodpovednejšom prístupe a tak som si otvorila knihu od Scottovho lezeckého partnera Eda Viestursa (mimochodom, Scott je jedným z tých, ktorým je jeho dielo venované). To, čo Birkby popísal ako ďalší Scottov skvelý výkon - aj keď situáciu popisuje objektívne - považuje Viesturs za svoje najväčšie zlyhanie úsudku v horolezeckej kariére. A o tom to celé je. Autor v tejto knihe opisuje život človeka, ktorý mal vlastné hranice nastavené úplne mimo limitov bežných ľudí a aj mimo limitov väčšiny horolezcov. To, čo mu dvadsať rokov vychádzalo napriek mnohým pádom, zraneniam a operáciám, jednoducho na konci nevyšlo.
Inak sa kniha čítala dobre, občas sa Birkby trochu zamotal, ale inak to bol opäť raz zaujímavý náhľad do horolezeckého života nielen konkrétneho človeka ale aj celej generácie okolo neho.
June 7, 2023
A wonderful account of Scott Fischer's life and legacy in the world of mountaineering. I was expecting it to focus more on the 96 Everest Disaster and I was happy that it didn't. Scott Fischer (just like Rob Hall and many other great climbers) was defined not by his death, but by his life. It's also comforting to read how many times you have to fail, fall and give up before you reach the top of the world. Whatever that top means to each of us.
March 13, 2020
A remarkable book about the life and climbs of Scott Fischer. A man who loved to be in the mountains and the stories are full of his passion and love for the mountains. Written by a true friend of Scott, who shared the same passion.
May 20, 2015
This account of Scott Fischer's joyful, short, selfish, compelling life really gets at the fascinating dilemma of mountain climbers who have children. Part of me thinks "why would you have kids?" Why subject them to your long periods of absence and your inevitable pointless death high up on some snowy peak? Not everybody has to have kids...
But, how do you decide who should and shouldn't have kids? And how can you tell someone to deny their soul? Mountain climbers know they're crazy but they're also the happiest having type 2 fun, type 3 fun. There's a reason there's so much mountaineering literature. There's just something basically interesting about self reliance, struggle for survival and obeying the instinct to go to the top. As high as you can go & where places no one has been
Into Thin Air is the definitive Everest masterpiece, but I was glad to read this too, to get a fuller sense of who Davis was. He drew a lot of dreamers into his circle w/ his magnetic personality & charisma. The National Outdoor Leadership School sounds really interesting, too. I'm definitely going to check out 30 Days to Survival, the movie that drew Fischer and many others to NOLS and launched them into their outdoor lives.
Final note: I though it was funny that Fischer marries a woman with last name Price, and then throughout the book Birbky refers to them as the "Fischer-Price" household. Was he laughing as he wrote this? Probably
But, how do you decide who should and shouldn't have kids? And how can you tell someone to deny their soul? Mountain climbers know they're crazy but they're also the happiest having type 2 fun, type 3 fun. There's a reason there's so much mountaineering literature. There's just something basically interesting about self reliance, struggle for survival and obeying the instinct to go to the top. As high as you can go & where places no one has been
Into Thin Air is the definitive Everest masterpiece, but I was glad to read this too, to get a fuller sense of who Davis was. He drew a lot of dreamers into his circle w/ his magnetic personality & charisma. The National Outdoor Leadership School sounds really interesting, too. I'm definitely going to check out 30 Days to Survival, the movie that drew Fischer and many others to NOLS and launched them into their outdoor lives.
Final note: I though it was funny that Fischer marries a woman with last name Price, and then throughout the book Birbky refers to them as the "Fischer-Price" household. Was he laughing as he wrote this? Probably
August 1, 2008
This book contains innumerable Walter Mitty moments and was compelling high adventure but Scott Fischer’s death on Mt Everest, covered here in just a sentence or two, could have been described more fully. Fischer had already reached Everest’s summit a few years earlier but had I not read John Krakauer’s “Into Thin Air” I wouldn’t have had any understanding of what occurred high up on that mountain on his final climb. Maybe Birkby, as a close friend, just found it too painful. I will leave it at that.
October 7, 2015
Tato kniha je krásným příběhem o životě někoho, koho zná společnost hlavně kvůli jeho smrti. Jedná se o shrnutí inspirujícího životního příběhu horolezce tělem i duší. Jak se dalo čekat... mě kniha inspirovala k tomu, abych se více začala zajímat o úspěšné i neúspěšné horolezecké mise českých i světových horolezců.
Nebudu ani tvrdit, že jsem knihu našla jen tak...pravdou je, ze jsem si knihu koupila cestou z kina z filmu Everest. A nelituji, knihu doporučuji všem, kteří rádi zjišťují kompletní informace o zajímavých lidech i o síle lidské duše.
Nebudu ani tvrdit, že jsem knihu našla jen tak...pravdou je, ze jsem si knihu koupila cestou z kina z filmu Everest. A nelituji, knihu doporučuji všem, kteří rádi zjišťují kompletní informace o zajímavých lidech i o síle lidské duše.
June 29, 2021
Mountain Madness: Scott Fischer, Mount Everest & a Life Lived on High. By Robert Birkby
I met Bob Birkby back in my days in Seattle, 1980-81. Friends of some friends... I was even somewhere around 300 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in the summer of 1981 with these "friends of Bob" when Bob and Carol (she's in the book) hiked up to our camp. It was wild to see someone we knew on the trail after 3+ weeks of hiking.

Turns out, Bob had a friend of friend, who was Scott Fischer. There have been a number of books about Scott, like Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and others, which often were the "persona" of Scott Fischer the mountaineer. Bob wanted to write a book about Scott Fischer the person.
Clearly Scott Fischer was one of those people who would take over a room when they arrived, with a huge personality and lots of stories. He was also an optimist and a person who truly loves the mountains. Not like me where I like backpacking in the mountains...he wanted to be on the TOP of the mountains.
I loved this book as it captured the intensity and beauty of being in the mountains and on top of them. The drive and commitment to climb mountains like Everest is something I have no interest in, but love to read how others are motivated to do it. Because Bob has done some climbing (not like Scott), he gives the reader the insight as to how ti feels to be up there.
By interviewing many of Scotts friends and climbing partners, you get a real inside feel to who he is and what motivates him. Lots of people die in the mountains above 20,000 feet. Shit happens there that does not forgive. Scott is one of them.
If you like the mountains and if you'd like to know how mountaineers think, read this book. It was a great read that I could not put down.
I met Bob Birkby back in my days in Seattle, 1980-81. Friends of some friends... I was even somewhere around 300 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in the summer of 1981 with these "friends of Bob" when Bob and Carol (she's in the book) hiked up to our camp. It was wild to see someone we knew on the trail after 3+ weeks of hiking.

Turns out, Bob had a friend of friend, who was Scott Fischer. There have been a number of books about Scott, like Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and others, which often were the "persona" of Scott Fischer the mountaineer. Bob wanted to write a book about Scott Fischer the person.
Clearly Scott Fischer was one of those people who would take over a room when they arrived, with a huge personality and lots of stories. He was also an optimist and a person who truly loves the mountains. Not like me where I like backpacking in the mountains...he wanted to be on the TOP of the mountains.
I loved this book as it captured the intensity and beauty of being in the mountains and on top of them. The drive and commitment to climb mountains like Everest is something I have no interest in, but love to read how others are motivated to do it. Because Bob has done some climbing (not like Scott), he gives the reader the insight as to how ti feels to be up there.
By interviewing many of Scotts friends and climbing partners, you get a real inside feel to who he is and what motivates him. Lots of people die in the mountains above 20,000 feet. Shit happens there that does not forgive. Scott is one of them.
If you like the mountains and if you'd like to know how mountaineers think, read this book. It was a great read that I could not put down.
July 4, 2022
This is a truly compelling biography of the fascinating Scott Fischer. Birkby was Fischer's friend, so it's told from a very personal place, but in my opinion, that doesn't colour the narrative too much. I appreciate that Birkby fleshes out Scott's life far beyond the 1996 Everest climb. However, in that penultimate chapter, Birkby does a wonderful job of synthesizing different accounts of the storm, sidestepping controversy, and showing compassion and understanding for everyone involved. I recommend this book, especially if you're interested in those early days of Himalayan commerce.
I have a few little nits to pick, however. The book desperately needs more dates, for one, especially as it seems to skip around a bit in chronology (in the first half, at least). I was often confused on what month or even year an expedition or event took place; from a historical perspective, that just frustrates me. Second--Birkby is far from the only author to do this, but for everyone's sake, please note that the inimitable Liz Hawley's database is entirely online. So instead of saying "X was on an expedition in 1993," you can easily look up the specific expedition. It is very possible that *I am the only person who cares*, but I do, and I can't help it.
Anyway, feel very free to ignore my little annoyances and pick up this book.
I have a few little nits to pick, however. The book desperately needs more dates, for one, especially as it seems to skip around a bit in chronology (in the first half, at least). I was often confused on what month or even year an expedition or event took place; from a historical perspective, that just frustrates me. Second--Birkby is far from the only author to do this, but for everyone's sake, please note that the inimitable Liz Hawley's database is entirely online. So instead of saying "X was on an expedition in 1993," you can easily look up the specific expedition. It is very possible that *I am the only person who cares*, but I do, and I can't help it.
Anyway, feel very free to ignore my little annoyances and pick up this book.
October 3, 2021
Everest je knihou, kterou už mám roky v knihovně, vlastně už doby, kdy jsem poprvé viděla stejnojmenný film v roce 2015. Ten příběh mě vždy opravdu fascinoval, i když se jedná o velmi tragickou záležitost. Bála jsem se, jak bude kniha o Scottovi Fischerovi napsaná, zda se bude jednat o čtivé dílo a ne pouze o neosobní popis jeho života.
Opak je ovšem pravdou. Jeho životopis napsal Scottův kamarád, který prostřednictvím vlastních zážitků i jiných lidí přibližuje Scottovu osobnost, jeho zápal do života, chuť riskovat, shrnuje vše podstatné, které se mu v životě událo, místo toho, aby se zaměřoval pouze na tragédii na Everestu, díky které ho spíše většina lidí zná. I pro mě, jako člověka, který není horolezcem, byl jeho zápal do života velmi motivujícím, kdy si za svůj život splnil plno snů. Kniha je osobní, přátelskou zpovědí, psaná čtivým, někdy i dojemným dojmem, kdy máte pocit, že se všech těch dobrodružství účastníte. Za mě se jednalo o intimní, čtivý, osobní životopis, u kterého mi je i docela líto, že mi tak dlouho ležel nerozečtený v knihovně.
Opak je ovšem pravdou. Jeho životopis napsal Scottův kamarád, který prostřednictvím vlastních zážitků i jiných lidí přibližuje Scottovu osobnost, jeho zápal do života, chuť riskovat, shrnuje vše podstatné, které se mu v životě událo, místo toho, aby se zaměřoval pouze na tragédii na Everestu, díky které ho spíše většina lidí zná. I pro mě, jako člověka, který není horolezcem, byl jeho zápal do života velmi motivujícím, kdy si za svůj život splnil plno snů. Kniha je osobní, přátelskou zpovědí, psaná čtivým, někdy i dojemným dojmem, kdy máte pocit, že se všech těch dobrodružství účastníte. Za mě se jednalo o intimní, čtivý, osobní životopis, u kterého mi je i docela líto, že mi tak dlouho ležel nerozečtený v knihovně.
April 11, 2023
I cannot believe that my Goodreads colleagues rated this book over 4 points. As a young man (I am now 75), I was a serious and moderately competent rock climber and mountaineer for over 20 years, and climbed well over 100 serious peaks, mostly in the Pacific Northwest, and spent a month in Nepal in 1987, reaching almost 19,000 feet on a small peak in the Annapurna Sanctuary. Even to this day, I am an inveterate consumer of climbing fiction and non-fiction mountaineering literature. I have probably read well over 500 such books since I started climbing in my late 20s.
I cannot believe my fellow Goodreads colleagues rated this book so highly. I have never even heard of this author Birkby before. Cannot believe he was actually ever a mountaineer.
I cannot believe my fellow Goodreads colleagues rated this book so highly. I have never even heard of this author Birkby before. Cannot believe he was actually ever a mountaineer.
August 15, 2021
Excelente relato sobre la vida, obra y muerte de Scott Fischer, montañista apasionado que fue una de las víctimas de la tragedia de 1996 en la montaña más alta del mundo.
Va más allá de ese suceso (de hecho solo le dedica un capítulo) y cuenta con detalles y muchos testimonios las grandes hazañas (y fracasos) que tuvo Fischer en su carrera como montañista profesional, y también personal. Un gran libro sobre una persona definitivamente especial.
Destaco que sobre la tragedia de 1996 solo haya un capítulo. Veo en muchas reviews que se quejan de eso, pero este es un libro sobre Scott Fischer. Si quieren leer sobre lo que pasó en 1996 en la montaña, hay un montón de otros.
Va más allá de ese suceso (de hecho solo le dedica un capítulo) y cuenta con detalles y muchos testimonios las grandes hazañas (y fracasos) que tuvo Fischer en su carrera como montañista profesional, y también personal. Un gran libro sobre una persona definitivamente especial.
Destaco que sobre la tragedia de 1996 solo haya un capítulo. Veo en muchas reviews que se quejan de eso, pero este es un libro sobre Scott Fischer. Si quieren leer sobre lo que pasó en 1996 en la montaña, hay un montón de otros.
January 2, 2026
Robert Birkby’s "Mountain Madness" restores Scott Fischer’s humanity to his role in the 1996 Everest tragedy--a story too often flattened by aftermath and blame. Having read Krakauer's "Into Thin Air," Viesturs' "No Shortcuts to the Top," and Weathers' "Left for Dead," I found this book a necessary and worthy addition—less an argument about what happened on one Everest season than an intimate reckoning about why Fischer was drawn to the mountains and what that devotion cost.
Birkby writes as a friend, not an apologist, offering a fuller, more compassionate portrait that adds depth to the popular narrative without passing judgment on the outcome. Recommend.
Birkby writes as a friend, not an apologist, offering a fuller, more compassionate portrait that adds depth to the popular narrative without passing judgment on the outcome. Recommend.
May 2, 2020
A great biography of the celebrated mountaineer Scott Fischer, one of the main protagonists of the 1996 Everest disaster.
From Mr. Fischer’s first forays onto the peaks of Washington State to his climb of K2 with Ed Viesturs (without supplemental oxygen,) Robert Birkby retraces his progression.
The crescendo is obviously Mr. Fischer’s untimely demise high above the South Cole of Mount Everest.
It’s a beautiful story with a sad ending, but this book demonstrates that Scott Fischer’s short life was at least one that was well lived.
From Mr. Fischer’s first forays onto the peaks of Washington State to his climb of K2 with Ed Viesturs (without supplemental oxygen,) Robert Birkby retraces his progression.
The crescendo is obviously Mr. Fischer’s untimely demise high above the South Cole of Mount Everest.
It’s a beautiful story with a sad ending, but this book demonstrates that Scott Fischer’s short life was at least one that was well lived.
November 14, 2022
I've read the book about the 1996 Mt Everest tragedies, from the view point of Rob Hall's team. This book is not about the tragedies in 1996, this is about a life of the one of the most popular mountaineer Scott Fischer. He used to be a great mountaineer at heart. His family, wife and friends.. everyone knew it.
Robert Birkby was a friend of Scott. The author described Fischer's development as a climber and family man, his exuberance and charisma and his insatiable lust for mountaineering-making.
It was interesting to read about his life. The author did a great job. ☺️
Robert Birkby was a friend of Scott. The author described Fischer's development as a climber and family man, his exuberance and charisma and his insatiable lust for mountaineering-making.
It was interesting to read about his life. The author did a great job. ☺️
March 14, 2020
An excellent account of the life of Scott Fisher, his energy, exuberance and enthusiasm. This book goes beyond the disaster of 1996 Everest Expedition that is already well documented and argued in various books. This is a tribute to Scott from a friend. This very well written biography gives the reader a glimpse to this famous mountaineer's life.
April 7, 2021
This was MUCH better than I expected. A lot of better known biographers could learn something from this guy. The stories are well told and the subject is presented with an unusually light touch. Most writers would have gone the full Freud on Scott Fischer but Birkby lets the reader make up their own mind.
June 18, 2023
A biography of Scott Fischer, who died on Everest in 1996, by one of his friends. The author admits that he's trying not to write a book that highlights all of the red flags up until 1996, but they are there in the book anyway, as he can't help but highlight the issues with Scott's leadership style and ability to vet employees. But he seems like he was a very nice guy that everybody loved.
August 4, 2018
Steve Fischer was a mountaineer, the owner of Mountain Madness, a husband and a father, and a Bruce:)
He was on Everest when a storm struck, 1996
The season when Into thin air , by Jon Krakauer, happened
One of his many friends tells us about him
He was on Everest when a storm struck, 1996
The season when Into thin air , by Jon Krakauer, happened
One of his many friends tells us about him
May 13, 2019
For many Scott Fischer is a symbol of hubris. In this book he is described as a person taking very good care of his fellow climbers and being a very responsible guide. It is a book everyone should read who liked the Krakauer book "Into thin air". Krakauers point of view seems to be very narrowminded.
March 24, 2025
Not an Everest book but the story of a climber who met his fate there in 1996. Full of details - maybe too many details as it does go on a bit about things you may not really care about - but overall a good story of a life spent in the mountains.
August 9, 2017
It deserves 5 stars because it is one of the sweetest and truer statement to friendship ever.
February 11, 2018
Slow read.
May 26, 2018
should be read
August 15, 2021
Not my cup of tea... and I started not liking Scott Fischer anymore (which I don't think the author ment to happen)
November 19, 2021
it was ok. I had hoped for more of that day on Everest, but nope just a lot of back history
December 22, 2022
Interesting to know more about this very driven person and some of the others in his life....wife, family, climbing partners/friends.
April 18, 2023
review to follow, once I sort my thoughts out.
January 16, 2025
Слышал про главного героя, смотрел кино.
Вновь воодушевился на восхождения в этом году.
Вновь воодушевился на восхождения в этом году.
August 31, 2009
I love mountaineering stories, and the biography of Scott Fischer was no different. The story gave more detail to Scott's life rather than his death, which is chronicled in Krakauer's Into Thin Air. Scott lived his life with an energy that most people can't even imagine in thier dreams. As evident by the 2 memorial services attended by roughly 1000 people, Scott touched many lives in his short 40 years.
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