I Take the Road to Everest

I Take the Road to Everest PDF Author: Pramila le Hunte
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1800468318
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
Think of a time when the sun never set on the British Empire. For the British it was once a land of Hope and Glory, but over the eighty years of my biography the grandeur fizzled out and sadly the country ended up as a land of hope for glory.

I Take the Road to Everest

I Take the Road to Everest PDF Author: Pramila le Hunte
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1800468318
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
Think of a time when the sun never set on the British Empire. For the British it was once a land of Hope and Glory, but over the eighty years of my biography the grandeur fizzled out and sadly the country ended up as a land of hope for glory.

Where Men Win Glory

Where Men Win Glory PDF Author: Jon Krakauer
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 030738604X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 482

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Book Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A "gripping book about this extraordinary man who lived passionately and died unnecessarily" (USA Today) in post-9/11 Afghanistan, from the bestselling author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air. In 2002, Pat Tillman walked away from a multimillion-dollar NFL contract to join the Army and became an icon of American patriotism. When he was killed in Afghanistan two years later, a legend was born. But the real Pat Tillman was much more remarkable, and considerably more complicated than the public knew. Sent first to Iraq—a war he would openly declare was “illegal as hell” —and eventually to Afghanistan, Tillman was driven by emotionally charged, sometimes contradictory notions of duty, honor, justice, and masculine pride, and he was determined to serve his entire three-year commitment. But on April 22, 2004, his life would end in a barrage of bullets fired by his fellow soldiers. Though obvious to most of the two dozen soldiers on the scene that a ranger in Tillman’s own platoon had fired the fatal shots, the Army aggressively maneuvered to keep this information from Tillman’s family and the American public for five weeks following his death. During this time, President Bush used Tillman’s name to promote his administration’ s foreign policy. Long after Tillman’s nationally televised memorial service, the Army grudgingly notified his closest relatives that he had “probably” been killed by friendly fire while it continued to dissemble about the details of his death and who was responsible. Drawing on Tillman’s journals and letters and countless interviews with those who knew him and extensive research in Afghanistan, Jon Krakauer chronicles Tillman’s riveting, tragic odyssey in engrossing detail highlighting his remarkable character and personality while closely examining the murky, heartbreaking circumstances of his death. Infused with the power and authenticity readers have come to expect from Krakauer’s storytelling, Where Men Win Glory exposes shattering truths about men and war. This edition has been updated to reflect new developments and includes new material obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

The Mountain

The Mountain PDF Author: Ed Viesturs
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 145169475X
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 375

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Book Description
In national bestseller The Mountain, world-renowned climber and bestselling author Ed Viesturs and cowriter David Roberts paint a vivid portrait of obsession, dedication, and human achievement in a true love letter to the world’s highest peak. In The Mountain, veteran world-class climber and bestselling author Ed Viesturs—the only American to have climbed all fourteen of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks—trains his sights on Mount Everest in richly detailed accounts of expeditions that are by turns personal, harrowing, deadly, and inspiring. The highest mountain on earth, Everest remains the ultimate goal for serious high-altitude climbers. Viesturs has gone on eleven expeditions to Everest, spending more than two years of his life on the mountain and reaching the summit seven times. No climber today is better poised to survey Everest’s various ascents—both personal and historic. Viesturs sheds light on the fate of Mallory and Irvine, whose 1924 disappearance just 800 feet from the summit remains one of mountaineering’s greatest mysteries, as well as the multiply tragic last days of Rob Hall and Scott Fischer in 1996, the stuff of which Into Thin Air was made. Informed by the experience of one who has truly been there, The Mountain affords a rare glimpse into that place on earth where Heraclitus’s maxim—“Character is destiny”—is proved time and again.

Ascent Into Hell

Ascent Into Hell PDF Author: Fergus White
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781973422716
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
There is but one aim: the summit, the summit of Mount Everest.What starts with a trouble-free trek into the Nepalese highlands explodes into a gripping tale of hardship, peril, and adversity. Pushed beyond their physical and mental limits, climbers drop by the wayside. Their primal instincts for survival battle with their dogged resolve to drag themselves to the top of the world. But the focus remains: battle to the summit, and if successful, somehow get back down again.White plunges the reader into a land of subzero temperatures, asphyxiating air, and ever increasing danger. Base Camp and the world above it come to life in this riveting, true novel. The inner workings of an Everest expedition team and what it takes to climb the world's highest mountain are laid bare. Some return from the death zone injured. Some do not return at all.Success and failure vie for supremacy throughout.This personal, day-by-day chronicle takes the reader along every step of an Everest climb. A must for climbing enthusiasts, lovers of adventure, and adrenaline junkies; the closing chapters will leave you breathless.

Into Thin Air

Into Thin Air PDF Author: Jon Krakauer
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0679462716
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 318

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Book Description
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The epic account of the storm on the summit of Mt. Everest that claimed five lives and left countless more—including Krakauer's—in guilt-ridden disarray. "A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing, a story of bad luck and worse judgment and of heartbreaking heroism." —PEOPLE A bank of clouds was assembling on the not-so-distant horizon, but journalist-mountaineer Jon Krakauer, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, saw nothing that "suggested that a murderous storm was bearing down." He was wrong. By writing Into Thin Air, Krakauer may have hoped to exorcise some of his own demons and lay to rest some of the painful questions that still surround the event. He takes great pains to provide a balanced picture of the people and events he witnessed and gives due credit to the tireless and dedicated Sherpas. He also avoids blasting easy targets such as Sandy Pittman, the wealthy socialite who brought an espresso maker along on the expedition. Krakauer's highly personal inquiry into the catastrophe provides a great deal of insight into what went wrong. But for Krakauer himself, further interviews and investigations only lead him to the conclusion that his perceived failures were directly responsible for a fellow climber's death. Clearly, Krakauer remains haunted by the disaster, and although he relates a number of incidents in which he acted selflessly and even heroically, he seems unable to view those instances objectively. In the end, despite his evenhanded and even generous assessment of others' actions, he reserves a full measure of vitriol for himself. This updated trade paperback edition of Into Thin Air includes an extensive new postscript that sheds fascinating light on the acrimonious debate that flared between Krakauer and Everest guide Anatoli Boukreev in the wake of the tragedy. "I have no doubt that Boukreev's intentions were good on summit day," writes Krakauer in the postscript, dated August 1999. "What disturbs me, though, was Boukreev's refusal to acknowledge the possibility that he made even a single poor decision. Never did he indicate that perhaps it wasn't the best choice to climb without gas or go down ahead of his clients." As usual, Krakauer supports his points with dogged research and a good dose of humility. But rather than continue the heated discourse that has raged since Into Thin Air's denouncement of guide Boukreev, Krakauer's tone is conciliatory; he points most of his criticism at G. Weston De Walt, who coauthored The Climb, Boukreev's version of events. And in a touching conclusion, Krakauer recounts his last conversation with the late Boukreev, in which the two weathered climbers agreed to disagree about certain points. Krakauer had great hopes to patch things up with Boukreev, but the Russian later died in an avalanche on another Himalayan peak, Annapurna I. In 1999, Krakauer received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters--a prestigious prize intended "to honor writers of exceptional accomplishment." According to the Academy's citation, "Krakauer combines the tenacity and courage of the finest tradition of investigative journalism with the stylish subtlety and profound insight of the born writer. His account of an ascent of Mount Everest has led to a general reevaluation of climbing and of the commercialization of what was once a romantic, solitary sport; while his account of the life and death of Christopher McCandless, who died of starvation after challenging the Alaskan wilderness, delves even more deeply and disturbingly into the fascination of nature and the devastating effects of its lure on a young and curious mind."

Because It's There: to Climb Mount Everest

Because It's There: to Climb Mount Everest PDF Author: Aleksey Berzon
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 213

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Book Description
Because It's There: To Climb Mount Everest is a memoir of Aleksey Berzon. This book includes photographs. The story is about a young man who attempted to climb Mount Everest. However, before the journey could begin, it seemed to be doomed from the start. Visa law changes, a hurricane and airplane cancellations stood in the way between Aleksey and his adventure. Experience Nepal and climb to Mount Everest through the eyes of Aleksey. The endless forks in the trails were his nemesis and the safety precautions of the climb seemed lost in the wind. Meet locals, climbers and avid travelers along the way. Dive into a world of unique and strange conversations. Join the adventure of self-discovery through humor and personal insights. Because It's There: To Climb Mount Everest is the first book of a series of four. Three more books will follow: Adventures In Tibet, A Walk Across China, and Meeting The People Of Vietnam. Excerpt: When my large plate of dal bhat arrived, the woman asked me, "Why didn't you stay at our lodge? We have warm delicious food, a hot shower, comfortable beds and Wi-Fi." I thought about her question and concluded it was because I didn't have the Lonely Planet guidebook. This brand, the largest travel guidebook publisher in the world, was commonly called by backpackers as the "Bible of the Road." In my opinion, when a traveler let a guidebook dictate their trip, it no longer became an adventure, but simply retraced the steps of someone else. It took away the mystery of the road, the unexpected, and set a standard of high expectations by merely promoting the popular. The romance of the road was then gone. Getting lost in this world had already become difficult, and encountering the unexpected, extraordinary situations a subject to read about in adventure books, only to be mentioned as a safety hazard in guidebooks. Once aware of the unexpected, can it still be called an adventure? My accommodation for the night may not have been the best, but at least I supported a different family and spread the wealth. After dinner, I went back to the lodge, cleaned up with a moist towel and passed out under a heavy set of blankets, with daddy-long-legs to keep me company. Excerpt # 2: Kato sat in a corner failing to warm up a bowl of noodles using his small backpacker canister stove. I stood at the other corner and tried to clean a dirty blanket I wanted to use for the night. At that moment, I couldn't help but ask, "Kato, you are a respected businessman and can stay at the best hotel and eat at a restaurant of your choice. Why are you here with me? Why do you go through all this discomfort?" Kato turned to look at me and returned a genuine smile of contentment and happiness. He then said the words I'd never forget. "At home, I have a family waiting for me. I have a job, friends and most comforts that money can offer. In order to appreciate the life I have at home, I am here to experience a different way of life. Wait. No." Kato paused for a moment. "I travel to live a different life." He nodded as if agreeing with his own philosophy. He then glanced at me, and asked, "Why are you doing this pilgrimage?"

The Vast Unknown

The Vast Unknown PDF Author: Broughton Coburn
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307887146
Category : American Mount Everest Expedition
Languages : en
Pages : 330

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Book Description
"By the author of the bestseller Everest: Mountain Without Mercy, this chronicle of the iconic first American expedition to Mt. Everest in May 1963--published to coincide with the climb's 50th anniversary--combines riveting adventure, a perceptive analysis of its dark and terrifying historical context, and unprecedented revelations about its secret motivation. /b> n the midst of the Cold War, against the backdrop of the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the space race with the Soviet Union, and the quagmire of the Vietnam War, a band of iconoclastic, independent-minded American mountaineers set off for Mt. Everest, aiming to restore America's confidence and optimism. Their objective is to reach the summit while conducting scientific research, but which route will they take? And, mysteriously, who wants the results of the scientific tests, and for what purpose? The Vast Unknown is, on one level, a harrowing, character-driven account of the climb itself and its legendary team of alternately inspiring, troubled, and tragic climbers who suffer injuries, a near mutiny, and death on the mountain. It is also an examination of the profound sway the expedition had over the Ame

Blind Descent

Blind Descent PDF Author: Brian Dickinson
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
ISBN: 1414391706
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
"Former Navy rescue swimmer Brian Dickinson was roughly 1,000 feet from the summit of Mount Everest ... when his Sherpa became ill and had to turn back, leaving Brian with a difficult decision: should he continue to push for the summit, or head back down the mountain? After carefully weighing the options, Brian decided to continue toward the summit ... Four hours later, Brian solo-summited the highest peak in the world, but the celebration was short-lived ... Suddenly, his vision became blurry, his eyes started to burn, and within seconds, he was rendered almost completely blind"--Amazon.com.

The Climb

The Climb PDF Author: Anatoli Boukreev
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN: 125009982X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
Everest, the major motion picture from Universal Pictures, is set for wide release on September 18, 2015. Read The Climb, Anatoli Boukreev (portrayed by Ingvar Sigurðsson in the film) and G. Weston DeWalt’s compelling account of those fateful events on Everest. In May 1996 three expeditions attempted to climb Mount Everest on the Southeast Ridge route pioneered by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Crowded conditions slowed their progress. Late in the day twenty-three men and women-including expedition leaders Scott Fischer and Rob Hall-were caught in a ferocious blizzard. Disoriented and out of oxygen, climbers struggled to find their way down the mountain as darkness approached. Alone and climbing blind, Anatoli Boukreev brought climbers back from the edge of certain death. This new edition includes a transcript of the Mountain Madness expedition debriefing recorded five days after the tragedy, as well as G. Weston DeWalt's response to Into Thin Air author Jon Krakauer.

Tibet, Lamplight Unto a Darkened World - the American Delusion a Parody of Life

Tibet, Lamplight Unto a Darkened World - the American Delusion a Parody of Life PDF Author: Patrick Mahoney
Publisher: Patrick Mahoney
ISBN: 9781439202500
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 1288

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Book Description
Michener meets Grisham,on a mountain top in Tibet; hooked up by Hermann Hesse ;-) Chronicling the adventures of a modern-day Siddartha, this Historical 'fiction' novel is a parable with a heart.