This is how a book on the subject should be written

books:

	• Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season Nick Heil Henry Holt and Co., 2008 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 15 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Remarkable

I am fascinated by some things that people do, such as climbing the highest mountain or going to depths of the oceans, and the risks they are willing to take for experiences most of us will never have.

Of course I always assume that the people and situation are being done by experts, in situations where there is some control to the extent possible, but as this books sshows that is not always the case.

Like any book where you read about times when it seems if things were done differently just a bit, another outcome could happpen, this one raises questions and shows potential failings in the system and people which could have avoided unfortunate outcomes.

Hopefully people take heed of books like this for the future, but as pointed out many things have been known about for awhile, such as who and how people can climb Everest. Very well written book and I highly recommmend it to anyone who is interested in Everest and stories surrounding one the the goals people only usually dream about.

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Good book!

I enjoyed this book. It chronicled the 2006 year with fairly good detail. If you want a much more indepth review of Lincoln Hall's ordeal, read "Dead Lucky."

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Simply Amazing

While I will draw short of calling this book "equal" to INTO THIN AIR, it certainly stands on its own as one of the BEST books ever written about Everest and in particular about the 2006 climbing season. Well written, well researched, and completely thorough. This book goes beyond the 2006 season and delves into the history of Everest, the men and women who have climbed the mountain, and the reasons behind their passions. It gives fair representation to ALL the individuals involved including the often maligned Russell Brice. The conclusion should be that Brice did all that was possible and even went beyond the call for climber David Sharp and his family. Each climber who sets foot on Everest knows the score. Come prepared, come equipped, pay attention, or you're going to die. This book is a great companion to the Discovery DVD series "Everest - Beyond The Limit". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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Well-researched and very well-written

A stunning addition to the Everest bookshelf, Heil writes about the 2006 climbing season, the second-deadliest since the 1996 disaster. This time, there was no crippling storm and no stranded teams - but forty people walked past a dying man just below the summit without stopping. Heil presents a thorough and amazing look at what the circumstances were, and ponders the question - what ethics exist at the roof of the world?

This is how a book on the subject should be written

About a year or so ago I read Michael Kodas [High Crimes] and gave it
a bad review. The reason was that the journalist - Michael Kodas - was
so much in the book that any objectivity disappeared.
Anyways, in the comments to my review somebody suggested this book.
And, yes, this is the way these stories should be written - the
author is not in the picture, the writing is engaging and interesting,
I think he is trying to be as objective as possible, his research
in preparation for this book is extensive. Bottom line - a great book as
far as my opinion goes.
My only note is that the author explains some things about
altitude sickness, about Everest, etc, that I already know based on
previous books, so this was a little boring for me - but this makes the
book more self-contained and thus I think this was the right thing to do.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

The inside story of the deadly 2006 climbing season on Everest On May 15, 2006, a young British climber named David Sharp lay dying near the top of Mount Everest while forty other climbers walked past him on their way to the summit. A week later, Lincoln Hall, a seasoned Australian climber, was left for dead near the same spot. Hall?s death was reported around the world, but the next day he was found alive after spending the night on the upper mountain with no food and no shelter.

If David Sharp?s death was shocking, it was hardly singular: despite unusually good weather, ten others died attempting to reach the summit that year. In this meticulous inquiry into what went wrong, Nick Heil tells the full story of the deadliest year on Everest since the infamous season of 1996. He introduces Russell Brice, the commercial operator who has done more than anyone to provide access to the summit via the mountain?s north side?and who some believe was partly accountable for Sharp?s death. As more climbers attempt the summit each year, Heil shows how increasingly risky expeditions and unscrupulous outfitters threaten to turn Everest into a deadly circus.

Written by an experienced climber and outdoor writer, Dark Summit is both a riveting account of a notorious climbing season and a troubling investigation into whether the pursuit of the ultimate mountaineering prize has spiraled out of control.

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