Rating: 
Summary: A certain must read
Review: Hard to say whether "The Climb" is best read before or after Krakauer's "Into Thin Air." Both contain their valuable interpretations and descriptions of the events during and leading up to the tragedy on May, 1996.While Krakauer's book has an air of self-importance, "The Climb" rings more authentic. I found the reading more palatable and simply more interesting. I'd recommend readin both, but certainly "The Climb" were I to choose one. A great book.
Rating: 
Summary: A detailed retelling of a familiar tragedy
Review: In "The Climb", authors Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt team up to give their version of the terrible events on Mount Everest in May 1996. Readers of Jon Krakaur's "Into Thin Air" are already familiar with the outlines of this story, told from the viewpoint of another climbing team. This book is different in that it is a much more controlled, exhaustivley researched tale. In fact,the authors strain to include lots of detail, as if it was a gaduate school research paper. This detracts a little from the story, which is otherwise nicely told. Another objective of theirs was to vindicate the actions of the Russian climber Boukreev, who was criticized in Krakauer's book as being self-serving, when in fact he ended up saving several climbers' lives. There is a chapter near the end on an unrelated climb which seemed out of place, but the last chapter was very moving. Worth a read.
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Summary: World Class High Altitude Climber and Man You Wish You Knew
Review: This book was written primarily in response to Krakauer's "Into Thin Air." There is a heavy ring of truth in recounting and documentation of the May 1996 disaster on Everest, which makes me discount some of the "factual" reporting of Krakauer in his book. The story is gripping. Hard to put down; hard to imagine the difficulties and horrors of those dreadful two days. In the end, I found Boukreev to be a remarkable man, a superb climber, and courageous - without doubt, a person I wish I had been able to meet. He also was a fine expedition planner, and very aware of the pitfalls and dangers of high altitude climbing. Indeed this book could be used as a checklist for expedition organization. In 1997, he received high recognition from the American Alpine Club for his rescue efforts on Everest, and respect of members of the high altitude climbing community. We must, however, regret that he was tragically killed later that year on a winter climb of Annapurna on Christmas Day, dying before his public reputation was fully restored. This accident also prevented him from completing his mission at that time, to return to Kazakhstan to help organize and promote high altitude climbing in his adopted country.
Rating:
Summary: Whole new perspective on May 10
Review: I, like many others, picked this up after reading Krakauer's "Into Thin Air." I found the two different viewpoints amazing. I firmly think that you should not read either book without reading the other. DeWalt helped Boukreev write a good book. Although I don't agree with all of DeWalt's assertions about Krakauer, I think it is absolutely necessary to have Boukreev's story on the table. It is interesting to note that DeWalt didn't interview many of the other May 10 Climbers for this book, a gripe of Krakauer's. I would say that this book was written to tell one man's story, Boukreev's, not really the story of the May 10 disaster. For this reason, read "Into Thin Air" first and then pick this up.
Rating: 
Summary: You Have to Read The Climb
Review: All I want to say is that I am convinced that Anatoli did his best in a bad situation. The Everest tragedy of '96' could have made anyone look bad. In fact it did! Read Into Thin Air and The Climb. You won't waste your time - Consider the two perspectives... Krakaur the professional writer and Boukreev the experienced high altitude mountaineer. Enough said.
Rating:
Summary: A readable yet biased account of 1996 Everest tragedy
Review: This is the fourth book I have read about the 1996 Everest tragedy. Both co-authors offer insightful and detailed information about how climbing expeditions are organized, funded, and executed. The book goes well beyond the Everest story itself and offers a look into the motivations and feelings of the clients, guides and organizers. The reason this is not a 5 star book is that it sometimes goes into too much detail to make a point. Usually the excess of details is to protect the co-authors' reputations or enhance their egos; and those sections could be easily dropped without losing the value of the book. However, for the Everest aficianodo, it is required reading.
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Summary: The Truth about the Everest Tragedy???
Review: Having read "Into Thin Air", Anatoli's book raises some serious questions about the validity of Krakauers account. Anatoli appears to have been the true hero on Everest fulfilling the function expected of him as the guide to get clients off the mountain. Both books need to be read to gain a balanced view of the events, Krakauers for the drama and The Climb for the emotional roller-coaster of the hero of the day. The climb is a must read for any devoted mountaineer both actual and arm chair.
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Summary: AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH...
Review: This is the story about the 1996 Everest tragedy told from the perspective of Anatoli Boukreev, who was one of the guides on the ill-fated Mountain Madness expedition. It is written almost as a rebuttal to the perceived criticism by Jon Krakauer (Into Thin Air) of Boukreev's actions on that ill-fated Everest climb. This is a poorly written account which is oftentimes confusing. It has none of the clarity of prose found in Krakauer's "Into Thin Air". It is, however, an important chronicle from someone who was there on Everest, and who had a pivotal role in the tragic events. Boukreev provides an insider's view of the Mountain Madness expedition itself and of the preparations which go into such a journey. It is packed with many interesting details which will delight Everest junkies. Whether Boukreev's actions on the mountain were irresponsible, in that he did not use supplementary oxygen to summit and immediately returned to camp after summitting, rather than remain with the expedition's clients, or whether he was just following the orders of the expedition leader, Scott Fisher, who himself died on Everest, is an issue which will long be debated in mountaineering circles. There is no doubt, however, that Boukreev did, in fact, single handedly rescue three of the climbers during a raging blizzard; climbers who without his intervention would have died. Given the extreme weather conditions, his foray up the mountain to rescue climbers is nothing less than heroic. Boukreev's is an important voice in the Everest annals, more so now that his voice has been silenced. On Christmas day, 1997, Boukreev died in an avalanche on Annapurna. RIP.
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Summary: UNCONDITIONAL BOUKREEV , Joseph Aragon
Review: I am a twenty five year old male with many passions. One of my largest passions lies among the stories and information I absorb about the beautiful and illusive Everest. After reading the book I have only the deepest respect for Mr Anatoli Boukreev. The knowledge shared by Anatoli is through shear experience and love for the game. The true passion for what one loves often incourages us to exceed even our own expectations as shared with you in this story of confusion, chaos, and heroism. Anatoli takes you on an emotional trip from the states to kathmandu and on to the top of the world. Although a great hero Anatoli and G. Weston DeWalt do an excellent job of maintaining a modest and humble story that reminds us of how even in the most chaotic of times one individual can rise above his/her own selflessness and survive on complete compassion to save another. The naration by Anatoli himself is inspirational in itself. Anatoli is not the best with english, but is very precice and accurate in his descriptions which take you there. I would simply like to thank Anatoli Boukreev for sharing his experience and passions with us. Truly an inspirational story of self will and love that shows what is in all if you can look beyond "I" and remember it is better to give than receive. An unconditional love.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Companion For Into Thin Air
Review: Yes, I agree with other reviewers that if you read Krakauer's Into Thin Air, you should read The Climb. It is told from the positon of a guide who went back into the storm on that fateful night and saved many lives. However, The Climb is definatly not as well written as Into Thin Air, and I got tried of Boukreeve's attemt at slamming Krakaur on every page. It just got repetitive hearing "Anatoli is a great climber," ect. Even on Boukreev's Everest map, he marks a spot that says, "This is the spot where Krakauer faultered and needed assistance on the descent." Now come on, thats neither nessessary or professional. It's a childish attempt at selling books. While I commend Boukreev for his heroic journey back into the storm to save climbers, I must also say that I agree with Krakauer on one point. Boukreev descended in front of his clients without stopping to assist any of them. He made a rushed descent to camp IV. Anyone who knows about mountaineering knows that this is an absolute no-no for moutain guides. Put the clients first! So Boukreev sat in camp IV while the clients he should have been assiting strugled outside. He did go back to save many clients, but there is a chance that even more lives may have been saved had he descended with climbers. Still, if you can ignore some attempts at slamming Krakauer's account, you will enjoy this book. By giving it 3 stars I am in no way saying its a bad book, it just does not live up to the standard set by Into Thin Air.
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