Rating: 
Summary: best literary exposition of the drama of climbing
Review: "Everest : The West Ridge" by Thomas F. Hornbein is an extremely well written book. A lot of climbers in their books are trying to explain why they climb - Hornbein gives one of the most honest, eloquent and convincing account; almost as good's as Mallory, who just said "because it is there".The book takes an honest, and sometime humorous account of foundational days of American Everest mountaineering; in sometimes naive ways the climbers are trying to vote themselves off the mountain; filling up psychological surveys in high camps, using a little robot to haul up food. In a matter-of-fact way Hornbein describes how they climbed beyond the point of safe return on the West Ridge, have to descend down the unknown to them side of the mountain, bivouac at 8500 meters .. and help their fellow climbers down the South Col route. Now, 40 years after the climb, the book and the events are as true to the times and the spirit of climbing as ever. And besides, to the best of my knowledge, Hornbein and Unsoeld's is still the only traverse in Everest history.
Rating: 
Summary: Everest The West Ridge
Review: A detailed account of a great mountaineering feat. The tensions between the team is fascinating. Because the sheets the mountaineers were required to fill in about what they were feeling by the team psycologist were left behind before the final push the most interesting part of the account is related in the thinest detail. A shame cos it knocks the gloss off what would otherwise be truly a 5 star book.
Rating:
Summary: Really - a must read
Review: Hornbein's epic tale really is a must read for those looking for insights into the personal struggles of Everest climbers. Griping story about a new, challenging ascent and the details that must be attended to in order to even attempt a summit like Everest. The story flows nicely with very few and short slow points.
Rating:
Summary: Really - a must read
Review: Hornbein's epic tale really is a must read for those looking for insights into the personal struggles of Everest climbers. Griping story about a new, challenging ascent and the details that must be attended to in order to even attempt a summit like Everest. The story flows nicely with very few and short slow points.
Rating:
Summary: A Truly Inspirational Book
Review: I first read this book in the summer of 1969, and it is anything but dry or boring. Hornbein's matter-of-fact narrative does nothing to diminish the drama and the risk inhering in any attempt on Everest, but especially one in which the climbers descend by a route which is completely new to them. Hornbein also worked very hard to select incredibly beautiful photographs and inspirational quotations from some of the most famous mountaineers of all time. These, combined with the narrative of his own personal odyssey on the West Ridge, make this book into a truly inspirational piece of literature. Those who require sensationalism and hyperbole will not like this book, but those who recognize the drama inhering in any "point of no return" decision to continue going on up will see that no hyperbole is required. The narrative of events is compelling, especially if one has ventured into the high mountains and feels their majesty with both awe and respect--and sometimes terror. For some reason this book changed my life, and those who respond to challenges with the desire to do something worthwhile with their own lives will see in mountaineering a metaphor for every great and risky enterprise.
Rating:
Summary: A Truly Inspirational Book
Review: I first read this book in the summer of 1969, and it is anything but dry or boring. Hornbein's matter-of-fact narrative does nothing to diminish the drama and the risk inhering in any attempt on Everest, but especially one in which the climbers descend by a route which is completely new to them. Hornbein also worked very hard to select incredibly beautiful photographs and inspirational quotations from some of the most famous mountaineers of all time. These, combined with the narrative of his own personal odyssey on the West Ridge, make this book into a truly inspirational piece of literature. Those who require sensationalism and hyperbole will not like this book, but those who recognize the drama inhering in any "point of no return" decision to continue going on up will see that no hyperbole is required. The narrative of events is compelling, especially if one has ventured into the high mountains and feels their majesty with both awe and respect--and sometimes terror. For some reason this book changed my life, and those who respond to challenges with the desire to do something worthwhile with their own lives will see in mountaineering a metaphor for every great and risky enterprise.
Rating:
Summary: A gentle narrative of Hornbein & Unseold's West Ridge ascent
Review: I'm glad to see this book in print again! It's a beautifully descriptive narrative of their journey. This book truly captures the beauty of the region as well as the spirituality of climbing.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Everest book
Review: If you enjoy mountaineering stories you will enjoy this book. The book covers the 1963 American Everest expedition. This was the first attempt to put an american on top of Everest via the South Col route. This same expedition reached the summit, via the West Ridge which had been dismissed as a hopeless route by other expsditions. The climbers were forced to bivouac (bivouac is French for major screw up) at 28,000 feet with no supplies.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic, Yes, But Somewhat Dated . . .
Review: Jon Krakauer's provocative critique of the 1996 storm deaths on Everest aroused in many an insatiable interest in the mountain. For others, like me, who are in this position and who would like to extend their knowledge of the mountain and its climbs further back in history, I recommend Dr. Hornbein's account of his climb and traverse of Everest by the West Ridge. Dr. Hornbein was part of the first American expedition to Everest in the 1960s and, together with Willi Unsoeld, was the first to climb Everest by the west route. The historical nature of Dr. Hornbein's account is both its biggest strength and its biggest weakness. Because The West Ridge was written in the mid-1960s, its perspective is very different from the post-1996 Everest books, providing insight into the minds, drives, and cultural attitudes of the true mountaineers who "opened" Everest, rather than the "me-too" climbers who have come after. For this and for Hornbein's direct, spare narrative style, Everest: The West Ridge is exciting and well worth the read. On the other hand, the book suffers from a stoic heroicism which feels dated and which robs the story of some its narrative power. During the climb, Hornbein experienced a dramatic storm high up on Everest's west ridge and later, on the descent after his summit, was forced to spend the night high above the South Col. Although these events are included in the narrative, they are recorded in a such a matter-of-fact fashion that one unfamiliar with the modern Everest literature would not understand Hornbein's incredible feat in surviving these adventures. While a reluctance to describe these events may evidence an admirable modesty, it does not make for the best possible story. However, neither this nor some shortcomings in the editing alter the significance of Dr. Hornbein's accomplishment or diminish the excitement of the tale that he tells. The book is a terrific addition to any Everest library.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic, Yes, But Somewhat Dated . . .
Review: Jon Krakauer's provocative critique of the 1996 storm deaths on Everest aroused in many an insatiable interest in the mountain. For others, like me, who are in this position and who would like to extend their knowledge of the mountain and its climbs further back in history, I recommend Dr. Hornbein's account of his climb and traverse of Everest by the West Ridge. Dr. Hornbein was part of the first American expedition to Everest in the 1960s and, together with Willi Unsoeld, was the first to climb Everest by the west route. The historical nature of Dr. Hornbein's account is both its biggest strength and its biggest weakness. Because The West Ridge was written in the mid-1960s, its perspective is very different from the post-1996 Everest books, providing insight into the minds, drives, and cultural attitudes of the true mountaineers who "opened" Everest, rather than the "me-too" climbers who have come after. For this and for Hornbein's direct, spare narrative style, Everest: The West Ridge is exciting and well worth the read. On the other hand, the book suffers from a stoic heroicism which feels dated and which robs the story of some its narrative power. During the climb, Hornbein experienced a dramatic storm high up on Everest's west ridge and later, on the descent after his summit, was forced to spend the night high above the South Col. Although these events are included in the narrative, they are recorded in a such a matter-of-fact fashion that one unfamiliar with the modern Everest literature would not understand Hornbein's incredible feat in surviving these adventures. While a reluctance to describe these events may evidence an admirable modesty, it does not make for the best possible story. However, neither this nor some shortcomings in the editing alter the significance of Dr. Hornbein's accomplishment or diminish the excitement of the tale that he tells. The book is a terrific addition to any Everest library.
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