Rating: 
Summary: A classic for any Everest fan
Review: One of the better stories of an expedition to Everest. The narrative is well written although the urgency of the situation doesn't really come through. Even though some members lose toes due to frostbite, Hornbein's writing makes the expedition seem like a day hike on a bike path. Nonetheless, a interesting story to read if you are a Everest fan.
Rating: 
Summary: A CLASSIC MOUNTAINEERING BOOK
Review: This book tells the history of the 1.st ascent via West Ridge of Mount Everest by Thomas Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld, both members of the 1963 american expedition lidered by Norman Dyhrenfurth that also putted the first american(Jim Whittaker) on top of Mount Everest.They set out to climb Everest by the traditional route via South Col, but somewhere along the journey to base camp a group of climbers decided that a new route would be the biggest thing still to be accomplished in Himalayan mountaineering, among them were Hornbein and Unsoeld. Hornbein became a fanatic about summiting Everest via The West Ridge through a couloir and with the support of Unsoeld, Barry Corbert,Al Auten, Dick Emerson and some good sherpas, he did it.Corbert and Auten pioneered a route to Camp 5W, followed by some sherpas and by Hornbein, Unsoeld and Emerson. From camp 5W Hornbein and Unsoeld attacked the summit, summiting it at 6:15 p.m. on may 22 1963, them they traversed the mountain and descented via the south col route at night. On the descent they actually found two other climbers(Barry Bishop and Lute Jerstad - that summited that same day)and spent the night out with them at 8000 mt. The rest is mountaineering history. This classic book is a must have in any mountaineering collection and a must read to anyone who is interested in this subject. Note: The only fatality during the expedition was Jake Breitenbach who died in the khumbu icefalls while leading a reconnaissance team. The couloir that Unsoeld and Horbein used to reach the summit is still known as the Hornbein Couloir.
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Summary: A compelling tale of perseverence in the face of adversity
Review: This classic mountaineering volume was written at a time when Himalayan mountaineering was entering a new and exciting phase - a purer seduction of the mountain, where more aesthetic methods and lines of ascent override the basic urge to reach the summit (and nothing else). Tom Hornbein was definitely cast into this new mold, although at the time he was probably not aware of it. This expedition, which was on many occasions threatened with defeat, succeeded in a mountaineering tour de force. Not the ascent by the "yak route", but by pushing a route up one of the most formidable ridges anywhere in the Himalayan chain and traversing the mountain back along the south-east ridge. Without the grit and determination of Tom and Willi, this would have been just another ascent of Everest to add to the ever-growing list. Their dream was borne out in the end. Tom's open and unprepossessing prose is a refreshing change from the pithy accounts of yesteryear, giving the reader more insight into the inner workings, and tensions, of any large mountaineering expedition. A must read for any serious mountaineering scholar.
Rating: 
Summary: A DRAMATIC , EVEREST ADVENTURE DRYLY TOLD...ZZZZZZZ
Review: This is the story of the 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition which made mountaineering history. It saw the first Americans summit Everest via the South Col. It also saw the first climb of Everest by anyone via the West Ridge route, previously believed to be unclimbable. Not only did Thomas Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld summit Everest via the West Ridge, they traversed the mountain and descended via the South Col route. They were, however, forced to bivouac in the death zone at 28,000 feet without any food, supplemental oxygen, or shelter. One would think that such a dramatic turn of events high on Everest would be riveting to read. Wrong! Unfortunately, this is the one problem with this book. The story is told in a very dry, dull fashion. It is as if Hornbein were talking about flossing one's teeth rather than about a segment of mountaineering history of which he was an integral part. Nevertheless, this is a high quality paperback with forty eight terrific photographs which are sure to delight Everest junkies everywhere. No mountaineering library should be without this book which recounts with detail one of the most significant climbs in the history of the Himalayas.
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Summary: You've read Krakauer. Now read the man who inspired him.
Review: While reading Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air", I couldn't help but notice how frequently he quoted passages from "Everest: The West Ridge". I now know why. Tom Hornbein gives us his fascinating personal account of the 1963 American expedition to the tallest mountain in the world. The mountain, its weather and even members of the expedition present Hornbein with a myriad of challenges which would have defeated most. He also generously shares with us the spirit and pleasure that is Willi Unsoeld. This is a story as grand as the mountain itself
Rating:
Summary: Going on from a point of no return
Review: Willie Unsold and Tom Hornbein would not rest until they attempted the West Ridge of Mt. Everest and traversed to the other side. Barry Bishop and Lute Jerstead arrived on the summit in mid afternoon and waited for Tom and Willie, but started down without them. What happened that night high on the mountain is mountaineering legend. In all but a hand full of nights on Everest, they would have died from the wind and cold. That night the mountain was calm and windless, and they survived. This story from 1963 is as gripping as the first moon landing in 1969. To all who seek adventure in the high mountain world, Everest, The West Ridge lives on.
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