I mentioned The Climb in yesterday's post. It is Anatoli Boukreev's, a guide for the Mountain Madness team, account of what happened on Everest in May 1996. Krakauer doesn't exactly paint Boukreev in the best way in Into Thin Air, though he does admit that the disconnect seems to be the Russian understanding of what a guide should be and do vs the American/English. Krakauer does also cover Boukreev's various journeys back into the fray (when it all began, Boukreev descended rather rapidly without stopping to help anyone and was back in his tent sipping tea while others faced death - his reasoning was, he needed to be back with the oxygen tanks to climb back for anyone needing help) to rescue other climbers.
Now that I'm obsessed with this story - I'd love to read Boukreev's account. For everything I've read that painted Krakauer and Boukreev as near enemies - I thought Boukreev came out seeming rather brave and stoic, which must have meant Krakauer had some respect for him beyond whatever cultural differences they had.
Purchase Now from Amazon: The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest
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