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Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains by: Jon Krakauer |
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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 796.522 EAN: 9780385488181 ISBN: 0385488181 Label: Anchor Manufacturer: Anchor Number Of Pages: 186 Publication Date: May 19, 1997 Publisher: Anchor Release Date: May 19, 1997 Studio: Anchor Sales Rank: 36848 Related Items:
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Editorial Review: From Amazon.com: No matter what the actual temperature may be, several pages into Eiger Dreams you will begin to shiver. Halfway through you will acquire a new appreciation for your fingers, toes, and the fact that you still have a nose. And by the end of this collection, you'll define some commonly used phrases in an entirely different way. The understated "catch some air" and the whimsical "log some flight time" are climbers' euphemisms for falling, while "crater" refers to what happens when you log some flight time all the way to the ground. "Summiting," the term for reaching the top of a mountain, seems almost colorless in comparison. The various heroes, risk-takers, incompetents, and individualists Krakauer captures are more than colorful, whether they summit or not. The author is more interested in exploring the addiction of risk--the intensity of effort--than mere triumph. There's the mythical minimalist climber, John Gill, whose fame "rests entirely on assents less than thirty feet high," and the Burgess brothers--freewheeling, free-floating English twins who seem to make all the right decisions when it counts, and hence most often fail to reach the top. Of course, they are alive. Over these and other talented climbers hangs a malignant, endlessly creative nature--its foehn winds can make people crazy and its avalanches do far worse. Eiger Dreams is an adrenaline fest for the weary, an overdue examination of a stylish, brave subculture. As one of the heroes Krakauer outlines says of his occupation, "It's sort of like having fun, only different." Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Living Your Challenging DreamsPeople have always pushed to accomplish more. When one of my best friends took up mountain climbing well into his fifties after he back wasn't up to golf any more, I began to wonder what the sport was all about. Having remembered that Jon Krakauer is both a wonderful writer and an adventuresome climber, it seemed like I might learn the answers by reading this book. I was more than amply rewarded for my curiosity. Knowing that adventures are better heard as a story rather than read, I also opted for Philip Franklin's reading for Books on Tape. This was a stunningly good choice. Mr. Franklin makes you feel like you are right there as you look down from dizzying heights of thousands of feet while being held up by a small patch of crumbling ... Read More: Rating: - ExposureThis is an engaging, brilliantly-written set of stories, not about just the experiences, but about the mindsets of climbers. Did I say enganging? I should have said spellbinding. The book could have been titled "Exposure." Every one of the climbers, including the author, and including many who die, is given a history and reference-frame from which you may evaluate the sanity of their thirst for the climbing elixor. Krakauer gives you the full story. This is great reading; you will not be bored! Rating: - Great Writing, Great StoriesI read Into Thin Air a few years ago. I found it compelling, but at points I felt that the writing was rushed. I just finished Eiger Dreams and was very impressed. Because all but one of these stories started as magazine articles (mostly in Outside, a tremendous magazine when it isn't a travel mag), they are well put together. Most of the stories are riveting (I read the book in one setting). Krakauer is a skilled author. A few times I found myself laughing. A few times I found myself tense from the suspense. Rating:  - On the folly of mountain climbingI read this book with a mixture of awe and revulsion. There's no denying that Krakauer is a good writer, and that the events and people of which he writes are interesting. But the fact of the matter remains is that the "past-time" that these people have devoted--and in some cases sacrificed--their lives is an excellent example of man's propensity to forsake reason and logic in the pursuit of illusory goals. To devote oneself to climbing mountains for the sake of thrills and notarity ultimately serves no useful purpose, and simply gratifies the ego of the climber. Sadly, the mindset of the mountain climber resembles that of the gallant soldier of yore who with nonsensical and misguided idealism would willingly shirk all concern for self ... Read More: Rating: - ExcellentCount me in as another Jon Krakauer fan.... |
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