About the Author

Anatoli Boukreev was one of the world's foremost high-altitude mountaineers, arguably the finest of his generation. He had summited eleven of the world's 8,000 meter peaks without the use of supplementary oxygen, some of them, including Mount Everest, multiple times. In all, he attempted twenty-one times he was successful. Born in Russia where he received the Master of Sports with Honors, Boukreev had made his home in Kazakhstan where in 1998 the President of that Republic awarded him posthumously the "Erligi Ushin" Medal for his contributions to high-altitude mountaineering and for his personal courage.
G. Weston Dewalt is a writer and investigative filmmaker who specializes in human rights issues, the confluence of humankind and the environment, and biography. His film Genbaku shi: Killed by the Atomic Bomb compelled the U.S. Department of Defense to acknowledge that American POWs had been killed during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. He divides his time between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and London.

Reviews

"Raw but powerful...[Boukreev] took action. He chose danger, and he saved lives." --"The New York Times Book Review"
"One of the most amazing rescues in mountaineering history, performed single-handedly a few hours after climbing Everest without oxygen by a man some describe as the Tiger Woods of Himalayan climbing." --"Wall Street Journal"
"["The Climb"] has a ring of authenticity that challenges the slickly written "Into Thin Air..."Compelling" --"Minneapolis Star Tribune"

"Raw but powerful...[Boukreev] took action. He chose danger, and he saved lives." --"The New York Times Book Review"
"One of the most amazing rescues in mountaineering history, performed single-handedly a few hours after climbing Everest without oxygen by a man some describe as the Tiger Woods of Himalayan climbing." --"Wall Street Journal"
"["The Climb"] has a ring of authenticity that challenges the slickly written "Into Thin Air..."Compelling" --"Minneapolis Star Tribune"

This is a first-person account of the tragic climbing experience in May 1996 on Mount Everest that left eight hikers dead and several others struggling to stay alive. Boukreev, a top-rated high-altitude climber originally from the Soviet Union, uses notes and memories recorded only five days after the tragic events to tell what happened on the world's highest mountain. He writes partly in response to other best-selling accounts (e.g., Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, LJ 1/97). From the first chapter, as members of the ill-fated group meet and organize for the climb, to the last chapter, which raises questions still unanswered, a detailed, day-by-day description of this chilling tale is given. Fast-paced and easy to read, Boukreev's story of adventure and survival will remain in the reader's memory long after the book is finished. Recommended for public libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/97.]‘Stephanie Papa, Baltimore Cty. Circuit Court Law Lib.