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This is the thing that I was wishing existed a couple of months ago when I read "Into Thin Air". It's a fantastic read about the 1996 Mount Everest disaster whe
by davidjohnstone 12y ago
This is the thing that I was wishing existed a couple of months ago when I read "Into Thin Air". It's a fantastic read about the 1996 Mount Everest disaster where eight climbers died, but I often had difficulty visualising what was going on. (There's also a film, Everest, due out next year.)
To be better convey what it's like to climb Everest, I think this visualisation would be improved if it had more annotations about what makes climbing difficult and the dangers involved. For example, the Khumbu Icefall is a fast moving glacier with many crevasses and ice towers, and has a habit of hosting avalanches and falling ice towers. Climbers try to limit the amount of time they spent here due to the danger, although Sherpa guides tend to cross it many times to stock Camp 1 in preparation for their clients.
- sanderjd 12y agoI've really enjoyed watching Everest: Beyond the Limit, which is available on Netflix and gives a lot of context on the route.
- thecopy 12y agoInto Thin Air is a really intersting book, i remember myself looking at maps of Mt Everest whilst reading it. It got me interested in the Mt Everest spectacle. I just finished reading Dark Summit which, imo, was not as interesting but it does show, in a better way than ITA, how in these extreme conditions persons struggle a lot with the simplest tasks and becomes selfish and only focusing on one thing: summit. No matter if they wont make it down.
- twoodfin 12y agoIf you haven't seen it, the MacGillivray Freeman IMAX film "Everest" was shot contemporaneously with the tragedy and is excellent as such made-to-be-shown-in-Science-Centers documentaries go.
- wyclif 12y agoI second the recommendation of Into Thin Air. If you're at all interested in Everest and mountain climbing, get it. It's a page-turner and I could hardly put it down. ISTR I read it in one sitting.
- mthoms 12y agoIt's very old (2008) but there is a pretty good PBS/Frontline interactive map (and other assorted info) about the disaster here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/everest/map/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/everest/map/ Their documentary about the tragedy "Storm Over Everest" is fantastic. Unfortunately, it can't be watched for free online any more.
- js2 12y agoI'd like to recommmend Touching the Void, an amazing mountaineering/survival story. Was also made into a movie that the author of the book seems to have favorable opinion of.
- justinator 12y agoThere's a documentary also called "Touching The Void", which has fairly in-depth interviews with both climbers involved.
- the_cat_kittles 12y agothe video documentary is absolutely incredible! the perseverance of the stranded climber is so inspiring.