Although Seven Years in Tibet is not a mountaineering book, it adds to the subject invaluably by giving a deep insight into the lives and culture of the main group of people living near high altitude mountains. Harrer isn’t the most lavish writer, as he admits in the beginning, but the facts speak for themselves. The simple act of escaping from a POW not once, but twice, then escaping to Lhasa would have been a great adventure story in of itself. It was interesting following his escape all the way to Lhasa, and how the reader gained an understanding of the Tibetan culture along with the narrator. As he is mostly concerned with staying alive and out of sight to begin with, he has little interaction with the people. But as he goes higher into the mountains and learns the native language, he immerses deeper into their culture, and he is immediately absorbed with their faith and way of life.

At first Tibet was only a means of escape, and coincidentally an adventure the which of Harrer and other great climbers dream of. He was seeking Tibet not for its culture at first, but for its mountains. It seems the seeds of interest in Tibetan culture first really took root when they reached Kyirong. As he was describing the temple, rivers, forest, inhabitants, and the mountains around Kyirong, it was apparent to the reader that he fell in love with the region then. He makes it quite obvious when he takes a romantic leap and describes it as where he would “choose to pass the evening of my life, it will be in Kyirong.” (63) Harrer and Aufschnaiter’s acceptance by the Dalai Lama and the monks was crucial to their sanctuary in Tibet, and it probably would not have happened without the projects that they created. As they became accepted by the community, they finally felt at home. Harrer was very insightful into his time in Tibet, fortunately. He viewed their form of government as any European would at first- antiquated. But as he became friends with Lobsang Samten and the Dalai Lama he was able to break out of his conceived notions. Although he seemed hesitant about the effectiveness of Feudalism in today’s world, he became trusting of the circles of power that spread from the Dalai Lama and the monks who helped oversee the bureaucracy.

I was surprised at how little motivation Harrer and Ausfchnaiter had to climb 20,000ft and larger peaks. When he first reached Kyirong, it seemed his motivation for mountaineering was still high. The two of them took many wanderings (much to the astonishment of the locals), but they never embarked on peak-bagging. Perhaps they did not have the gear, but it seems they were too caught up in their work and lives in Lhasa. This goes to show, that even to the most avid mountaineers, the land and mountains offer much more than just the thrill of standing on a summit.

Seven Years in Tibet is a helpful reminder that mountains and mountaineering do not live in a vacuum, untouched by politics. Mountains define life nowhere else more than in the Himalayas. Harrer noticed the correlation as well, and noted that it can not be a coincidence that the most spiritual and kind of all the people he has met also happen to live in the highest mountains. Do mountains, and the harsh environment they create lead communities to more peaceful societies?