Herzog was not lying when he wrote there are other Annapurnas in the lives of men. Especially in the eyes of Lachenal, Terrey, and Rebuffat. Roberts’s purpose of True Summit was not just to show how Herzog might be completely full of it, but to give Lachenal, Terrey, and Rebuffat the credit they deserve. At first I was expecting Roberts to completely destroy Herzog’s story, but I am glad he went in the direction he did instead of just critiquing Herzog’s Annapurna (Krakauer would be better for that). He does critique the book, and you can tell he did his research, but the true story of the expedition is still unclear. I like how Roberts talks about his connection with Lachenal and Terry and his own experience in the mountains (especially his climbing in the Shawangunks – an unbolted preserve full of old pitons from the 60’s and where I also grew up and started climbing. Seriously, wikipedia piton and a picture of the Shawangunks come up). Robert’s history, passion, and the connection he had with Annapurna when he was young and the two characters in the book, also gives credit to his argument. He shows he is not just an armchair mountaineer and an author.

Annapurna is definitely based on a true story, even Herzog said himself, “Annapurna is a sort of novel. It’s a novel, but a true novel” (103). Roberts made the intentions of the expedition clear: to do whatever needed to be done to have Herzog be the first one to reach the summit, the first one to publish any kind story about the expedition, and the first one home. It was clear that Herzog was not chosen for his mountaineering experience but maybe his tactics from the war and to follow and implement orders of the French Mountain Federation. Herzog may have came across unorganized during the expedition, but I am sure this was because he was trying to follow his own strategy in his head like how to separate Lachenal and Terry during the last push to the summit and how to make sure he takes everyones passports so they could not get home before he did.

I think the decision to write the best selling mountaineering book came before the expedition, not when Herzog was in the hospital. It just makes too much sense. The profits went to the French Mountain Federation, and France was needing an achievement. And it could not be from Lachenal and Terrey of Chamonix but from Paris. I like how Roberts takes Herzog off his pedestal and shows how Lachenal, Terrey, and Rebuffat are really the national heroes.

The only thing I wish Roberts dove into more was Lachenal’s diary. He writes how he finds it and then ends the chapter, a real cliff hanger. This would have really strengthened his argument and I am sure he could have wrote a whole chapter of what was in there. Instead, he showed most of his hard and true evidence from Michel Guerin and questionable answers from Herzog himself. Maybe Herzog’s brain was completely shot at high altitude making his memory inaccurate but full of optimism. This could be true, but through Lachenal, Terry, and Rebuffat, Roberts shows that the true expedition was not as pretty and positive as in the novel. Roberts also shows how an individual cannot be the only one credited for a first ascent (unless it is a solo ascent of course).