Reading Response week 13 – True Summit

Bryant Lymburn

In the work by David Roberts, True Summit, he recounts the expedition and ultimate successful tragedy of the French’s attempt on Annapurna. Roberts analyzes the expedition and each member in the climbing party. He documents each individuals accomplishments and there attitude to the expedition though their diaries and personal actions/words. For this weeks reading review I would like to focus on the title of the book itself. This title transcends into a multitude of themes that are brought up as key points in the book. Some of these include the fight for respect, the fight for truth, and the life after suffering from tragedy.

The first theme that I will focus upon will be the thought of respect and the fight in which one does to gain it  in mountaineering culture. Many of the climbers of the expedition that composed the climbing team had much experience in the mountains, three of which were mountain guides in the alps. The argument that plagues the early stages of the expedition is as to why one of these three climbers were not given the option to be leader of the expedition. Instead it was given to a climber an “amateur,” Herzog.  Even though Herzog possessed a number of reputable climbs it was questioned if he should lead the expedition for he didn’t have guiding experience and for the fact that he did not climb for a living. However it was later seen that Herzog was one of the strongest of the climbers of the expedition. Respect was also wanted by other members of the expedition for they felt excluded in the romantic recount written by Herzog recounting the climb. In Herzog’s account he could not be defeated by anyone. However if it were not for the other members of the climb the summit would have never been reached on time and Herzog would never have made it down the mountain.

Before the expedition ever began all members of the party had to pledge an oath to Herzog and listen and obey his every command and ruling. This from the start did not give the expedition a favorable attitude towards members in the expedition. After the climb and return there was a hold on all publications of the climb for 5 years, instituted by Herzog. This allowed exclusivity towards his book, but only allowed for his version of the climb to be heard. In this fight for truth and respect go hand in hand. In order to get the respect one deserves from the struggles on Annapurna, other climbers accounts of the climb must be told so that all truths of the climb are revealed. This finally was revealed somewhat through the writings that were in Lachenel’s Diary.

Next is the question of moving on after such a successful tragedy. Yes, for Herzog he never truly climbed again, but for other members of the expedition so experienced great success in climbing other peaks. And for some the climbing had to be translated into other forms of excitement. For one this was driving fast and the excitement that he experienced from this helped to suppliment the climbing that he missed.