This week we revisit the French expedition of Annapurna and reevaluate the classic mountaineering work of Herzog. Roberts investigates outside sources and even talks to Herzog himself to assess the situation. What is enlightened is really what we as a class uncovered on our initial read of Annapurna – Herzog is an ego maniac. I…

Well this sure felt academic following last week’s read, huh? I’ll admit I’m not the biggest fan of Jon Krakauer’s form in Into Thin Air, but it was a page turner. Sherry Ortner’s work could appear bland, even *gasp* scientific compared to Krakauer’s rant/trip report. This is where a realization struck me. Ortner’s style and presentation reminded me…

One thing I really enjoy about Sherry Ortner’s monograph is how well she considers the Sherpa culture, as one of the key factors of their role in high-altitude mountaineering. I think she does an excellent job of making it clear that Sherpa culture and mountaineering are very related, and have that unique dyanmic which at…

It was nice to read a book that finally dove head on into the topic we’ve been touching on every class- the cultural aspect of the Sherpas. I really enjoyed this book, because so much of it came as a surprise. I expected Sherpa life to much different than how it was portrayed. I expected…

Sherry Ortner’s account of the climbing on Mount Everest is the first book we have read that is specifically concerning the Sherpa’s point of view of mountaineering in the Himalaya. Although Ortner is not a Sherpa herself, she is seen in the Western world as the absolute authority on their culture. This simple fact makes…

John Krakauer’s Into Thin Air has throughout the years become a staple in classic mountaineering novels. When I began reading this book I was curious on how this book would compare to some of the other books that we have read in class. Ultimately I decided that Krakauer was a highly opinionated individual and this attitude is portrayed…

In my opinion Krakauer did make an honest attempt to accurately depict the events of the ’96 disaster. However, it is unsettling that many of his interviews with fellow climbers from the trip took place well after the expedition, and followed backlash toward Krakauer’s original article that was published in Outside Magazine (for whom Krakauer was…