[.ca] Everest: Mountain Without Mercy (ISBN 0792269845)

From Amazon.com:
When David Breashears agreed to climb Mount Everest with an IMAX camera in order to film from the summit, he had no idea that his little expedition would become embroiled in a tragedy that would make headlines around the world. On May 10, 1996, two expeditions led by experienced Everest guides Rob Hall and Scott Fisher summited the mountain, only to suffer the loss of eight members--including the two leaders--on the way back down. At the time, Breashears and his filmmaking crew were at the base camp preparing for their own climb--originally planned for that same day but postponed after realizing there would already be several other groups on the summit. Instead of making a film, Breashears and company participated in the rescue and only later reached the summit of Everest to successfully complete their film. Broughton Coburn, a long-time resident of Nepal and a friend of David Breashears, was commissioned to write a book about the filmmaking expedition, the tragedy on Everest, and the mountain itself. He has more than succeeded with Everest: Mountain Without Mercy, a taut recounting of disaster and triumph at 29,000 feet. But this book is about more than just mountain climbing; Coburn has also included fascinating information about Nepal, Buddhism, and the Sherpa culture, as well as the history of climbing Everest. He covers everything from the causes of altitude sickness to Nepal's increasing problems with deforestation, and through it all he weaves the story of that day in May when Everest again proved unpredictable--and deadly. For a white-knuckle climb to the top of the world's highest mountain, complete with stunning photographs, you can't do better than Everest: Mountain Without Mercy.

1996 IMAX Expedition:
This is a beautiful, large coffee table sized book. The photography is sharp, clear and the colors are beautiful. What is most impressive is the range of the text. It takes up the culture of the Sherpas, Buddhism, some geological and physiological findings as well as the climbing and filming of the Everest IMAX movie. Sponsored by the National Geographic, and led by David Breashears, a highly respected leader and photographer, this was a dream team in operation. Lead climber was Ed Viesturs, brilliant U.S. climber who has attained 12 of the 14 highest peaks in the world, all without supplemental oxygen. I am happy to report he is not just a myth; his favorite meal on the mountain is Spam, yes Spam. Also this grueling trip was his "honeymoon." His bride accompanied him to Base Camp (about 17,000 feet) and got to worry about him for a solid month. I enjoyed reading about sparkling Aracali Segarra, attempting to be the first Spanish woman to summit Everest (she made it!) She is living proof that female mountaineers can be pretty and vivacious as well as awesome athletes. The IMAX team was of enormous assistance to the beleaguered Hall/Fisher teams. They supplied oxygen, helped rescue and support the injured climbers on the South Face. Some of the pictures are brutal of the rescue attempts. The pictures of the mountain are splendid. The viewer will get an excellent sense of Everest's brooding size. To me, Everest is a Godzilla of a mountain. It does not have the proportioned beauty of K-2; it is one enormous hulk. But this does not take away from its majesty and awe. To the Sherpas, climbing Mt. Everest is a spiritual experience, something that is done with many prayers and much reverence. Everest: Mountain Without Mercy will give you hours of enjoyment. It covers so many aspects of the area, and is beautifully printed and bound. I recommend it for your own reading or an excellent gift. -sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

great photos:
great phots and more scientific indepth articles but for interesting reading buy high exposure by d. breashears or climb by anatoli b. instead

Quite Simply, The Best:
Reading "Into Thin Air" and "The Climb" gave me a feel for the tragedy that was Everest in 1996. But something was missing. I never felt that I understood what the mountain was truly like. It was not until I opened this spectacular book that I got a sense of the real Everest. The large format of this book, and the amazing color photos will thrill any fan of Everest. The story of the IMAX expedition, while exciting, becomes secondary to the story of the mountain itself. I loved the way other articles were interspersed among the chapters. I enjoyed reading Hillary's reflections; the stories of the Sherpa people and their culture; the geologic history of the Himalaya. If you are, like me, a Mt. Everest "groupie," opening this book is as close as you'll get to being there.

Fascinating story; beautiful pictures:
This book is about the IMAX team's filming during the same climbing season the famous 1996 disaster chronicled in "Into Thin Air" occurred. The book includes some information also discussed in "Into Thin Air," but also lots of interesting stories about the IMAX team's climb. It also has gorgeous pictures of the climb \oalthough there appears not to have been a still camera at and near the very top, because presumably it wasn't working in such high altitude.\c I could have done without the detailed descriptions of how an IMAX camera worked, but it's a small quibble, and probably necessary to the story. There is also a list in the back of statistics and names of people who have summitted, which is terrific for climbing afficianados like me. I would highly recommend this book to any fan of climbing and adventure books to add to their collection.

Beautiful Pictures, Deadly Story:
This book is an excellent companion piece to Jon Krakauer's epic Everest tale "Into Thin Air" as well as the Everest IMAX film that was being shot at the time that the May 1996 trajedy occurred. The book is coffee table size, and full of spectacular photographs of the mountain, mostly taken by the IMAX team. The narrative that accompanies the images documents what happened during that terrible month, from the horrific deaths to climber David Breashears's team's successful summitting of the mountain with IMAX camera in tow. The words read like a National Geographic article, however, giving only an overview of the events that occurred. Krakauer's book is essential for a complete understanding of what happened. Overall, a fine coffee table book for those with an interest in mountaineering as well as those fascinated by the May 1996 disaster.