Annapurna: The First Conquest of an 8,000-Meter Peak [Kindle Edition]

For those who are more familiar with all of the traditional British siege tactics used in the 50's, 60s and 70s will find French tactics and the general story familiar. What is different is the extended struggle for survival at altitude that is truly amazing. Having some mountaineering experience myself in extreme cold (though not at this altitude) I was constantly amazed by their ability to cheat death, just when you figure that they are all for the worms. Spending the night inside the crevasse is one of great fingernail biters of all time chapters. I am just left shaking my head that anyone could survive after a night without boots in extreme cold, at altitude --- and then attempt crawl off the mountain the next morning --- in stocking feet.

Of course they paid for it. Herzog himself supporating all over Nepal and Northern India, loosing digits and appendages for the glory of France.

This account is clearly colonial, sanitised in some points, and omits some of the fine climbing by other members of the group... so be it --- screw post-modernism, Jean Paul Sartre, and doubt. It is still one of the best ripping yarns in the mountaineering genre --- that modern climbers suffused with petty personal ego problems, the quest for personal gain and money could ever write so well --- that would be a miracle. Let the plain tales of the quest for rotten glory riegn.

Look for a worm eaten, faded copy. It will hold pride of place on your adventure shelf for many years to come.

While the book does not fall short in telling the story, it fails to provide an unbiased picture of the expedition and it's role in French society at the time. First of all, Herzog, for all his qualities, clearly orchestrated media attention, so that he will come out as the hero (at the airport prior to departure he had all other climbers sign releases authorizing only him to give first-hand account of the expedition). The national fervor following the success largely overlooks the achievements of other expedition members, including Lanchenal, Terry and Rebuffat.

Similarly to the first successful Italian expedition on K2 (where Compagnoni, Lacedeli and Desio get the credit, while Walter Bonatti's role is overlooked), here too the truly outstanding climbers prove only through their subsequent deeds (see "Starlight and Storm" by Rebuffat or "Conquistadors of the Useless" by Terray)their far superior mountaineering qualities.

In spite of all this, Herzog's book is, in my opinion, a must read for climbing enthusiasts.