- Hardcover: 384 pages
- Publisher: Tarcher; First Edition edition (May 20 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1585426466
- ISBN-13: 978-1585426461
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.7 x 3.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 544 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #188,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"There have been a great many Everest-themed books lately, but this one stands alone."
-Booklist (starred review)
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
-Booklist (starred review)
Book Description
You may recall the riveting Emmy-nominated Dateline documentary about Lincoln Hall, the 50-year-old veteran mountain climber who miraculously survived a night out in the open without oxygen in Mt. Everest's "death zone" after being left for dead by members of his expedition.
Hall's survival made headlines around the world, but aside from an exclusive interview with Dateline and the Today Show, Hall has remained quiet about his experience. Now, for the first time, Lincoln shares his own account of what happened during those twilight hours in the "death zone" and the events that preceded and followed that fateful night in DEAD LUCKY: Life After Death on Mount Everest.
Lincoln Hall likes to say that on the evening of May 25, 2006 he died on Everest. Indeed, Hall attempted to climb the mountain during a deadly season in which eleven people perished. And Hall, in fact, was pronounced dead, after collapsing from cerebral oedema (also known as "altitude sickness") shortly after reaching the summit. Two sherpas spent hours trying to revive him but, as darkness fell, the expedition's leader ordered via radio that the sherpas should descend in order to save themselves. Hall was pronounced dead and the news of his death traveled rapidly from mountaineering websites to news media around the world, and ultimately to Hall's wife and two sons back in Australia. Early the next morning, an American guide climbing with two clients and a Sherpa was startled to find Hall sitting cross-legged on a sharp crest of the summit ridge just staring at them.
Not only is Hall's story amazing, his writing is too. A bestseller in Australia, Dead Lucky has been called "gripping" (The Sun Herald), "compelling" (The Sunday Telegraph), "vivid...incredible, educational, spiritual, and entertaining" (Independent Weekly), and "inspirational" (Outdoor Australia Magazine). As a sign of its caliber, the Australian edition of Dead Lucky was awarded a Special Jury Mention at the Banff Mountain Book Festival in November 07.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Chilling true story of Lincoln Hall surviving a night out at 8300m high on Everest in 2006 after he was pronounced dead,
By
This review is from: Dead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest (Paperback)
After a failed attempt in 1984, Lincoln Hall returned to Everest in 2006 to be the camera man for an attempt by a young Australian. Hall describes the drive to base camp, the acclimatization climbs, and the many deaths on the mountain in 2006, including David Sharp. When his client dropped out, Hall continued the climb and reached the Everest summit on May 25 at 9am. "The crest of the summit itself rose like a small breaking wave, creating a final half-metre-high step. I paused for an extra breath then stepped up onto the highest point on the planet. Eight thousand, eight hundred and fifty metres. I was alone on the roof of the world."On the descent after passing the Third Step, Hall collapsed, becoming: "a delirious, unaccomodating person ... staggering a few steps, collapsing in the snow, muttering nonsense, refusing to cooperate." The Sherpas tried dragging him down the mountain, but gave up as night approached. "After lying totally motionless in the snow at 8600 metres for two hours, I had been pronounced dead, with the probable cause of death being cerebral oedema." "I was no longer capable of distinguishing between the reality of the mountain and the fabrications of my mind. ... I was exhausted, frostbitten and alone on the summit ridge of Everest. I had begun the decline, which would finish with me freezing to death. ... The horror of this realization snapped me into complete lucidity. I knew I had to escape from this awful predicament." Hall contrasts what is happening to him on Everest with his wife, family and friends, who were told he was dead. The next morning Dan Mazur, Andrew Brash, Myles Osbourne, and Jangbu Sherpa found Hall, who was able to speak coherently with them, but still suffering hallucinations. They compassionately put off their own summit attempt to stay with Lincoln for hours until two Sherpas could arrive to lead him down. The descent turned into a nightmare when the two Sherpas threatened him if he didn't keep going down, and eventually did hit him with their ice axe. Hall was happy to meet the other Sherpas and made it to the North Col at dusk on May 26. Hall finishes the book with his trip back to base camp, Kathmandu, and dealing with all the press attention in Kathmandu and back home in Australia, and some conjectures on why he survived while others died. I like Hall's writing style - engaging, simple, straightforward, and to the point. Hall describes in chilling vivid detail his hallucinations as he struggled to survive. The photos are very good.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.8 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews) 39 of 44 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing story :-),
By Little Miss Cutey - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dead Lucky (Hardcover)
Over two years ago, Lincoln experienced the best and the worst of Mt Everest. He was reaching the summit when he got a severe case of altitude sickness. His group attempted to revive him, but when that failed he was left for dead, very close to the summit. As fate would have it, a group of climbers making their way up, saw him in desperate need of help and ultimately saved his life. He writes about his horrible ordeal in this amazing book.His hands and feet were absolutely covered in frostbite. He has had some limbs and toes and fingers amputated, and various other surgeries as a result of his experience up there. He refers to May 26, 2006 as the day he died, and writes in here the pros and cons for climbing Everest. He puts his family on both lists; on the con - the fear of leaving his wife and kids without a husband or father and on the pro list, the idea to show them that he was willing to take a chance to live out his dream. He describes the bitter cold and all the thoughts running through his head. It's a book that takes you through different emotions - triumph, fear, relief and everything in between. Whether you like mountain climbing or not, this book is a great read. It is moving and interesting and it's good to see a happy ending. I really enjoyed this and hope you will too. 38 of 43 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed feelings about this one,
By Justry - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Dead Lucky (Hardcover)
I'm an avid reader and find especially interesting the personal accounts of extreme survival situations. I am in awe of strength of the human spirit and the will to survive. Lincoln Hall's ordeal is no exception. I do however take exception to how poorly this book is written. Now I know not all and actually most people that do have these experiences aren't authors and so some forgiveness is required. But this guy....hmmmm he professes to be a writer! Whoa, I struggled with much of the book, because it was/is so poorly written. He rambles and there are paragraphs of boring minutia, that not only don't reveal any insight into who he is, nothing of any real interest regarding the "story" is added. Yes he survived an event that most people would not have and thus obviously has a story to tell, but his editor should have reined him in and kept his rambling under control. I say don't waste your money and check it out from a library rather than buy it. Buy... Touching the Void by Joe Simpson, instead.
24 of 27 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lincoln Hall tells a great story,
By Erik Stewart - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dead Lucky (Hardcover)
I got this book a year ago thru a friend from Australia when it first came out over there. I read it in one sitting and could not put it down. For those who have read Beck Weathers Left For Dead, Lincoln Hall goes even further into the fight for living after the physical part is gone. I have all of Lincoln Hall's books he has wrote, and along with Blood On The Lotus this is his best writing.If you are into the physical and mental demands of what climbing Everest is about, Lincoln really blows you away with his own mind trip that night as he lay there in a fantasy world of his own.Excellent read..
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