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The White Spider [Paperback]


4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Writing a book about the North Face of the Eiger? Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5 stars
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Jerome Ryan TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
In the 1930s the Eiger Nordwand (North Wall) was considered the last and greatest of Alpine problems left in the world. The White Spider is a portion of the upper face where snow-filled cracks radiate from an ice-field resembling the legs of a spider.

The book begins by describing the early attempts to climb the Nordwand, including the harrowing stories of Max Sedlmayer and Karl Mehringer who froze to death in 1935, and Toni Kurz, Andreas Hinterstoisser, Edi Rainer and Willy Angerer who died in 1936.

Harrer then tells his first-hand story of the first ascent. Harrer and Fritz Kasparek started their climb on July 21, 1938. A day later, Anderl Heckmair and Ludwig Vörg started their attempt and quickly caught up to them. They combined into one team of four, led by Heckmair. The four men were caught in an avalanche as they climbed the Spider, but all had enough strength to resist being swept off the face.

"We were all on a single rope. ... One hundred feet above me stood Vorg, safeguarding Heckmair, as he grappled with icy rock, treacherous ice gullies, and snowslides high above us in the mists and driving snow." Heckmair fell as he led the difficult Exit Cracks, but was caught by Vorg, his crampons piercing Vorg's hand in the process. On July 24, 1938 Heckmair, Vörg, Kasparek, and Harrar completed the first ascent of the Eiger Nordwand.

Harrer then continues the Eiger story, including the dramatic rescue of Claudio Corti trapped high on the face near the Exit Cracks in 1957. Harrer added a few more chapters in 1964, including the story of Adolf Mayr who fell to his death in 1961 trying for the first solo ascent. After reaching the Second Icefield in 1962 Barry Brewster was struck by a falling rock. His partner Brian Nally tried to care for the dying man, but eventually Brewster fell from the face. Famed British mountaineers Chris Bonington and Don Whillans stopped their attempt to rescue the now disoriented Nally.

The stories of the tragic attempts are chilling, the first ascent riveting, the entire book spellbinding. This book is a great history of the Eiger Nordwand. The appendix is better in later editions because Harrer corrects some of the ascents, given more information like finding the bodies of Nothdurft and Mayer in 1961, and includes the list of ascents up to the 1970s. The photos are very good.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome read Feb 2 2010
By R. Wood
Format:Paperback
White Spider I became curious about this book while reading Joe Simpson's "The Beckoning Silence" (great book). Joe mentions the book saying he read it as a teen and that's what got him interested in mountaineering, quoting much from the White Spider. Heinrich Harrer's book is still extremely relevant today and is bang on in describing why people climb and what happens on extreme climbs like the Eiger. It takes you deeply into the minds of mountaineers to give us a better understanding. A must read to understand both topics. It accounts for the first thirty years of the north face climbs. Of all the mountaineering books that I have read, the White Spider will be a standard for all others. Harrer's ethics are top notch and no nonsense.
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3.0 out of 5 stars Facing down the North Face of the Eiger Dec 3 2002
Format:Paperback
This book details Heinrich Harrer's participation in the first successful ascent of the North Face of the Eiger in the Alps. Harrer goes far beyond simply recounting the story of their 3-day ascent and describes the earlier unsuccessful and often fatal efforts that helped pave the way for their ultimate ascent and several of the subsequent successful and tragic ascents as well. Although written in a somewhat dispassionate manner that may be due to the translation from original German, this book is a very comprehensive description of the story behind the climbs of the Eiger. Worth reading.
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Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Risk and rescue on the Eiger North Face
Heinrich Harrer's words of caution or chastising to those who made the climbing attempt unprepared in equipment, clothing, or experience sound a prophetic note. Read more
Published on July 3 2000
3.0 out of 5 stars Good but could have been better!
I enjoyed this book, but I kept feeling something was missing. For one thing, I expected long treatment of the famous Lachenal-Terray second ascent in the immediate post-war era,... Read more
Published on April 20 2000
5.0 out of 5 stars BEST BOOK ON CLIMBING EVER
This is simply the best
Published on May 17 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars I've had to wrestle it away from other readers...
even non-climbers. Once people get going on this book, they won't want to let it go. I've passed it around to friends - climbers and non-climbers alike - and always get the same... Read more
Published on Mar 17 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars inspiration
Harrers classic tale of the famous mountain face inspired me, last spring, to successfully climb the north face of that mountain. Read more
Published on Jan 20 1999
3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting, detailed history of the Eiger up to 1964
A book which I found fascinating and gripping, but which I also found disappointing in several ways. Read more
Published on Dec 29 1998 by kvetter@us.oracle.com
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant story telling and fascinating historical accounts.
If you want to get drawn in by an incredible story, and at the same time get a history lesson about the world's most infamous North Face, this is the book for you. Read more
Published on Sep 6 1998 by Robert Hayes
5.0 out of 5 stars A true documentary "thriller"!
I have spent every free second the last few days to read this magnificent book on the Eiger ascents, and is truly a big fan of those climbers both those who who tried and failed... Read more
Published on Sep 3 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars How did this ever go out of print?
The White Spider is the classic mountaineering story. It's sad that many of the old classics are gone. Terray, Bonnati, Buhl... the kids don't know what they are missing. Read more
Published on July 10 1998
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