Within Reach: My Everest Story [Paperback]

Although Within Reach is targeted at young adults and written in a young man's voice, the writing (by coauthor Galvin) is engaging, and the story is rewarding enough to interest any mountaineer.

Pfetzer, 18 at the time of publication, describes his summits of a number of peaks worthy of a climber twice his age, including Huascarán, Aconcagua, Ama Dablam, Kilimanjaro, and Cho Oyu. He tells at length of his two expeditions to Everest, where he reached 25,000 feet from Tibet and 26,000 feet from Nepal. Purists may sneer, as all these climbs were commercial, guided expeditions--but heck, the kid was only 14 or 15; how else would he get there? And, though a paying client, he was unusually well prepared: a karate black belt (at age 11), courses in NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) and high-angle rescue, full EMT (emergency medical technician) training (even though he was too young to be licensed), in addition to being in top physical condition, which he rigorously maintained.

Pfetzer has regularly sought out older, more experienced mountaineers as mentors--somewhat rare for a teenager--and thanks them publicly for their teaching and wisdom. His love of climbing and determination to succeed are inspirational for all ages. --Donna DeShazo --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

In May 1996, Mark Pfetzer at age 16 was the youngest climber on Mount Everest to reach 26,000 feet, and his gripping autobiography focuses exclusively on his mountain climbing achievements. Recounted in diary format, Pfetzer's dense but taut story opens during the 1996 Everest expedition, then jumps back to a 1992 advanced camping trip, when his passion for climbing first ignited. An advertisement for a mountaineering trip in Nepal sparks his imagination and determination (he must raise $5000 for the excursion), and the experience starts Pfetzer off to the farthest (and highest) reaches of the globe, on to Peru, Ecuador, Tanzania and finally to Mount Everest. Even though he fails to reach the summit on either of his two Everest trips (the second of which takes place during the fatality-filled 1996 expedition described by Krakauer in Into Thin Air), Pfetzer does set an altitude record for his age. While some of his inspirational comments about going for one's dreams come off as a bit condescending, and a few of the descriptions and metaphors have an adult flavor, readers are sure to be fascinated by the suspenseful storytelling and the wealth of insider details. For instance, at high altitudes climbers can break a rib just by coughing; those who reach the summit often urinate on the peak to commemorate the event. Even readers with no interest in rappelling will likely be swept up in the details of the people and places Pfetzer meets in his travels. A glossary and a chapter by chapter "Cast of Characters" will help readers unfamiliar with the world of climbing. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.