The Mountain: My Time on Everest

In this amiable history/memoir hybrid, noted high-altitude climber Viesturs discusses the joys and tribulations to be found on the world’s highest mountain and his successful quest to climb every peak over 8,000 meters. Few know more about Everest than Viesturs, who has participated in 11 expeditions there and spent over two years on its slopes. The author recounts his own experiences, as well as the struggles to conquer the mountain that began after it was first identified as the world’s highest point. While the stories of Mallory and Irving, Hillary and Norgay, have been told many times, Viesturs also addresses lesser-known attempts, and was himself present at the infamous 1996 disaster in which 15 climbers lost their lives. While he covers familiar ground here, Viesturs is a fount of firsthand knowledge and straightforward narration, and the book makes for a good read. Whether he’s discussing his own initial failure to summit Everest, or Jean-Marc Boivin’s demented paraglide down the mountain, he remains calm, measured, and informative. This can be a handicap, as readers might forget just how dangerous the mountain can be. As the only American who has summited the world’s 14 highest peaks without bottled oxygen, Viesturs has a different ruler than the rest of us by which to measure risk.. (Oct.)