The Crystal Horizon: Everest the First Solo Ascent

This was a gift for my son who has actually climbed Everest and he said the book is excellent.

Es un excelente libro, con muchas fotos y descripciones que te transportan a la montaña.

For someone who does not like heights I am enthralled by the skill ,dedication & extreme courage of these men & women who put themselves in mortal danger most of the time. This wonderful book , without pretence or glorification gets to the heart of what drives “ moutaineers’ “ on. It is beautifully written & I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in climbing. Excellent !

Everest is a household name and has been for a long time all over the world. I was very impressed with this book. I learned more about Tibet, its people, religion and history than you will ever be taught in a western school. This book is full of fantastic photos of this region and its people. The logistics of this feat and polotics of dealing with the Chinese as well as the cost amazed me. His trip was difficult before he ever began the trek to the mountain itself. This mountain is constantly assaulted by huge (and well financed) expeditions mostly from the southern (easier) route. This book follows Messner on the north side of the mountain which is a more difficult route. It takes more than freakish genetics, an insane no quit attitude, and the mental toughness to deal with doing this totally alone. You have to luck into good weather. Messner left a female companion at a camp of 6500 meters (enough to kill most mortals in itself) and took his all his provisions on his back. Carrying a mere 10 lbs at this altitude would be the equivalent of hiking 15 miles over unstable terrain with a fat girl on your back breathing through a straw. No ropes, no Sherpa support, no radio, no crevasse ladders, and no help if he got into trouble. And he pulled this off. Messner is one of the toughest human beings I have ever seen.

Messner raconte l'histoire des ascensions de l'Everest puis la sienne propre, un solo hivernal de la face nord, un de ses nombreux exploits, mais probablement le plus abouti. C'est un journal complet qui dépasse le simple cadre du récit d'alpinisme. Un livre très personnel dans lequel Messner développe aussi sa conception de l'alpinisme, contrairement à ce que l'on pourrait penser, très loin de l'alpinisme spectacle. Le livre fait une place de choix à son amie de l'époque qui l'a accompagné dans ses reconnaissances avancées. Le Tibet est aussi très présent dans l'ouvrage. C'est au total un luxe rare que de pouvoir partager ses expériences et ses sentiments et l'on doit le remercier de nous l'avoir permis.