Beck Weathers

So this is not Into Thin Air. And Beck Weathers is kind of upfront with that from the start: why would he write a book about the event when so much has already been said? I can see his point, but as a result, this is not a book that's focused on the Everest disaster part of the story.

Honestly, the title is kind of misleading, because it doesn't focus on his journey home from Everest either, it focuses on his journey there. How did he end up climbing mountains and why did he try Everest in show more particular? The answer is, kinda surprisingly, depression. Beck Weathers has suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts for a large part of his life, and the mountain climbing obsession was a way to distract himself from that.

Which of course put a strain on his family relationships, and that's largely what the book is about. How it is to live with someone who has depression but refuses to acknowledge that, even to themselves. It's actually brutally honest in that regard, and while it wasn't really why I picked up the book, it was an interesting read.

What it lacks, I think, it some sort of resolution? We see a bit about what happened that first year after the disaster (with gruesome descriptions of body parts falling off ... honestly, at one point I had to reread an entire paragraph, then I shouted OH MY GODS THAT'S SO GROSS and just had to pace around my apartment for a while before I could continue reading), but the depression angle is dropped completely. Was he "cured" after the disaster? Is he still depressed but have learned to cope with it in a healthier way? I think the book wants us to think he's magically cured, but I don't really believe in that and it would have been nice to know a bit more about it.

But nonetheless, it made for an interesting read. It was surprisingly funny. show less

I can't get enough of climbing memoirs, but Beck Weathers' book "Left for Dead" is not really that kind of book. It is, in part at least, the story of his remarkable survival in the deadly 1996 season on Mount Everest, where he was left for dead but survived.

In his opening chapter, he describes himself as an "amateur climber," in my opinion someone who had no business being on Everest, and his book reads that way. It annoyed me the first time he described his crampons (essentially cleats show more that you attach to your boots to provide traction on ice) as knives. The fact he continued to call them ice knives rather than crampons thereafter drove me nuts. You are not cutting meat with crampons!

I've read several other books on the Everest tragedy (including Krakauer's, Boukreeve's and Breashear's.) I had been avoiding Weathers' book for no particular reason... perhaps it was instinct that I wouldn't like it. Although he had the most dramatic story of all, Weathers' book was the worst of the lot. (Only a small portion of the book is about the expedition itself.) Perhaps my intense dislike for this book is that I expected to be a climber's book and it is more a story about depression. I found it hard to swallow the redemption story and mostly just felt sorry for Weathers' family. show less

This book is fascinating to me. Not so much because of the Everest disaster that plays a part in the book, but rather because the Everest disaster only plays a part. Beck Weathers was literally left for dead near the top of Everest, walked out on his own two feet, and then was rescued by a daring high altitude helicopter flight that had never been attempted before. But the really interesting part of the story is the story of Beck's life, and his relationship with his wife and family. In some show more ways, Beck got in to mountaineering, to quite his own inner demons of depression. The obsession that resulted damaged his relationship with his wife, and his kids. The real thrust of this book is the self-discovery and healing that was forced on him by the Everest disaster. In many ways, I relate to him and to aspects of his self-esteem and goals that drove him to extremes, so I found his path to peace a very enlightening one for myself. show less

In the many accounts of the tragic events that unfolded in May 1996 on Everest, one of the most remarkable stories is that of Beck Weathers. He was literally left for dead, spending the night exposed in a storm in Everest's 'death zone', only to wander back to camp the next day, severely frost bitten, and subsequently be dramatically airlifted off the mountain. In the hands of authors like Krakauer and Breashears the story fascinates, but in Weathers' own co-authored version he clumsily show more tries to parlay his horrific experience into what amounts to an unconvincing tale of redemption. Essentially it goes like this: man neglects family to pursue own extremely expensive and time-consuming obsession, has near death experience as a result, a vision of his family drives him to overcome incredible odds and survive, he moves from self-involvement to devotion to family. Motivational book and speaking engagements ensue. The parts of the book that cover the events on Everest and his physical rehabilitation are interesting. The personal redemption piece seems flimsy and out of step with the bulk of the book, much of which consists of Weathers' anecdotes about himself and his previous climbs. Weathers' experience in 1996 was astounding - it just has been much better told by others. show less