Jim Davidson (2)

I am on a roll with the books this year (knock on wood). Still waiting for the first clunker, lol. This book was NOT it.

Honestly, I'm really not normally a person who cries when reading. [b:The Housekeeper and the Professor|3181564|The Housekeeper and the Professor|Yōko Ogawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344313042s/3181564.jpg|3214322] touched me and brought a tear to my eye, but like sobbing? Um, no. Maybe it is premenopause. I don't know, but this book really made me cry. The show more author does a really great job of putting the reader in the midst of a life threatening crisis in a way that you are practically in his brain as he tries to save himself. I was so relieved when he finally emerged (not a spoiler, I mean the guy wrote a book about it, lol), that I sobbed. His resilience touched me.

The author paces the book well. He gives enough background information to make you care about him and his friend, Mike, and then the middle section is riveting. I don't know much about mountaineering, but I think books about it appeal to me because I love the idea of being outdoors doing physical activity, but this sport has an element of risk that I personally can't get my mind around. I'm fascinated by people for whom this is their passion. [b:Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster|1898|Into Thin Air A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster|Jon Krakauer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1463384482s/1898.jpg|1816662] is one of my favorite all time books.

So for me, this book teetered toward five stars. I couldn't put it down. Two things made me give it four. The aftermath of the Rainier climb felt anticlimactic and a little overwrought. I was more interested in why Jim decided to climb again than I really was about how he found peace in the aftermath of a disaster. There was a stronger focus on the latter.

All in all though, if you like reading about outdoor adventure, I would absolutely throw this one on the TBR. show less

Book Description

The Ledge tells the story of Jim Davidson and Mike Price’s ascent of Mt. Rainier and the accident that left them trapped 80 feet down a crevasse after a snow bridge collapsed (Price did not survive). The first part of the book sets the stage for the fall into the crevasse and provides background on Davidson and Price. We then move to the heart of the book, which is the ascent of Mt. Rainier (in which Davidson and Price tried a risky new ascent route) and the accident that show more takes place after they summit. As they are descending the mountain, Davidson stepped on a snow bridge that collapsed and plunged him and Price 80-feet into a crevasse. Landing on a small ledge (in what turns out to be a “one in a million” bit of luck), the fall, Price’s death, and Davidson’s extremely technical climb out of the crevasse with limited equipment and under extreme duress occupies about two-thirds of the narrative.

My Thoughts

The Ledge is a fine addition to the mountaineering/survival book canon. Written by Jim Davidson and his co-writer (journalist Kevin Vaughn), The Ledge provides a “you are there” feel that all the best adventure/survival books have. The writing and pacing is first-rate, and I found myself breathless and tense as Davidson dealt with Price’s death, his dawning realization that he had to climb or die, and his subsequent struggle to climb out of the crevasse.

Like all good survival books (such as Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air and Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm), The Ledge fills the reader with adrenaline, tension and fear. You really feel drawn into Davidson’s dilemma and struggle as he tries to keep himself together and attempt a climb that he feels is far beyond his capabilities. Davidson doesn’t hold anything back—sharing all his doubts, fears, grief, and despair as well as his strength, inspiration and will to live. I also found it interesting that one of the things that helped push Davidson to soldier on was his remembrance of another mountaineering survival book, Touching the Void by Joe Simpson (which details Simpson’s account of his near-death experience in the Peruvian Andes.)

The final part of the book deals with Davidson’s struggles to come to terms with the accident and Price’s death after his rescue. I was glad that Davidson included this in the book as I think it provides meaningful insights into grief, getting your life back on track after a major tragedy and a glimpse into the type of life that Davidson leads today (he is an inspirational speaker).

The only drawback might be some of the technical climbing terms and equipment that are referenced throughout the book. Although the authors do their best to explain everything in layman’s terms, I didn’t fully appreciate what Davidson managed to do as much as my brother (an experienced climber). However, I don’t think this should keep you from reading what is a very accessible book.

Recommended for: Fans of real-life survival stories, climbers and mountaineers (I gave my ARC to my brother, who ended up going out and buying his own copy so he could see all the photos) and readers who enjoy inspirational books that illustrate how people can dig deep and find hidden reserves of strength in times of great duress. show less

Surviving the Mountain’s Deadliest day and Finding the Resilience to Climb Again

What a stunning true story of adventure, disaster and resilience. Jim Davidson, a high altitude climber shares gripping adventures from summiting Mount Everest, surviving earthquakes, avalanches and escaping alone from deep glacial crevasse.

In April 2015, Jim Davidson was climbing Mount Everest when a 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal. He was stranded above base camp for 40 hours before he was brought to safety but show more important to him was getting back to base camp and help people get to safety and trying to rebuild. This disaster ended his first attempt to reach the summit. He finally achieved his dream with an estimate of 60 other climbers when he returned two years later.

M. Davidson describes in details his 36 years of climbing experiences and the physical and mental preparation one needs to do. Three keys points he tells us: more training than you have ever done in your life, increase the difficulty and be discipline enough to keep up with it and hit it harder the next time.

“The Next Everest” is said in the first person narrative. Step by step M. Davidson tells us his next move in words filled with emotions. When he describes the tremors and aftershocks, the avalanche and the rumbling noises you can feel in his words how scared he was but in crisis he stayed cool and calmly acted decisively to make things better and safer for everyone. A lot is said in this book, I would say even too much at times such is a lengthy description of human poop...yes even that detailed, although he did tell us to make a point. Every word is vividly said as he describes his ascends and descends in order to reach the summit of the highest peak in the world.

The 2015 tragic incident was well publicized around the word. I remember it so well.

In a few words:

This is a poignant account that captures the true essence of Mount Everest and the resilience of the human spirit. I will let you discover this gem of a book and the treasures it hides....

My thanks to St.Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC: this is the way I see it. show less

Almost too hard to read because Davidson and Vaughan have provided such an overwhelming amount of detail in Davidson's escape from his fall into the crevasse. It really is incredible to realize how amazing it was that there were so many things that arose to make it almost impossible for him TO escape---but that he overcame! I was exhausted when he finally reached the surface but STILL realized he probably wouldn't make it without help. People actually saw him yelling and waving the red sharf show more from the rangers' hut about a mile away. How many things had to go exactly right? show less