A Very Provocative Read | High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed

Fascinating and well written, however | High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed | Michael Kodas

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	• High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed Michael Kodas Hyperion, 2008 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 40 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

riveting tales of the dark side of Everest..

Riveting look at the dark side of Everest where guides leave behind clients to die on the mountain, life-saving gear is stolen which is tantamount to manslaughter on the mountain, crooks & thieves & swindlers lie in wait for climbers who are blind to the perils of Everest in their quest to fulfill their dreams of summiting Everest. The lure of climbing to the summit of Everest will leave you speechless as you read what some will do to accomplish this feat.

A Very Provocative Read

After reading this book I honestly have no idea of how accurate and objective it is. It is one newspaper writer's account of the increasing immorality of Mount Everest's climbers, guides and expeditions. I was shocked by many of the stories- it sounds as if Mt. Everest has become a wasteland of thieves, greedy profiteers,unqualified guides, selfish and sometimes psychopathic climbers, opportunistic Sherpas and malfunctioning oxygen equipment. If even a fraction of what the author writes is true,it is a truly depraved situation. In addition, it sounds as if the mountain itself has become a dump of empty oxygen bottles, dead bodies and human waste. The main "immoral" climbers characterized in the book (George and Gustavo)seemed to get a disproportionate and overwhelming amount of attention which seemed strange and it left me wondering how much of this book was about anger and a failed expedition the author was a participant in. That is where this book and it's overall accuracy and objectivity come into question. I'm not certain what the truth is. I think it is an interesting read however and it has left me wanting to find out what is truly going on in the world of 8,000 meter climbing.

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Fascinating and well written, however

Mr. Kodas is a good writer and has done a very good job of telling the tales of greed and death on Mt Everest. It is hard to turn away from this tale.

However, the insertion of the stories of the author's own summit attempt, was disconcerting and leads one to believe that he has his own personal ax to grind. Additionally, the transition between the several expeditions described is somewhat confusing.

But beyond these faults, the book is a fascinating read. I would recommend this book if you have any interest in climbing or the men and women who feverishly pursue the mountain summits despite the substantial risks.

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Bringing one closer to the realities of human nature

What a great book, perfectly organized, smooth writing style, though-provoking topics, bringing one closer to the realities of human nature in the harsh climate of Tibet. Highly recommend this book.

Also, check out 'Into Thing Air' and 'Eiger Dreams' by Krakauer, 'No Short Cuts To the Top' by Ed Viesturs and 'Touching the Void' by Joe Simpson.

In the years following the publication of Into Thin Air, much has changed on Mount Everest. Among all the books documenting the glorious adventures in mountains around the world, and the unique perils and challenges of Mount Everest, none details how the recent infusion of wealth into the mountains is reacting with the age-old lust for glory to draw crime to the highest places on the planet, how a mountain's ability to reduce climbers to their essential selves is revealing villains as well as heroes, greed as well as selflessness. The change is caused both by a tremendous boom in traffic to the world's mountains and a new class of parasitic and predatory adventurer. Some of the stories included in the book are the tragic story of Nils Antezana, a climber who died on Everest after he was abandoned by his guide, and the author's own summit story, as he participated in the Connecticut Everest Expedition, which would never have followed George Dijjmarescu and Lhakpa Sherpa to the Himalaya had news of the couple's climb with the Romanian team the previous year made it to the United States. But as they neared the frigid peril of Everest, the charming couple turned increasingly hostile. Women on the team held little power and were instead threatened, stalked, and harassed before a final assault. Those that tried to stand against the violence, theft and intimidation found the worst of the peril they encountered on Everest had followed them home to Connecticut. Beatings, thefts, drugs, prostitution, coercion, threats, and abandonment on the highest slopes of Everest and other mountains have become the rule rather than the exception, and Kodas describes many of these experiences and explores the larger issues these stories raise with thriller-like intensity.

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