Above the Clouds: The Diaries of a High-Altitude Mountaineer [Paperback]

Anatoli Boukreev (Author), Linda Wylie (Editor), Galen Rowell (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2002

When Anatoli Boukreev died on the slopes of Annapurna on Christmas day, 1997, the world lost one of the greatest adventurers of our time.

In Above the Clouds, both the man and his incredible climbs on Mt. McKinley, K2, Makalu, Manaslu, and Everest-including his diary entries on the infamous 1996 disaster, written shortly after his return-are immortalized. There also are minute technical details about the skill of mountain climbing, as well as personal reflections on what life means to someone who risks it every day. Fully illustrated with gorgeous color photos, Above the Clouds is a unique and breathtaking look at the world from its most remote peaks.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Born in Mayak, Russia, in 1958, Boukreev became one of the world's greatest mountain climbers. But while his accomplishments included 21 ascents of 11 of the world's 14 highest mountains, Boukreev became known to the general public only after his work as a guide on a disastrous Mt. Everest climb was described in less than glowing terms in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. Boukreev's coauthored bestselling account of the tragedy, The Climb, was an attempt to set the record straight. This new posthumous collection is a series of narratives Boukreev wrote between 1987 and his death climbing Annapurna in 1997; it stands as an excellent addition to The Climb and as one of the most revealing and tough-minded descriptions of the life of a mountain climber. Three themes dominate the essays: the spiritual beauty and power of the mountains, the increasing commercialization of mountain climbing and the necessity for rigorous training by people (pros and newcomers alike) who want to climb the big mountains. The accounts collected and edited by his companion Linda Wylie capture Boukreev's thoughts during an often troubled period: by 1989, at the height of his powers, Boukreev had received the highest sports honors in Soviet history, but when the Soviet Union collapsed, Boukreev was forced to move to America, where he made his living as a guide for wealthy patrons on private climbing adventures including the terrible Mt. Everest trip, which haunted him until he died. 32 pages of photos not seen by PW. (Nov. 16)Forecast: The bestselling status of Boukreev's first book as well as continuing interest in the 1996 attempt to climb Mt. Everest should promise sizable, serious readership.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Readers familiar with the 1996 Everest disaster will likely remember Boukreev as the Russian climber vilified by Jon Krakauer in Into Thin Air (LJ 4/1/97). Boukreev responded later that year with his version of the accident in his best-selling The Climb (LJ 11/1/97), coauthored by G. Weston DeWalt. Although somewhat hindered by his lack of English skills, Boukreev managed to create a large and dedicated circle of friends in the United States and elsewhere. In December 1997, he was killed in an avalanche while attempting a winter ascent of Annapurna. These narratives, originally written in Russian and collected and edited by his partner Linda Wylie, offer a look into the exclusive and dangerous world of high-altitude mountaineering and the unique training methods formerly practiced in the Soviet Union. One recurring theme is Boukreev's near-constant struggle to raise the large funds needed for expeditions when government funding dried up virtually overnight after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This work makes a nice companion piece to The Climb and contains a thoughtful, well-written foreword by climbing photographer Galen Rowell. Recommended for all mountaineering and larger public collections. Tim Markus, Evergreen State Coll. Lib., Olympia, WA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (December 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031229137X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312291372
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Soul of a Mountain Climber, November 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Above the Clouds: The Diaries of a High-Altitude Mountaineer (Hardcover)

This is a terrific book by one of the most famous and least-understood mountain climbers of our time. Boukreev was known to only a small group of mountaineering insiders before the publication of Krakauer's Into Thin Air and then Boukreev's own bestseller The Climb. Here, he reveals himself to be a thoughtful, poetic yet tough-minded, and extremely intelligent writer. This book not only covers adventures on Everest, Mt. McKinley, K2, Annapurna, and elsewhere, but also reveals little known and fascinating details about Russia and Kazakhstan and the USSR climbing culture in which Boukreev was raised. Anyone interested in climbing will love this book. (It has terrific photos too, most of them taken by Boukreev from the tops of the peaks he scaled.)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Above the Clouds Goes Above and Beyond Expectations, March 22, 2002

By 

TJ Burr - See all my reviews

This review is from: Above the Clouds: The Diaries of a High-Altitude Mountaineer (Hardcover)

This book is excellent reading for "armchair enthusiasts", serious mountaineers, or anyone in between. Before reading this book I did not even know who Anatoli was. Now, I see him as one of the true great mountaineers. I really related to his feelings for the mountains, and I share many of his philosophies regarding climbing. Reaching the summit is not success; to be successful, you must make it safely down. Even if Mallory and Irvine reached the summit of Everest, they didn't achieve success by living to tell about it.
As a mountaineer and author myself, I was very pleased how easy I could relate to Anatoli's feelings and philosophies about the sport of mountaineering. On page 123 he states that he treated the mountains "like cathedrals where worship gives you strength and strips off the scale of ordinary life." He also told a different version of the accounts of the disastrous climbing month in May 1996 on Mt. Everest, which catapulted high altitude mountaineering to the front pages of newspapers around the world. I still view Reinhold Messner as the best mountaineer of all time, but had Anatoli lived longer he would have surely closed the gap.

TJ Burr
Mountaineer/Author
"Rocky Mountain Adventure Collection"

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing account of an amazing person!, February 4, 2004

By 

Robert H. Putt "funkyturtle67" (Houghton, MI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Above the Clouds: The Diaries of a High-Altitude Mountaineer (Hardcover)

This book is based on the journal of Anatoli Boukreev and his diary of mountaineering. The book does a great job of describing his life before large expeditions and his struggle to make it to the top. The book does also focuses on his life and relationships as well as his personal accounts of his adventures. The journal rarely goes into his deep feelings which gives a better understanding of how he was as person. However, when it does go deep, it speak deeply and touches the essense of mountaineering.