7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fired my interest in mountaineering BEFORE Everest, '53., July 9, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Annapurna (Adventure Library) (Hardcover)
Without oxygen or even a decent map, the French Annapurna team had to spend weeks just reaching the mountain. The ordeal of the summit team's return and the steadfast support of the whole group is an inspiring and breathtaking story. Judged by today's standards of fixed ropes and porters donkeying up computers and GPS satelites and worldwide communications with every camp, this French Alpine team accomplished extraordinary goals. Even the Sherpas on this expedition achieved reputations that got them onto several '50s climbs, including Everest. The pictures of Herzog, fit and hardy on the walk in and then almost destroyed by the mountain after descending to help, are with me still. His reflections, returning from Annapurna, about why men endanger their lives to climb high mountains are more cogent than any before or since.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
EXTREME ADVENTURE FOR THE GLORY OF FRANCE..., May 27, 2002
This book is a romanticized, sanitized account of the 1950 French expedition to the Himalayas by its so called leader, Maurice Herzog. It is a book that is reflective of the times in which it was written. Still, it should be a must read for anyone who is interested in high altitude climbing.
I first read this book in the early 1960s as a young teenager. I recall being enthralled by it and amazed at the hardships the climbers endured to bring glory to France. In reading it again as an adult, I find myself still enthralled, but more attuned to the fact that it is written in a somewhat self-serving style.
The book itself chronicles the attempt by the French to climb an 8,000 meter peak in the Himalayas. They had two alternatives: Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. In those days, the Himalayas were largely uncharted and any topographical maps which existed at the time proved to be largely incorrect. So, the French expedition spent a large portion of their time in reconnaissance. Not only were they there to climb the mountain, they first had to find a way to get to it and then map out a route on the unknown terrain to the summit. Ultimately, they chose to climb Annapurna.
In reading this book, one must remember that the climb took place without the sophisticated equipment or protective clothing available today. This was before gortex and freeze-dried foods. This climb was made before Nepal or climbing the Himalayas became a major tourist attraction. The conditions for travellers were extremely primitive and difficult under the best of circumstances.
When the expedition finally finds a route to Annapurna, the reader almost feels like cheering for them. When they start to climb, one senses that, in comparison to latter day expeditions, they were not so well equipped or savvy about the dangers one can encounter during a high altitude climb or the risks in doing it without supplemental oxygen, as they did. Then one realizes that they were pioneers. They were paving the way for others.
The climb to the summit by Maurice Herzog and his partner, Louis Lachenal, is interesting, but it is their harrowing descent and return to civilization which is riveting. The two summiteers began their descent inauspiciously enough but soon ran into difficulties. They were fortunate enough to encounter two of their fellow climbers, Lionel Terray and Gaston Rebuffat, who were contemplating their own summit assault but, instead, chose to aid their comrades in their descent, foregoing their own quest for the summit.
The travails which the climbers encountered on the descent would have finished off less hardy souls. Maurice Herzog lost his gloves during the descent and had no spare pair. One of climbers fell into a crevasse which, believe it or not, turned out to be a good thing. They were caught in an avalanche. They got lost in a storm. They became frostbitten and two of them were, ultimately, forced to endure amputations.
The medical treatment they received by the expedition doctor was unbelievable and almost primitive. Employing treatments for frostbite that have since fallen onto disrepute (excruciatingly painful arterial injections, for example), the doctor was almost frightening, at times. The reader cannot help but feel pity for the suffering the injured climbers endured: maggot ridden flesh, amputations without anaesthesia, and lack of proper medical care for a protracted period of time.
The heroics of some of the sherpas, as on most expeditions, went largely unsung. One must pause to reflect on the fact that as this all took place before airlifts were available, the injured climbers had to be carried. Their exodus back to the frontier took about five weeks. Who do you think carried them down the mountain, over the moraines, on makeshifts bridges over flooded, raging rivers, through dense jungle? Who else but the sherpas. What thanks did they get? None, as usual.
Anyway, when the expedition finally returned to France, Maurice Herzog was lauded as a national hero by the French. He became the media darling. The other three climbers, as were the rest of the climbers on the expedition, were largely ignored and forgotten. Therein lies the tale. If you want to know how this polarization came about, I highly recommend that one also read 'True Summit' by David Roberts. It gives one the inside scoop about the expedition and how things really were.
Notwithstanding its idealization, romanticism, and everything is hunky-dory routine, Herzog's book is still a must read for all climbing enthusiasts.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting tale of Himalayan adventure, March 6, 1999
This review is from: Annapurna (Adventure Library) (Hardcover)
Annapurna is a chronicle of a 1950 Himalayan adventure by a French expedition led by the author Maurice Herzog. The book is a fascinating account of the first assault on an 8000 meter peak, Annapurna. The adventure is all the more fascinating due to the pioneering nature of the expedition. Little was known in 1950 about the geography of the area or about high altitude mountaineering. Mr. Herzog's account can be confusing at times, but the book is riveting. Mr. Herzog and his friend Louis Lachenal succeed in summitting, but at great personal expense. The true hero of the book, however, is Dr. Jacques Oudot. He bravely worked under primitive conditions for weeks to save the lives of Lachenal and Herzog. If you liked Into Thin Air, you'll love Annapurna.
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