Customer Reviews

Boldest Dream: Story of Twelve Who Climbed Mount Everest

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I bought this book after reading Ridgeway's "The Last Step" about climbing K2, which I found quite interesting, well-written and hard to put down. I didn't think "The Boldest Dream" was nearly as interesting. This may have been because Ridgeway didn't spend as much time focusing on the challenges of the actual climb, but spent a larger portion on telling how the expedition finally was able to obtain a permit, etc. He did spend some time trying to develop the individual members of the team, helping the reader to try to understand each person's motivations for the climb, etc.

It's not a bad book, but I wouldn't buy it again (especially if I could find it at the library) and it won't take its place among some of the epic mountaineering classics on my bookshelf.

This is a chronicle of the 1976 American Bicentennial Everest Expedition. It is told by one of the twelve climbers who made that memorable journey to Everest. It describes the expedition, warts and all, as personal ambitions collided with reality. It is a story of hopes and dreams, of despair and anguish, but most of all, it is about twelve human beings from all different walks of life, each of whom made a significant contribution to the ultimate success of the venture.

It was interesting to read about the unusual way in which the expedition came about, as well as how the much sought after permit was ultimately obtained. The name of the expedition was crucial in getting necessary sponsors, but how the expedition got its name was also fortuitous. It seemed like everything initially just fell into place.

While actually on expedition, however, the personalities of all the climbers rose to the surface, and there were skirmishes as egos clashed over who would be on the summit teams. The only person who did not appear to get a fair shot at a summit berth was Arlene Blum, who also happened to be one of the two women on the team and one of the few expeditioners with actual Himalayan climbing experience.

Yet, when two members of the expedition reached the summit of Everest, everyone put aside their dashed hopes and dreams, rejoicing in the success and good fortune of the two who had reached the top of the world.