The Eiger Obsession: Facing the Mountain that Killed My Father [Hardcover]

John Harlin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2007

In the 1960s, an American named John Harlin II changed the face of Alpine climbing. Harlin successfully summitted some of the most treacherous mountains in Europe. But it was the North Face of the Eiger that became Harlin's obsession. John Harlin III was nine years old when his father put together a terrific team for an ill-fated direct ascent of the notorious Eiger. When Harlin's rope broke, 2,000 feet from the summit, he plummeted 4,000 feet to his death. In the shadow of tragedy, young John Harlin III came of age possessed with the very same passion for risk that drove his father. For years, he successfully denied the siren call of the mountain that killed his father. But in 2005, John Harlin could resist no longer. With his daughter, Siena - his very age at the time of his father's death - and with an IMAX Theatre filmmaking crew watching, he set off towards the Eiger. This is an unforgettable story about fathers and sons, climbers and mountains, and dreamers who dare to challenge the earth.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

When the author was nine years old, his father, an experienced climber, tackled one of the world's most treacherous mountains, the Eiger, in the Swiss Alps. It was the first attempt to reach the summit via the "direct" route (Harlin senior had already climbed the North Face), and it ended in tragedy, with a 4,000-foot fall. Forty years after his father's death, at the age of 49, the author succeeded where his father failed: beating the mountain. Published to coincide with the release of the Imax film chronicling the climb, the book combines biography (memories of Harlin's father) with a you-are-there account of the climb ("The cold Eiger rock feels good against my bare hands"). Thankfully, Harlin avoids most of the climbing-as-life-metaphor cliches that mar so many mountaineering books. At once a tribute to a legendary climber and a celebration of a very personal triumph, this book will captivate the imagination of anyone who reads it. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Praise for a Previous Edition
"In his gripping, graceful account . . . Harlin elegantly combines a frank biography of his frequently absent parent . . . with a vivid memoir of his own childhood. . . . His agility as a writer makes his final ascent of the mountain as compelling as his account of living in his father's shadow."
--Sunday Times (United Kingdom)
"As close to being a 'page turner' as any climbing-related book I've read since Touching the Void."
--Stephen Goodwin, Alpine Journal
"It's the differences between the father and the son, not the similarities, that infuse this book with such poignant force."
--Men's Journal --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (March 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743296907
• ISBN-13: 978-0743296908
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,381,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A SON FACES HIS FATHER'S DEATH, OBSESSION, & HISTORY ON THE EIGER DEATH WALL, March 26, 2007

By 

RBSProds "rbsprods" (Deep in the heart of Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Eiger Obsession: Facing the Mountain that Killed My Father (Hardcover)

Five FATEFUL Stars!! "The EIger Obsession" is written by John Harlin III, the moutaineering son of the famous American Alpine big wall climber John Harlin II and recounts the Harlin family's involvement with life, love, death, and the world of climbing over the decades. He focuses mainly on the general climbing history of the Swiss rockface called "the Eiger" (aka "the Ogre") and the Harlin family legacy surrounding this imposing and unforgiving rockwall's routes, among others. John Harlin II, an audacious larger-than-life character, was the 28th person to die on the Eiger in an accident: by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was attempting his self-conceived "Direttissima'" (direct) route, "straight up" the center of the 6000 ft wall, with most of the climbing world aware of the attempts. Harlin joined a long line of famous climbers who were either successes like the famed Heinrich Harrer who was amongst four in the 'first to the top' group in 1938, or failures like the equally famous Toni Kurz, who with the other three members of his team dead including Hinterstoisser, was trapped by an ice storm and with a horribly frostbitten hand, he would die inches from rescuer's hands, tearing at the knotted rope that sealed his fate with his teeth. The elder Harlin fit both categories, success and failure. The stories are mesmerizing, as are the stories of the Harlin family coping with circumstance and the Eiger route attempts by the father and, decades later, the son.

Climbers all over the world, even those who have never been to Europe, can recite from memory the features of the Classic Route of the Eiger: "the Difficult Crack", "Rote Flüh" (Red Crag), the 'point of no return' "Hinterstoisser Traverse", "the White Spider", "the Death Bivouac", "the Swallow's Nest", "the Traverse of the Gods", and so on, up to the "Exit Cracks", recounted here in intense, vivid detail. Harlin tells us the stories and difficulties which drew many famous climbers to attempt the Eiger as a test of will and ability. Harlin II had already climbed the Classic Route and had been on the mountain many times, but his "Direct Route" 'upped the ante' considerably and Harlin assembled a 'crack team' that included Americans (himself and rock technician Layton Kor) and Europeans (Sir Chris Bonington and Dougal Haston) to climb it. The book details how Harlin II perished and how a combined team is cut off from retreat and literally climbing for their lives thru horrible conditions. And at what price?

In the book, Harlin III, now a 50 year old expert climber in his own right, admits he has been obsessed by his father's death and the Eiger's 6000 foot deadly wall. "I can't go climbing without Dad's shadow hanging over me. And I love that shadow as much as it appalls me." With his own wife and daughter watching through the telescope at the world-famous Kleine Scheidegg, this book puts you on the mountain during the climb, as John Harlin III attempts to complete the Classic route and deal with it's many psychological implications. For many of us, decades after his father's death, this book finally gives closure to the John Harlin-Eiger story. Meanwhile the Eigerwand continues to lure climbers with the death toll now in the 60's at this point in time, and despite the recent availability of helicopter rescues, some of the unprepared and unlucky climbers will continue to perish. Kudos to John Harlin III for an excellent climbing and life experience book. My Highest Recommendation!! Five "White Knuckled" Stars!!
(NOTE: John Harlin II, the father, is the subject of a famous book called Straight up John Harlin : The life and death of a Mountaineer.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Above his fear, April 15, 2008

By 

Daniel A. Scott "Just honest!" (Philippi, WV) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Eiger Obsession: Facing the Mountain that Killed My Father (Hardcover)

John Harlin III climbed above his fear and finally made it to the summit of the mountian that killed his father. He gives us a timeline of events from when his dad was alive to when he finally completed his climb. A good story and read. Although I do feel bad that he lost his father, he has had more oppurtunities and adventures in his life then dozens of people combined. So life for him wasn't all that bad. But then again, I bet he'd trade it all to have had a life with his father. Can't wait to watch the film. Hope it's as good as the book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars In Dad's Shadow, October 11, 2007

By 

R. Hart - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Eiger Obsession: Facing the Mountain that Killed My Father (Hardcover)

This book is up there with Houstons K2 the Savage Mountain and Krackauers Into Thin Air. John the III doesn't seem to be as obsessed and reckless as his father. I came away from the book feeling that his father cared more about climbing than anything else. At one point he told his wife he felt oppressed by his children and only felt alive when they were not around. I thought that very strange. The other incident that bothered me was when Harlin the III made friends with a young climber named Chuck and took him climbing with him. He pushed Chuck pretty hard, hard enough to where Chuck fell off Mount Robson and killed himself. Harlin the III pointed the dead body out to the authorities and hightailed it out of town, that friendship lasted all of two weeks. That incident struck me as very strange. Overall the book was an entertaining read.