Customer Reviews

High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This first-hand account of the frightening and absolutely breath-talking adventures on the slopes of Mount Everest during the ill-fated 1996 American climbing expedition is terrific reading. Brashears, a professional cinematographer, had already climbed Everest previous to this expedition, and his prize-winning documentary IMAX film about the ascent of Everest is itself both entertaining and edifying, as it holds no punches regarding the reality of life on the mountain. Neither does this book, which certainly proves that the author has a future in journalism is he chooses to pursue it.

His colorful and well-written autobiography also does great service in helping those of us who prefer to have our adventure while sitting in the comfort of our reading room just what it is that draws people like him to the pursuit of mountaineering. Indeed, his gleeful enthusiasm is close to being contagious; this too is testimony to Brashears' ability to write convincingly and well. His approach is so colorful as to blur the lines between biography and fiction, and I often found myself having to remember that all this really did happen. It is that well written.

His beginnings, too, seem like the stuff of popular fiction; a childhood of humility and privation, his early exploits in climbing on a virtual shoestring, his wildcat days in the oil field, all seem to fit this persona that wangles his way into situations and then has the gumption, intelligence, and character to pull it all off. He progresses with climbs both domestically and internationally, finally reaching into Nepal and Tibet. Always with him is this sense of humor on the one hand, and a willingness to take risks that most of just would turn away from. One senses he is heading for even more danger and self-discovery. Of course, the key to the book is his description of the events leading up to, including, and after the tragic catastrophe and loss of several climbers' lives in the ascent of the mountain. Busy himself with both the climb on the one hand and the IMAX filming of it on the other left him little time for instant reflection or remorse. These things probably helped him to focus on what had to be done to go on with the successful climb, the discovery of the bodies, and a safe descent to the camps far below. I found myself sorry to reach the final pages of his book, and I for one hope to find more writing from this talented filmmaker, writer, and climber in the future. I can highly recommend this book, and I think you will enjoy it, as well.

This is a terrific book which draws you into David Breashears' world. You follow his development from young rock climber to world class mountaineer and filmmaker. You also see his development as a person, all while drawing you into that exclusive club of mountaineers. He makes you feel his passion for the mountains he so loves. You learn how he combined that passion with the art of cinematography, making him an award winning filmmaker.

You live through the 1996 tragedy on Everest with him, and feel the compassion that he has for those who died on the mountain under such tragic circumstances. The narrative is always compelling and informative, making the book a hard one to put down. His compassion and sensitivity towards those who did not fare well on the ill-fated 1996 Everest climb is palpable, and for his assistance to those who needed it, even though it put him and his expedition in jeopardy, he is truly an unsung hero. This is, without a doubt, a man who leads by example.

David Breashears writes beautifully of his experiences and his book is a must read for all climbing enthusiasts, as well as for those simply interested in the human condition. This is a book that is simply too good to pass up.

What I found most fascinating about this book, his life, is the fact that Breashears manages to make a living out of his passion. Times were certainly hard for him in the beginning but he made it. Not only does he manage to make a living but in doing so combines his other passion (filming) with it, through this he gets to travel and see other cultures. As a European, now living in the US, I find this enviable. I am somewhat surprised that other reviewers are hung up on his failed marriage. While I certainly feel for his ex-wife (and him!), I see his father's disapperance as the great tragedy in his life and it reminded me of Jon Krakauer's theme in his book "Into the Wild".

Right off the bat, readers will notice that Breashears has a knack for writing. Whereas Greg Child's natural talent surfaces through his wit and humour, David's writing style shines in his ability to make you empathise with him on every occasion. He obviously posseses the determination of a climber, and the insight of a top-notch photographer/cinematographer.

Not only is the writing remarkable, but his life-story is absolutely fascinating. Many climbers have a fairly predictable story-line to their autobiographies, but Breashears' tale twists and turns as he juggles not only a climbing career, but a photographic and cinematic one as well.

Don't pass this one up. Stories from old-school climbers are fading, and Breashear's tale should certainly be acknowledged and preserved.

After reading Jon Krakauer's book 'Into Thin Air', like millions I became fasinated with the world of mountaining, and more importantly, the people which derive their passion from climbing. High Exposure looks deeply into this unique and private world. It doesn't just explore the disasters, in particular Everest - May 1996, but more importantly, allows the reader to feel the intense drive of the challenge in climbing and the excitement of the locations as told by someone who has experienced seemingly every aspect of the sport and built an incredeble career around it. Reading Breashear's words made me feel like I was on those mountains with him and his teams. You can feel his thrill of the challanges both personally and professionaly, his sense of loss from the tragegies experienced at Everest and else where, and his soul searching to find the path he needs to follow into his future. That his book ended after only 300 pages was the only disapointment. I wanted to stay on this climb for another 300 pages. BRAVO!

I must agree witht he reviewer who commented about the book being written by committee. The narrative is choppy and lacking not only key details, but also historical background. Because it's an autobiography, I don't necessarily think that it's fair to damn the book for being self-centered; it IS about him. I do feel, however, that the book needs better editing and a bit more self-examination.
It's an okay addition to one's list of books about Everest expeditions - which I must admit, I've developed a morbid fascination with after recently re-reading "Into Thin Air". I wouldn't, however, use it as my primary source for information or impressions.

I developed a passion for reading true accounts of climbing Mount Everest when my brother accidently left his copy of "Into Thin Air". I then bought "Left for Dead" and "High Exposure". David Breashears' account is not what I was looking for in a book about Mt. Everest. He writes with passion about that which he knows best...himself. This is more an autobiography and discription of his life than adventure story. What I didn't like is his failure to explore why he climbs. He doesn't drag the reader into the kind of madness that propels you to the top of the world, it's more like he sits you in his living room and shows you his slides. If you want something more Jack London, read Jon Krakauer's books, all of them.

This year in May, Indian Air force expedition lost Sqn Ldr Chaitanya, who never returned to the summit camp and my colleague from NIM (Nehru Institute Of Mountaineering) - Uttarkashi, Anupam, returned frost bitten from 8600m as his oxygen mask malfunctioned. I was following the progress of the expedition on a daily basis and even though IAF team managed to put three of the team members on the summit, the expedition was shadowed with loss of Sqn Ldr. Chaitanya and failure of the team to find him even after a prolonged search operation. I was so involved with the expedition, that it felt like a personal loss. I had either Camus or mountains to turn to. I headed to hills and did my "dealing" there and brought a copy of the "High Exposure" by David Breashers while returning back home.

"If I could be one tenth of the man that Beck Weathers was on that day, I'll be a very proud man", writes David Breashears about Beck Weathers, who after being given up for dead, not once, but thrice. He was still jovial and calm, as Breashers and Ed Viesturs, were getting him from camp 3 to 2 on Everest after the 1996 tragedy on Everest. In 1996 eleven people perished during the summit attempt at Everest. There has been a series of publications capturing the impressions of those who saw the tragedy unfold on that fateful day. "High Exposure" reveals Breashers view of the tragedy and so far is the most detached account of what happened on that day on the Everest.

David Breashers was brought up in Boulder, Colorado and discovered the love of climbing there. Growing up as a kid in 70s with a prodigious talent for climbing earned him the nick Kloberdanz kid early enough. While he honed his climbing skills in Yosemite, David was slowly unfolding his own vision of climbing. Working in Oil Fields, living in shacks, just to make enough money, such that he could keep climbing is as inspiring as it can get. David entered the Mecca of mountaineering, the Himalaya, as an assistant cameraman and realized that he had a love for both climbing as well as filming the mountains. The unique combination earned his keeping with various filming crews and he could be in Himalayas, mountaineering.

The high exposure covers a lot of space and time, from being raised by a violent short-tempered father and a caring mother, to the climbing whiz kid, an oilman, and a filmmaker to an acclaimed mountaineer. The journey from Colorado to Himalayas is written in an easy and candid manner of a mountaineer. Mountaineering is a very personal adventure, it is to see "how far can one go" having assumed that going "too far" is not universal. Moving on this edge of far and too far is what keeps mountaineers moving, the summit is a pause between these journeys.

David Breashers summited Everest for the 5th time last year at the age of 49, most recognize David from his 1996 IMAX movie on Everest. He resides in Boston, MA-U.S.A.

The introspect into the life of a high altitude climber/cinematographer provided in this book is quite good. However the book labors on about the 1996 Everest season. While this may have been the author's attempt to deal with the tragedy, it comes off as another climber trying to cash in on the deaths of others. Granted it is far better than Krakauer's "Into Thin Air". I was hoping to read more about what it takes to be a world class climber. This book started to do just that then... it plunged into the death zone. It was a real struggle to finish once the 1996 episode was started. Over all a good read. Quite interesting early on.

David Breashears has been to Mount Everest eleven times. That's more times than I have visited our local SuperMegaMall. But yet from reading High Exposure, each trip to the Himalayas was far from routine. They all tested the limits of human endurance and perseverence. His eloquence in recounting his life reveals a man of character and discipline, but also a man who has regrets and self doubts. I particularly appreciated his recounting of his early years. Breashears lived in geographic proximity to me (he is an alumnus of my high school), but existed in a vastly different world, the "vertical world". Climbing and bouldering in Eldorado Springs and Boulder Canyon as well as roughnecking in Wyoming were all important in his development into the climber, cinematographer and expedition leader that he became. In High Exposure, David Breashears stands proudly among the growing number of men who have attempted to portray to we laymen the bizarre lifestyle of mountain climbers.