Minus 148 Degrees [Paperback]

Art Davidson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1999

Classic tale of dramatic near-death experiences in the harshest of conditions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This finely crafted adventure tale runs on adrenaline but also something else: brutal honesty." -- -- Wall Street Journal

Product Details

• Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books; 3rd edition (December 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898866871
• ISBN-13: 978-0898866872
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #67 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Mountaineering > Mountain Climbing
  • #83 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Hiking & Camping > Excursion Guides

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A COURAGEOUS AND HISTORIC FIRST..., July 29, 2001

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Minus 148 Degrees (Paperback)

It is clear from the beginning of this book that trouble was looming on the horizon for these intrepid, but somewhat reckless, climbers. The loss early on of one of their comrades to a fall into a crevasse was predictable. How they could think of walking unroped, on a glacier that they knew was ridden with crevasses, is almost unbelievable. This was due, no doubt, to youthful inexperience and a lack of leadership necessary to set the parameters of what would be acceptable in terms of safety. These factors combined were to cost them dearly. It was not until near the end of their forty two day stay on the mountain, that they coalesced into a team.

Notwithstanding the sheer recklessness of their initial, bumbling efforts at a winter ascent of Mt. McKinley, the fact remains that they did achieve the first such summit, no mean feat any time of year, but almost inconceivable in the dead of winter. Coming off the summit, their thermometer recorded the temperature at a quite bone chilling minus fifty eight degrees.

Caught in a whiteout on their descent, however, the three summiteers were forced to dig a snow cave, where they were to spend endless days, in weather which saw temperatures plummet to an almost mind boggling minus one hundred and forty eight degrees with the wind chill factor, hence the name of the book. That they could survive this, is a testament to their fortitude.

In their snow cave, it was a relatively toasty minus thirty five below. That snow cave was the only thing that stood between them and certain death. With virtually no food, frost bitten, and suffering from disorientation due to the altitude, they waited out the storm and lived to tell the tale.

This gripping chronicle, of the forty two days they spent on the highest and coldest mountain in North America, is a classic in mountaineering literature and one of the best books on McKinley climbs. Those who love this genre will certainly enjoy this book. It is made all the more interesting by the author's new afterword, which gives a retrospective of what happened to all those who participated in the first winter ascent of Mt. McKinley.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!, April 25, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Minus 148 Degrees (Paperback)

I bought this book because I wanted to get a feel for high altitude climbing though I have no interest in climbing for myself. Geez! I got the picture. I'm still blown away by the story of what happened on the mountain. But, thankfully, blown away, only in a metaphorical sense...

I had a friend who was a high altitude climber who told me about a friend climbing in the Himalayas. The guy went out during a blizzard at high altitude to relieve himself and was never seen again. My friend said,"He was blown into the stratosphere". I never understood that kind of language until I read this book.

It's an incredible story of survival right up there with the story of the voyage of the crew of the Endurance.

The writing is awfully good for a mountain climber!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading again after 22 years, March 30, 1999

By 

Paul Shannon (Phoenix AZ.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Minus 148 Degrees: The 1st Winter Ascent of Mt McKinley (Paperback)

I first read this book in 1972 while in high school. Could not read it fast enough but did not want it to end. Had all the adventure and suspense of a true Alaskan adventure. On my second trip to Alaska as a state park campground host in 1994 I worked in Denali state park. Not until later did I realize that the six foot five, red head ranger was none other than Dave Johnston. One of the first three men to reach the summit of Mount McKinley in the winter. To know that these men could survive such an ordeal and years later be so down to earth. If you enjoy books about Alaska and not just mountaineering this is a must read.