Customer Reviews

My Vertical World: Climbing the 8000-Metre Peaks

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This overlooked book by the second man (after Reinhold Messner) to climb the world's fourteen 8000m peaks is a treasure. I found this a more emotional book than Jon Krakauer's /Into Thin Air/. This book gave me a better sense of what it's like to climb the highest mountains in the world, and a better sense of the unavoidable tragedies that occur there.

This is one of those rare autobiographies that manages to perfectly convey the incredible experiences that the author went through without self-aggrandization. Kukuczka is very modest in his accounts, telling the stories as if the events that befell him were the most normal in the world. The book gives great insight into what made Jerzy go forth and climb and also provides a great account of his day-to-day reality of organizing expeditions and the thrill of being in the mountains again.

This is a great work. Leaves you in awe of Jerzy. He is a pure mountaineer, untrapped by the modern fad and not the one in search of fame or glory. His love of the Himalaya shines through. The amount of untold suffering and privation that he underwent to summit the hardest and the highest peaks in the world. He is a heroic and doomed figure, like some norse god. As you read the book and go through the chapters and read him talk of his friends that died on the mountains, you realise that it is only a matter of time before he will meet the same fate. One thinks that maybe Anatoly Boukreev might have been something like him. The hardship that Jerzy had to undergo to even get to the peaks is amazing. He was unsparing on himself, braving all that the mountains had to throw at him. A great man.

A well written, personal account from one of the strongest Himalayan climbers ever. Having read Messners "14x8" it is interesting to compare and contrast western and east european climbing culture. Jurek`s achievements were truly great.

As most of us I have always wondered what on earth makes those guys climb to "the top of the world", suffer bitter cold, dehydration and often death. Kukuczka's book does not provide an explanation of the motives ( these have to be gained by first hand experience) but in depth understaning of the process. The untold suffering, days without a tent and sleeping in the snow. Hallucination and euphoria produced by brains depraived of oxygen. Where the only force that matters is human will and that will proves to be more powerful than all the cold, wind and altitude. Very, very personal and straigforward book by, I don't hesitate to say, the greatest climber of our times.

I read this book at least 3 times in last 10 years. Every time I read this I find it as vivid and thrilling description of Jerzy's adventure. Though Messner is alive to write many books, but it is our bad luck that Jerzy died in Lotse South face in 1989 after completing this book. Jerzy, still you are alive and with us while we read this book.

Jerzy writes an excellent climbing book. He writes about struggling not only with the forces of nature in the Himalayan Mountains, but about his struggles to mount an expedition in Communist Poland. He not only did miraculous climbs, but he pulled miracles in organizing expeditions on a shoestring budget and against roadblocks from Communist bureaucrats. I am amazed at what the man pulled off, not only did he climb all of the world's 8,000 meter peaks, he did them in the winter and / or by new routes! He was barely beaten by Meisner. The only issue I have with this book (and it is minor, otherwise I would have given it five stars), is the translation is not perfect, but the book is still an easy read.

This book is not so much excellent because of expert wordsmithing, but because of the content. Kukuczka wanted to climb in the Himalaya so badly, he'd do anything to get there. And he was one of the best ever on difficult, high altitude routes. This book is required reading for mountaineers, armchair and back country.

Wonderful book. I have pursued this book for 3 years. Just trying to find it for under $100. Finally, my librarian honey found on Abe Books for $50!!!!! Glad I waited. Don't let the book dealers of America screw you, or your own impatience. Keep looking. AND what a reward. You will not be sorry. Jerzy wrote a fine memorial. P.S. Oh yeah, and one Amazon dealer had a great price, writer ordered product, waited a month to have that dealer say "oops, it's not available", who then advertised same book a few days later, asking now for $130+. Buyer beware!!

.....by one of the greatest mountaineers ever. Jerzy's first-hand account of his climbs puts you right in the climber's harness with him, as he conquers difficult obstacles in the rarefied air of the world's highest peaks. You really get a feel for the difficulties he encountered (e.g. avalanches, impenetrable rock bands) while high up on Everest,K2, Nanga Parbat, and Lhotse. The Polish to English translation isn't perfect, but it works. It's too bad that this book is now out of print; it makes it almost prohibitively expensive for many readers, but is still worth the money in my estimation.