Everest: Expedition to the Ultimate (Paperback)

~ Reinhold Messner (Author), Audrey Salkeld (Translator) "To begin with, it was just a beautiful illusion, a fantasy, to imagine climbing the highest mountain in the world without technical assistance..." (more)
Key Phrases: final pyramid, oxygen apparatus, ooo metres, South Col, North Col, South-east Ridge (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

World-famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner's account of his first ascent on Everest, made without supplemental oxygen, and considered to be an impossible feat at the time.

Reinhold Messner with his partner Peter Habeler was the first to climb Everest without the aid of supplemental oxygen. In this riveting retelling of his climb, Messner says, "Everest by fair means-that is the human dimension, and that is what interests me . . . In reaching for an oxygen cylinder, a climber degrades Everest. . . . A climber who doesn't rely on his own strength and skills, but on apparatus and drugs, deceives himself."

In this mountaineering classic, Messner recounts the thoughts of a mountaineer during the climb of his life. Messner's compelling climbing chronicle conveys the exhaustion, despair and exhilaration of mountaineering in the death zone; interleafed with spectacular color photographs. A must-have for any reader of adventure narratives.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

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Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898866480
• ISBN-13: 978-0898866483
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #812,493 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Everest by fair means-that is the human dimension, and that is what interests me . . ., November 5, 2006

By	Z. Latif "Ike Latif" (Paris) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In this mountaineering classic, Messner recounts the thoughts of a mountaineer during the climb of his life. Messner's compelling climbing chronicle conveys the exhaustion, despair and exhilaration of mountaineering in the death zone; interleafed with spectacular color photographs.

No man could ever aspire to reach to an innovative height of brilliance and pre-eminence in any one talent or vocation without having passed through the deliberate and agonizing progression of learning, grounding, discovery of is own strengths and skills and knowledge of ones indispensable weaknesses.Reinhold Messner and his climbing partner Peter Habler made the first ascent of Everest without oxygen in 1978. This has been heralded as one of mountaineering's greatest feats. Messner's book is an honest account of his very difficult Everest climb. It competes with the best climbing books, but Messner doesn't stop there. In addition to an account of his climb, there are additional sectons that talk about the climbs of Mallory, Irvine and Norton, as well as the first Everest ascent made by Sir Edmund Hillary. Messer also gives a description of Everest's climbing routs and a list of successful summits.

Learning and grounding never ends, grounding does not mean giving up your pride these are two different things, it is always misplaced insensitivity that wipe out people, grounding is a process essential to ones whole life, you live your daily life as a mortal, weary of your weaknesses, uncertain of the next moment but you keep learning as if you are eternal, you maintain ambitious goals as if there is no end, this is how Edmund Hillary conquered `The Everest' and Reinhold Messner rediscovered `The Everest' without supplemental Oxygen. Messner says, "Everest by fair means-that is the human dimension, and that is what interests me . . . In reaching for an oxygen cylinder, a climber degrades Everest. . . . A climber, who doesn't rely on his own strength and skills, but on apparatus and drugs, deceives himself."

Only when you acquire very basic comprehension of your own strengths and skills you reach to a new level of wisdom and meticulousness. Those who are ever ready to discover and have the ability to acquire new knowledge are the ones who make it to new heights. Likewise to be a good apprentice onwards on the road of a successful professional ship, it's essential that a person feel that they are working in an environment that is committed to expand their frontiers of understanding, hence helping them to advance their careers.