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The Climb up to Hell (Paperback)

by Jack Olsen (Author)

3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product details

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Saint Martin's Press Inc.; 1st St. Martin's Griffin Ed edition (30 Nov 2005)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0312194501
ISBN-13: 978-0312194505
Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13.8 x 1.8 cm

Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 283,674 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#59 in Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Europe > Switzerland

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Product Description

Review

"To experience the Eiger one can climb the mountain, stand in the graveyard near the base of the North Wall, or read "The Climb Up To Hell," Jack Olsen's account of the ill-fated 1957 mountaineering expedition is a chronicle so graphic that it will cause a visceral response in those who read it." --Ruth Anne Kocour, author of "Facing the Extreme"
"This account of the most dramatic mountain rescue there has ever been is accurate enough to satisfy any mountaineer, and yet simple enough to enthrall anyone like myself who does most of his mountaineering from the bottom." --David Howarth, author of "We Die Alone" and "D-Day: The Sixth of June, 1944"
"Of all the stories of the Eiger there is only one tale which combines extreme foolhardiness, mystery and the unsurpassed courage of men of many different nations who tried . . . to save four lives. How well Olsen has succeeded." --Christopher Brasher, British journalist and Olympic Gold Medal Winner
"Olsen's interesting account reads like a novel." --"Library Journal"
"One of the best accounts of true high mountain adventure ever written." --Trevanian, bestselling author of "The Eiger Sanction"
"One of the most dramatic rescues in mountaineering history." --Jim Wickwire, Everest climber and coauthor of "Addicted to Danger"

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	48% buy the item featured on this page: The Climb up to Hell 3.8 out of 5 stars (4)
	25% buy The White Spider: The story of the North Face of the Eiger 4.1 out of 5 stars (19) �5.97
	8% buy Thin White Line 4.5 out of 5 stars (6) �5.81
	7% buy Learning to Breathe 5.0 out of 5 stars (9) �6.96

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews

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

Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THE CLIMB UP TO HELL...MAKES FOR HEAVENLY READING..., 1 Dec 2002

By	Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

This book chronicles the dramatic 1957 rescue of an Italian, amateur mountain climber from the north face of the Eiger. It is written in somewhat of a potboiler style, which makes it a real easy reading, page turner.

It is filled with facts and names from mountaineering history that will delight climbing enthusiasts. The famous Chamonix guide and one of the four climbers who figured prominently in the successful, yet tragic 1950 French conquest of Annapurna, Lionel Terray, figures prominently in the rescue portion of this narrative.

The account focuses on a somewhat inept, amateur mountaineer, Claudio Corti, from the Lecco region of Italy. Having lost a number of his roping partners to the grim reaper on prior ascents with him on various mountains, he naturally encountered some difficulty in finding one to accompany him on an expedition to climb the nearly vertical, north face of the Eiger. He finally inveigled Stefano Lhongi, a very inexperienced climber, to accompany him and attempt one of the most perilous ascents in the world.

This two man rope team was simply not prepared to make this ascent properly. Along their way up the north face of Eiger, they encountered two very experienced German climbers also making the ascent of the Eiger's north face. What happened during their encounter, when disaster struck, makes for some riveting reading.

While Claudio Corti comes across as a thoroughly despicable buffoon, one's heart cannot help but break for the hapless Stefano Longhi and the poignancy of his tragic end on the brink of rescue. The rescue itself is an amazing account of courage, bravado, and confusion, as a multitude of mountaineers converge upon Eiger in order to try and save the four mountaineers who had not returned.

While the rescue efforts account for the fate of the two Italians, the fate of the two German climbers was not ascertained until years later. This made for a mystery that for years caused members of the climbing community and journalists all over the world to heap opprobrium upon Corti, who proved himself to be simply an utter idiot. I leave if for readers of this book to discover for themselves what became of them.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a real page-turner..., 29 Jun 1999

By A Customer

Having recently visited the Bernese Alps, I found this account of the dramatic 1957 rescue mission especially gripping. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to just about anyone, particularly those with an interest in mountain climbing or Switzerland.

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This one was boring, 14 Jul 1999

By A Customer

I noticed that the other reviews were 5 stars on this one when I looked. I just could not give this one more than two. It was too long in tooth, too long in words, and hardly gripping. It spent too much time talking, and too little time describing action. It seemed to be more about the rescue clubs than about the rescue iitself. I did not find it to be particularily interesting in an fashion. I was disappointed when placed again such books as into thin air, and the other side of everest. These are my opinions, but I could not even finish the book. It seemed likeone of those adventure books that had been translated, and something was lost in the translation.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The politics of the mountains
I got to this book having recently read Into Thin Air (Krakauer), Death Zone (Dickinson) and Touching the Void (Simpson). Read more

Published on 22 Dec 1998

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