Ed Viesturs
*** 1/2
David Roberts did a very good job of preserving Ed Viesturs's voice in helping with this book. Roberts is one of the finest climbing/adventure writers of his generation, which is saying quite a bit given the fine writing that has come out in the last 40 years. Ed Viesturs is clearly one of the finest climbers of the last 40 years as well. Together, though, the book doesn't quite live up to the best of climbing writing. One of the great paradoxes of modern, professional climbing is that the climber has to get sponsorship in order to cover the costs of climbing the high peaks of the Himalayas. To do that they have to tell the world what they did either alone or with very small company. In short they have to brag without doing so in an unseemly manner.
Viesturs has had to hustle for upwards of thirty years now to sell his story and gain sponsors. This is a fact of life, and given Viesturs's gifts as a climber -- and his ambitions, I don't begrudge him having to do so. It just doesn't make for as interesting a story. Too much of the book is about the need to gain sponsors, give slide shows, and sell equipment. It's just the way it is. The truly high peaks demand too many resources and always have. Now, however, small teams approach these mountains alpine style, and individuals buy into "expeditions" instead of being recruited by clubs and national sport institutions. So the money comes from different sources, the politics change, and the stories have somehow become less compelling, unless, of course, there is disaster.
Poor Ed. He was good a climber. He' never lost any fingers or toes, had no bivouacs above 28 thousand feet, and usually climbed as planned. He felt in control almost always on a mountain. Not as much drama in the telling when the voice is matter of fact. Was he as in as much control as he felt? I don't think so, but he probably was in control more than just about any other climber. His account of his three attempts to climb Annapurna are the best parts of the book because he was frightened by its routes. Ultimately overcoming fear is much more interesting than climbing high in itself.
