Mount Everest: Confessions of an Amateur Peak Bagger

by Flynn Kevin, Fallesen Gary (Collaborator)

A true story, warts and all, of what really happened to ad exec and amateur climber Kevin Flynn during his days at the top of the world. In May 2004, Flynn reached the summit of Mt. Everest--but not without tears, laughter, failures, near-death experiences and great friendships. If you'sve ever wondered what it would be like for a mere mortal to attempt Mt. Everest, this book is as close as it gets.

Genres: Mountaineering, Nonfiction, Sports

308 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2006

Reviews

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most mountain climbing books are either written by or about climbers who are either part of a professional guiding team or are proficient enough in the sport that they are considered elite. The author of this book, Kevin Flynn, would probably not be considered to fall in either of these categories. Nonetheless, his story of perseverance to become one of the climbers to have reached the summit of Mount Everest is a fairly quick, easy and enjoyable read.

A native of Rochester, New York, Flynn became interested in climbing when he took a trip a few hours east to the Adirondack Mountains. He became a member of the “Adirondack 46”, an exclusive club of those who have scaled all 46 peaks in that range. He then takes the reader through his adventures of summiting higher mountains such as Denali. He writes with self-deprecation, both humorous and not so humorous. But that’s just being humble - he is doing well enough that in 2002, he decided to make hist first attempt to scale Everest.

Here is probably the saddest part of the book - not only did he not make the summit on that trip, making it as far as the highest camp (High Camp), but was because he was injured and needed assistance down. After conferring with his wife Maggie (also a member of the Adirondack 46 club), he tries again two years later and this time succeeds. But even that is tinged with sadness. Flynn writes how achieving this amazing goal didn’t give him any joy at all and his descent was much slower than it should have taken. He finds out at Base Camp that he had pneumonia in this climb.

While not joyous, there are happy moments in the book as well as much gratitude to the Sherpas who were with him on both attempts. That's what I felt was the best aspect of this book - the emotions of Flynn as they feel genuine and the reader will feel them as well. The climbs are also told in plain language which is helpful for those not familiar with those terms. For those reasons, I believe even those who don’t read many mountaineering books (I certainly don’t qualify for that) will enjoy the book.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. 3-1/2 stars. The author has a lighthearted self-deprecating writing style that I found appealing.

I’m back to Everest/adventure books. I’m letting Kindle Unlimited pick my books for now. I am easily overwhelmed and don’t have the wherewithal to pick books from the library. I hope this doesn’t last long but I’m grateful I’m able to read anything.

[Troopercam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever read a book and already know how it is going to end but still start to find out the journey anyways? This is the feeling going into Kevin Flynn's Mt Everest Confessions of an Amateur Peak Bagger. Flynn speaks of how he became enthralled with climbing mountains starting in his backyard in New York. From there he climbed bigger and more dangerous peaks conquering three of the seven summits. In 2002 he decided to go to Nepal to climb Everest. This book describes his journey up the mountain. It did not end with his reaching the summit as many Everest stories do, but with failure. He returns in 2004 and successfully climbs Everest adding a fourth mountain to the fabled Seven Summits.

This book is very well read, a journey of an ordinary guy who became interested in climbing and in his own words had no desire to try and tackle lists of summits instead became interested in making and completing lists, Everest was just another mountain on the list.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kevin Flynn, an advertising executive, amateur pilot and mountaineer sets his sites on the mother of all mountains, Everest. In this candid memoir, Flynn recounts his two attempts to climb to the top of the world leaving nothing unstated - "warts and all". If you are in the hunt for a book that gives you an up close and personal first person account of an Everest climb, pick up Confessions of an Amateur Peak Bagger, you will not be disappointed.

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative, but by no means dazzling. The prose is matter-of-fact and unadorned, but it's still a pretty cool story. Flynn's pedestrian writing style does lend a sense of realism to the experience, so it feels more like a regular guy telling you about mountain climbing than, because that's exactly what it is.

[Biba · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this topic, although I am not the least bit interested in climbing Everest. The writer has a great personality and I think that is what I enjoyed the most. It has better pictures than most Everest books and gave me a great visual of the places I have been reading about.

[Lexi Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the four books I read on Mount Everest, this was by far my favorite. It was filled with a lot of great information on mountaineering and what it takes to be a good climber. I appreciated Kevin Flynn's sense of humor, as many books on Everest are extremely dry and boring.

[Anita Pomerantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, yet gripping, read. This book doesn't make the best use of the English language, but you can feel the tension associated with a life risking activity like climbing Mt. Everest. This is just a thoroughly enjoyable read if you like tales of adventure. And I do!

[Kathleen O. Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Read

A well written journey of the writers journey from a weekend hike and climb in the Adirondacks to the the summit of Everest. The writer shares his journal notes and his personal reflection on the meaning of the journey .

[Jean Ginter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read!

This book is an honest, raw and exciting book on Everest. The author explains so much; you can understand mountaineering. You feel like your are with him in the mountains.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, honest story

Great book. What a heck of a ride. Nothing got handed to the author and yet he maintained a level of confidence that was nowhere near arrogance. If you want to know about all that goes into a feat like this then this book is for you! Nice ascent!!!!

[Kim Bessette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. I've read so many mountaineering books. While I don't imagine Flynn as an amateur, he told his story in real lay mans terms.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

Great writing. Easy to read. Felt like I was climbing with the author. Thanks for sharing your story with us.

[Carol Haile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went to high school with Kevin. We didn’t really hang out and certainly didn’t stay in touch all these years. Was surprised to hear he had climbed Mt Everest and even more surprised that he had written a book about it! So many adventure books like this are about the tragedies that occurred while attempting these mind boggling feats. This one is about an everyday guy, an advertising exec, who became enamored with hiking and climbing and set his goals HIGH!
Kevin takes you on the climb along with him. There were moments where I gasped out loud, the cheering was internal though.
Several lines in the book that made me stop and think. Here’s just a few:
-“If there weren’t a high degree of risk involved, there wouldn’t be as high a degree of reward.“
-“There are two choices you don’t own: when you’re born and when you die. Everything else is about choices. You can do all sorts of things if you put your mind to getting them done. “
-“Don’t just ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and then go do it, because what the world needs is people who have come alive”.

Thanks for sharing Kevin…loved it.

[Emily Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ted got this book as a present while working on the Hill from the Boy Scouts. We both want to conquer all 46 peaks in the Adirondack’s one day, but this is next level. For a guy from Rochester to summit Everest, it’s a really easy read and interesting account. Honest and not overblown in the missteps and unideal situations, it’s not the exact way anyone wants to do this climb. I really hated how he got off the mountain after he summitted — makes me think that some people just aren’t meant to be up high like that (💩🤧🤢). Lucky we have modern technology to get climbers down safely. I would have liked to know more about the workouts at sea level and if he felt that living out East was a downside to acclimatization / training. Amazing that a local guy who started at LCCC and Cornell.

[Susan Liston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read three of these books in a row on Kindle Unlimited, so I'm getting them confused...Irish Fergus, English Ellis, this is New Yorker Kevin....Kevin does summit on his second try, so he is now able to shut up about it, but he suffers horribly in the process! Fun for all!

[KIM GEARING · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I picked up this book I didn't know the author was from my town. Very immersive experience, though I still do not understand why people climb.