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My Quest for the Yeti: Confronting the Himalayas' Deepest Mystery
For over 20 years Reinhold Messner has been obsessed with the secret of the Yeti, the Himilayan creature of legend, who in the West became infamously known as the abominable snowman. Rather than fruitless speculation, Messner - the first person to climb Mount Everest without oxygen and the first to climb all 14 of the world's tallest peaks - provides his own first hand account. He begins by recouting his own terrifying run-ins with the Yeti - while hiking alone in remote parts of Nepal - and how they led to his determination to solve their mystery through seubsequent expeditions. This is an account of a quest, taking readers on hair-raising climbs through Nepal, Bhutan, Ladakh, Northern India, and even Tibet - where Messner was a fugitive from Chinese authorities.
188 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
7 people are currently reading
346 people want to read
About the author
Reinhold Messner
202 books243 followersReinhold Messner (born September 17, 1944) is an Italian mountaineer and explorer from South Tyrol, often cited as the greatest mountain climber of all time. He is renowned for making the first solo ascents of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen and for being the first climber to ascend all fourteen "eight-thousanders" (peaks over 8,000 metres above sea level). He is the author of at least 63 books (in German, 1970–2006), many of which have been translated into other languages.
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December 18, 2017
A bit of background: Reinhold Messner is, as you may know, a famous, record-breaking mountaineer. He was the first to climb Everest without supplemental oxygen, he was the first to climb all of the 14 eight-thousanders, and many other incredible feats. However, in the mid-to-late 1980s, he became the target of much mockery when the media picked up an interview in which he apparently claimed to have seen a yeti (which is not what happened, as this book explains).
When I first saw the book, I must admit that I rolled my eyes. I looked at the title and thought "Oh, dear. Here we go - it's the story of Reinhold and his Yeti." Still I was intrigued, and now I am glad to have read it, because it is not what I expected.
While it is about Messner's encounter with an unidentified creature, he does not claim the creature to be a yeti. The book actually takes a look at the myth of the yeti while investigating what the creature he saw might have been. He also looks at why the story made the headlines and how the mis-reported interview caused a rather cycnical reception.
Why this skepticism? The answer is simple enough: explorers and discoverers see what they want to see. Like all of us, they perceive reality through their own preconceptions.
Messner's descriptions of his trekking and travelling in Tibet is phenomenal. He clearly loves the place and has a lot of respect for its land, people, and culture. His knowledge of the area is remarkable, and he comes across a fairly grounded person - except when he thought his girlfriend left him stranded in Lhasa.
He visits many different areas and interviews locals about the yeti myth. His conclusion is that the yeti exists only as a myth, but that the creature he encountered was likely a rare Himalayan bear.
This book was published in 1998. Since the time of the precarious interview with an Indian newspaper in 1986, Messner had been subjected to quite harsh ridicule, and his credibility as a writer and mountaineer really suffered.
Considering this undeserved treatment and considering that Messner's theory of a rare bear as the origin of the yeti myth, it has been satisfying and delightful to learn that the scientific community now (in the last month or so as I am writing this) seems to consider Messner's idea as a valid explanation. Well done that man!
Still, even with the latest articles supporting Messner's ideas, it is still worth reading this book. Messner's writing in parts is absolutely gripping as he avoids being arrested by the Chinese police, or as he walks across Tibet by himself with nothing but a backpack and a sleeping bag (not tent).
The other part that I found really gripping was the part where he described his observations of the Chinese regime in Tibet. He gives some background to the political situation of his visits at the time that the book is referring to but he also adds his first hand experiences.
As I have learnt from this (and his Everest book), he doesn't hold back and he doesn't seem to embellish, which makes the paragraphs on Tibet quite a decent work of journalism (in any case much better than what I encountered in Forensics recently, not that this is a high bar to set).
This is from a visit in 1988:
"One day, I was in the middle of Parkor when suddenly plain-clothes policemen carrying guns and radios went running past me. The Tibetans scattered in panic; an old woman next to me began crying, and a distraught cripple, who had been cringing by the roadside, dragged himself into the nearest doorway. A truck blocked the way of the fleeing crowds; tear gas was in the air. Six young lamas who had been carrying a banner proclaiming "Free Tibet!" were hauled into a truck, which raced off, sirens blaring. Columns of soldiers marched in; then came trucks and more soldiers, their clean olive-green uniforms clashing starkly with the Tibetans' dirty rags."
Not long after this scene, the Chinese government closed Tibet to foreign journalist as the number of protests in Tibet increased. Incidentally, this prevented Messner from being able to conduct more research into the yeti myth for a number of years.
For clarity, Messner's concern in the book is not for the disruption to his project for the welfare of the people in Tibet. Not that he spends much time on political issues, but, as I mentioned earlier, he has a very high regard for the country and its people.
I found Messner's writing about Tibet absolutely riveting. In many ways, I could not help comparing it to Heinrich Harrer's book Seven Years in Tibet, which is an equally riveting story. Both books show their authors concerns for the country, and though they have been written in different times, they shared a common outlook.
"The Chinese paid no attention to tourists, and the Tibetans seemed preoccupied with mumbling their prayers, as they had done for centuries. Traditionally, prayers were written on strips of paper, then rolled into cylinders and stuffed into containers the size of a fist. These were set in motion by a swipe of the hand; a weight revolving around a metallic rod in the middle of the cylinder kept it spinning. Once a Tibetan symbol of faith, these prayer mills were becoming increasingly rare, and the paintings of gods on rocks were fading. But the mumbling continued. Most Tibetans are indifferent to the rise in living standards brought about by China's rule. Spiritual life is dying out, and they have nothing to counter this with except their mumbling."
As far as books go, this was one of the most surprising reads this year, and I love that the books has changed my own preconceptions of the author.
When I first saw the book, I must admit that I rolled my eyes. I looked at the title and thought "Oh, dear. Here we go - it's the story of Reinhold and his Yeti." Still I was intrigued, and now I am glad to have read it, because it is not what I expected.
While it is about Messner's encounter with an unidentified creature, he does not claim the creature to be a yeti. The book actually takes a look at the myth of the yeti while investigating what the creature he saw might have been. He also looks at why the story made the headlines and how the mis-reported interview caused a rather cycnical reception.
Why this skepticism? The answer is simple enough: explorers and discoverers see what they want to see. Like all of us, they perceive reality through their own preconceptions.
Messner's descriptions of his trekking and travelling in Tibet is phenomenal. He clearly loves the place and has a lot of respect for its land, people, and culture. His knowledge of the area is remarkable, and he comes across a fairly grounded person - except when he thought his girlfriend left him stranded in Lhasa.
He visits many different areas and interviews locals about the yeti myth. His conclusion is that the yeti exists only as a myth, but that the creature he encountered was likely a rare Himalayan bear.
This book was published in 1998. Since the time of the precarious interview with an Indian newspaper in 1986, Messner had been subjected to quite harsh ridicule, and his credibility as a writer and mountaineer really suffered.
Considering this undeserved treatment and considering that Messner's theory of a rare bear as the origin of the yeti myth, it has been satisfying and delightful to learn that the scientific community now (in the last month or so as I am writing this) seems to consider Messner's idea as a valid explanation. Well done that man!
Still, even with the latest articles supporting Messner's ideas, it is still worth reading this book. Messner's writing in parts is absolutely gripping as he avoids being arrested by the Chinese police, or as he walks across Tibet by himself with nothing but a backpack and a sleeping bag (not tent).
The other part that I found really gripping was the part where he described his observations of the Chinese regime in Tibet. He gives some background to the political situation of his visits at the time that the book is referring to but he also adds his first hand experiences.
As I have learnt from this (and his Everest book), he doesn't hold back and he doesn't seem to embellish, which makes the paragraphs on Tibet quite a decent work of journalism (in any case much better than what I encountered in Forensics recently, not that this is a high bar to set).
This is from a visit in 1988:
"One day, I was in the middle of Parkor when suddenly plain-clothes policemen carrying guns and radios went running past me. The Tibetans scattered in panic; an old woman next to me began crying, and a distraught cripple, who had been cringing by the roadside, dragged himself into the nearest doorway. A truck blocked the way of the fleeing crowds; tear gas was in the air. Six young lamas who had been carrying a banner proclaiming "Free Tibet!" were hauled into a truck, which raced off, sirens blaring. Columns of soldiers marched in; then came trucks and more soldiers, their clean olive-green uniforms clashing starkly with the Tibetans' dirty rags."
Not long after this scene, the Chinese government closed Tibet to foreign journalist as the number of protests in Tibet increased. Incidentally, this prevented Messner from being able to conduct more research into the yeti myth for a number of years.
For clarity, Messner's concern in the book is not for the disruption to his project for the welfare of the people in Tibet. Not that he spends much time on political issues, but, as I mentioned earlier, he has a very high regard for the country and its people.
I found Messner's writing about Tibet absolutely riveting. In many ways, I could not help comparing it to Heinrich Harrer's book Seven Years in Tibet, which is an equally riveting story. Both books show their authors concerns for the country, and though they have been written in different times, they shared a common outlook.
"The Chinese paid no attention to tourists, and the Tibetans seemed preoccupied with mumbling their prayers, as they had done for centuries. Traditionally, prayers were written on strips of paper, then rolled into cylinders and stuffed into containers the size of a fist. These were set in motion by a swipe of the hand; a weight revolving around a metallic rod in the middle of the cylinder kept it spinning. Once a Tibetan symbol of faith, these prayer mills were becoming increasingly rare, and the paintings of gods on rocks were fading. But the mumbling continued. Most Tibetans are indifferent to the rise in living standards brought about by China's rule. Spiritual life is dying out, and they have nothing to counter this with except their mumbling."
As far as books go, this was one of the most surprising reads this year, and I love that the books has changed my own preconceptions of the author.
May 2, 2020
Man muss sich nicht zwangsweise für den sagenumwobenen Yeti interessieren, um an diesem Buch Gefallen zu finden.
Ich begebe mich immer wieder gerne auf geistige Reise mit Herrn Messner, der es versteht von Natur und Menschen so zu erzählen, dass ich immer wieder gefesselt bin von seiner Sicht auf die Dinge.
Der Einstieg ins Thema, die Schilderung seiner ersten Begegnung im Jahre 1986 mit einem für ihn unbekannten riesigen behaarten aufrecht stehenden Tier, war für mich der stärkste Teil des Buches. Er las sich wie ein Roman und zog mich sofort in seinen Bann. Mein Interesse für dieses merkwürdige Wesen war prompt geweckt. - In den darauffolgenden Jahren begibt sich Messner immer wieder in die Gegend des Himalaya. Er durchwandert u.a. Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan auf der Suche nach der Identität dieses Tieres und den damit verbundenen Legenden des Yetis. Seine Theorien, ohne jemals Anspruch auf Wissenschaftlichkeit zu erheben, machen für mich Sinn und so ganz nebenbei lernt man nicht nur allmählich den Chemo kennen, sondern auch das Leben der Einheimischen und die Geschichte Tibets. Schon allein aus diesem Grund für mich eine lohnenswerte Lektüre.
Ich begebe mich immer wieder gerne auf geistige Reise mit Herrn Messner, der es versteht von Natur und Menschen so zu erzählen, dass ich immer wieder gefesselt bin von seiner Sicht auf die Dinge.
Der Einstieg ins Thema, die Schilderung seiner ersten Begegnung im Jahre 1986 mit einem für ihn unbekannten riesigen behaarten aufrecht stehenden Tier, war für mich der stärkste Teil des Buches. Er las sich wie ein Roman und zog mich sofort in seinen Bann. Mein Interesse für dieses merkwürdige Wesen war prompt geweckt. - In den darauffolgenden Jahren begibt sich Messner immer wieder in die Gegend des Himalaya. Er durchwandert u.a. Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan auf der Suche nach der Identität dieses Tieres und den damit verbundenen Legenden des Yetis. Seine Theorien, ohne jemals Anspruch auf Wissenschaftlichkeit zu erheben, machen für mich Sinn und so ganz nebenbei lernt man nicht nur allmählich den Chemo kennen, sondern auch das Leben der Einheimischen und die Geschichte Tibets. Schon allein aus diesem Grund für mich eine lohnenswerte Lektüre.
July 6, 2013
Reinhold Messner...a name that I exclusively associate with his mountaineering accomplishments. Or did, until I saw this title.
The man is a living legend in the climbing community. He was the first to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen in 1978, something up till then thought to be impossible. He went on to be the 1st to top out on all 14 of the world's peaks standing over 8000 meters. Many biographers call him the greatest mountaineer of his generation, which is probably true. And that's how I've always thought of him. Inspirational.
Which is why a book called "The Quest for the Yeti" by...Reinhold Messner??...knocked me way off guard, and yet stoked my curiosity, and I wanted to read it immediately. Every person looking for the yeti (or Bigfoot, UFO's, or the Loch Ness Monster) might as well be looking for the boogeyman. It is an unfortunate existential condition. Whenever I see a headline or a TV special, or heaven help us a Reality Show, complete with "researchers" and "testimonials", I shake my head. At the Unfortunate Sensationalist. Some poor soul has gotten so lost in this world, a world so super-saturated with "civilization", that meaning, wonder itself, is sought after in the shadows of superstition. Again, which is why a book called "The Quest for the Yeti"...by REINHOLD MESSNER???...say what now!
I can breathe a sigh of relief, our hero has not fallen. This book seems to be Messner's self-sought exoneration in the public eye, from just such a perception...and from a momentary lapse in judgment at a post-Makalu press conference.
On a backcountry hike through the wilds of Tibet, Messner encountered an unknown creature in the dusky forest--walking on two feet, covered in hair, and lithe beyond human capability. Aware of the yeti myth, confused at what he saw, he wanted an answer. So he began making trips. To Tibet. Sikkim. Nepal. Unfortunately for Messner's reputation, word leaked. At a press conference commemorating his successful ascent of Makalu, his final 8000-meter peak, which by all regards should have been the subject of the hour, the headline that would carry was not his mountaineering achievement. It was that Reinhold Messner saw a yeti! One Indian journalist heard about it beforehand, and made sure to bring it up at the press conference, causing quite the ruckus. What really set it off: in an instinctually truthful response, Messner admitted he had seen one. The bulbs flashed, the questions flew...and his reputation suffered.
Messner went on more trips. He wanted an answer. Justification. Vindication. And he found the answer he was looking for. He does have a very plausible explanation. And more importantly, through publishing it, has successfully exonerated himself from the Abominable Snowman Stigma. And I for one, a Messner admirer for years, am relieved.
Messner is Italian, and has authored around 50 books. This one, like many books translated from another language, suffers slightly from narrative fluidity. Not much, and it's worth overlooking.
Whether you have an interest in Reinhold Messner as a world-class mountaineer, or if you've never heard of him and need you a yeti fix, get a hold of this.
The man is a living legend in the climbing community. He was the first to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen in 1978, something up till then thought to be impossible. He went on to be the 1st to top out on all 14 of the world's peaks standing over 8000 meters. Many biographers call him the greatest mountaineer of his generation, which is probably true. And that's how I've always thought of him. Inspirational.
Which is why a book called "The Quest for the Yeti" by...Reinhold Messner??...knocked me way off guard, and yet stoked my curiosity, and I wanted to read it immediately. Every person looking for the yeti (or Bigfoot, UFO's, or the Loch Ness Monster) might as well be looking for the boogeyman. It is an unfortunate existential condition. Whenever I see a headline or a TV special, or heaven help us a Reality Show, complete with "researchers" and "testimonials", I shake my head. At the Unfortunate Sensationalist. Some poor soul has gotten so lost in this world, a world so super-saturated with "civilization", that meaning, wonder itself, is sought after in the shadows of superstition. Again, which is why a book called "The Quest for the Yeti"...by REINHOLD MESSNER???...say what now!
I can breathe a sigh of relief, our hero has not fallen. This book seems to be Messner's self-sought exoneration in the public eye, from just such a perception...and from a momentary lapse in judgment at a post-Makalu press conference.
On a backcountry hike through the wilds of Tibet, Messner encountered an unknown creature in the dusky forest--walking on two feet, covered in hair, and lithe beyond human capability. Aware of the yeti myth, confused at what he saw, he wanted an answer. So he began making trips. To Tibet. Sikkim. Nepal. Unfortunately for Messner's reputation, word leaked. At a press conference commemorating his successful ascent of Makalu, his final 8000-meter peak, which by all regards should have been the subject of the hour, the headline that would carry was not his mountaineering achievement. It was that Reinhold Messner saw a yeti! One Indian journalist heard about it beforehand, and made sure to bring it up at the press conference, causing quite the ruckus. What really set it off: in an instinctually truthful response, Messner admitted he had seen one. The bulbs flashed, the questions flew...and his reputation suffered.
Messner went on more trips. He wanted an answer. Justification. Vindication. And he found the answer he was looking for. He does have a very plausible explanation. And more importantly, through publishing it, has successfully exonerated himself from the Abominable Snowman Stigma. And I for one, a Messner admirer for years, am relieved.
Messner is Italian, and has authored around 50 books. This one, like many books translated from another language, suffers slightly from narrative fluidity. Not much, and it's worth overlooking.
Whether you have an interest in Reinhold Messner as a world-class mountaineer, or if you've never heard of him and need you a yeti fix, get a hold of this.
August 19, 2012
I liked this book! I'm a Messner fan and his pursuit of the truth impressed me; so did his humility. If you like climbing, trekking, Nepal and the environ, lore, tradition, science, and more, you'll like My Quest for the Yeti.
December 11, 2016
Fascinating account of one man's attempt to get to the truth of the yeti myth. Having encountered a tall, biped creature unlike he'd every seen before in Tibet in 1986, Reinhold Messner was convinced he had seen a new species. Was this the yeti of legend, half man half ape? Over the following fifteen or so years he returned again and again to explore the region. There he talked to nomads, priests and sherpas. They spoke of 'chemo', an elusive omnivore which stood seven feet tall on its hind legs and could snap a goat's spine in two. Was this the same creature he had seen? Suffice to say Messner satisfied his curiosity and mine about this mythical beast.
February 28, 2010
The author, a famed Italian mountain climber, details his search through the Himalayas for the elusive Yeti. Messner believes the Yeti legend is based on a real animal, a rare species of bear. Messner encountered this type of bear on one of his many hikes through the region. One doesn't have to be interested in cryptozoology to enjoy this book. Messner's hiking experiences, his relations with Tibetan peoples, the history of Tibet and China's takeover of it, all make for interesting reading and give food for thought. I believe Jon Krakauer fans would enjoy this book.
July 23, 2025
Fascinating. Well researched, entertaining and informative, it only lacks a good map of the region (Greater Tibet) and possibly a few of the routes he followed. The "quest for the Yeti" is almost a humble ethnography+travelogue (he doesn't use adjectives associated with cheap travel writing, like "remote", "terrifiying" or "deepest mistery") that depicts a man who doesn't only document his relative success (and reasonings) but also his failures. For those (of us) who have travelled in Tibetan regions it will certainly bring back the taste, crudity, smells, scents and culture of their people and its geography. For those who want to dig in Tibetan history, culture and mythology, a good introduction, not just for the sake of the Yeti (whose general quest, again, is quite well reserached) but also regarding a place which was fast changing in the 1980's and 90's. As for Messner the man, the book is not fiction but it could certainly be: his stories are unbelieveable.
And, regarding the Yeti itself, this quote (p.60) may help:
And, regarding the Yeti itself, this quote (p.60) may help:
The people of the Himalayas don't tend to be overly curious. Once the facts about the yeti ran dry, they simply began inventing, and they lied to tourists on principle. Scientists from all over the world had spun together more than a hundred names for an as yet undiscovered creature -about which the Sherpas kept spinning new tales while sitting around their campfires.
October 14, 2015
This is a very misleading title which makes you thinbk that he had an encounter with a Sasquatch/Bigfoot type monster and then went looking for more. That is NOT what this book is about.
He is clear that what he saw was an animal not a legendary monster. He believes he saw a rare bear and spends the book looking for this bear which sometimes appears in local zoos, and is seen often in the mountains. The book is him asking questions about these bears, talking about local legends, seeing footprints and going camping and trekking to find more people to ask the same questions to. We also get long passages about local culture, history of Tibet and Nepal, anti communist lectures, Nazi occult studies and Sherpa tales.
If you are interested in the culture and history of these countries you might like this. But if you are looking for a story about wild Sasquatch, then this is not for you.
He is clear that what he saw was an animal not a legendary monster. He believes he saw a rare bear and spends the book looking for this bear which sometimes appears in local zoos, and is seen often in the mountains. The book is him asking questions about these bears, talking about local legends, seeing footprints and going camping and trekking to find more people to ask the same questions to. We also get long passages about local culture, history of Tibet and Nepal, anti communist lectures, Nazi occult studies and Sherpa tales.
If you are interested in the culture and history of these countries you might like this. But if you are looking for a story about wild Sasquatch, then this is not for you.
June 20, 2017
"Maybe yetis can fly."
"What?"
"Just an idea," Sakraman added. "Why couldn't a yeti be a bird? I love imagining how great it would be to fly from one camp to the next."
Later that evening, I asked Sakraman how many Himalayan expeditions he had been on.
"About seventy," he answered. "But in ten years I'll be too old, and in twenty I might die. That's why I wish I could fly."
"And you think the yeti can?" I asked after a moment of silence.
"They say he doesn't need sleep and can live off air alone. Why shouldn't he be able to fly, too?"
"What man can't do, the yeti can?"
"At least, I think so."
The people of the Himalayas don't tend to be overly curious. Once the facts about the yeti ran dry, they simply began inventing, and they lied to tourists on principle. Scientists from all over the world had spun together more than a hundred names from an as yet undiscovered creature - about which the Sherpas kept spinning new tales while sitting around their campfires.
"What?"
"Just an idea," Sakraman added. "Why couldn't a yeti be a bird? I love imagining how great it would be to fly from one camp to the next."
Later that evening, I asked Sakraman how many Himalayan expeditions he had been on.
"About seventy," he answered. "But in ten years I'll be too old, and in twenty I might die. That's why I wish I could fly."
"And you think the yeti can?" I asked after a moment of silence.
"They say he doesn't need sleep and can live off air alone. Why shouldn't he be able to fly, too?"
"What man can't do, the yeti can?"
"At least, I think so."
The people of the Himalayas don't tend to be overly curious. Once the facts about the yeti ran dry, they simply began inventing, and they lied to tourists on principle. Scientists from all over the world had spun together more than a hundred names from an as yet undiscovered creature - about which the Sherpas kept spinning new tales while sitting around their campfires.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2014
Reinhold Messner is a mountain climber who has spent a lot of time in the Himalayas, which makes his account of seeing a mysterious creature in a remote valley of eastern Tibet in 1986 compelling and believable. Over the years he continues exploring to determine just what he saw that day, separating myth from the actual flesh and blood animals he becomes convinced are the basis for the yeti legend. He also makes an interesting point about legendary creatures and wilderness: “Without wilderness there is no yeti. Thus, the survival of the yeti myth is dependent on the survival of the last wilderness…There is much more behind our thirst for monsters than curiosity or escapism. There is the fear that the earth is losing the last regions where myths can flourish.”
March 7, 2016
Pretty cool book about mountaineering, not the cryptozoology epic I thought it was gonna be. He's pretty clear that he doesn't want to indulge in the Yeti myth and so he tries to find a new species to pin the zoological origin of the myth on. Its pretty easy to read and short, but anti-climactic, with not enough in depth focus on the yeti myth outside of what he can pin on the chemo species, and tantalizing descriptions of climbing and himalayan mountain rural life that I would have loved to have seen expanded. If you're interested in the Yeti, this book is overly grounded and realistic, to the point of depriving the myth of any FUN! Look elsewhere, though you could do worse.
January 8, 2009
Yeti hunter/madman
this guy has climbed handfuls of the world's tallest mountains, multiple times and often with no oxygen. really second to none in his knowledge of mountains, especially in the himalayas. He's climbed nearly every mountain in this region! possibly from lack of oxygen something happens which Messner can not explain while on a solo hike through Buhtan. He then devotes the next years of his life to explain this encounter with Bigfoot. Myths, legend and theory all intertwine. I'm a Messner fan, & he actually has quite a few books.
this guy has climbed handfuls of the world's tallest mountains, multiple times and often with no oxygen. really second to none in his knowledge of mountains, especially in the himalayas. He's climbed nearly every mountain in this region! possibly from lack of oxygen something happens which Messner can not explain while on a solo hike through Buhtan. He then devotes the next years of his life to explain this encounter with Bigfoot. Myths, legend and theory all intertwine. I'm a Messner fan, & he actually has quite a few books.
March 22, 2019
Quick read. Acceptably written. The best contribution of the book is merger of Eastern and Western thoughts in general and on the Yeti mystery to come up with reasonable answer to their existence. If you want to know where to find a Yeti, read this book. If you want to know how to reconcile Eastern and Western thoughts read this book. If you want to know more about yourself, put down your phone and go find your own Yeti.
May 19, 2009
Was an interesting book on a myth/legend that has always fascinated me. Very eye opening to different cultures that all have belief in the yeti. he comes to his conclusion that not being there myself I can definitely believe in and I trust his vast knowlegde of the area and the people that what he saw and believes is what he wrote.
Interesting read, not for everyone.
Interesting read, not for everyone.
October 14, 2013
Great subject ...... the start and finishing chapters held my attention and was well written but the middle chapters lost me a bit as it rambled on aimlessly but overall a good read and educational as well............oh and I should probably add half a star just because he has a such a cool name. !!!!!!!!
May 25, 2021
This book is a product of many years of chasing the yeti legend in the lands where it is still alive. I enjoyed the descriptions of authors adventures in Tibet and Himalayas, real life situations set against beautiful and strange landscapes; also the sense of real and imaginary always so interconnected in human stories, old and new.
January 10, 2022
Superbly engaging and a surprisingly exciting read, as the author searches for proof of the identity of this fabled creature.
While nervous that success will destroy the myth (and possibly the Yeti too, if it exists) - a sentiment the author echoes - Messner grippingly describes his surroundings, adventures, local guides, and his research, with great writing.
This is a cracking story.
While nervous that success will destroy the myth (and possibly the Yeti too, if it exists) - a sentiment the author echoes - Messner grippingly describes his surroundings, adventures, local guides, and his research, with great writing.
This is a cracking story.
October 13, 2009
Hugely interesting book, let down by the slightly haphazard structure and odd translation into English. However, Messner is a climber, not a writer, so that can be excused. If you like climbing or are interested in the Himalayas you should definitely read this book.
January 12, 2008
What can I say? Tales of the abominable Snowman has fascinated me since childhood.
April 11, 2009
Probably the best book ever written on the Yeti/Sasquatch phenomena.
October 19, 2012
Good insight into Sherpa culture.
September 14, 2023
I have two other yeti books on my shelf: Bryan Sykes' "Bigfoot, Yet, and the Last Neanderthal," and Daniel C. Taylor's "Yeti: The Ecology of a Mystery." I loved Sykes' book, which takes a scientist's and, to a lesser extent, a philosopher's, approach. I haven't yet gotten through Taylor's, which philosophizes too much. Messner's book sits right in the middle. He's not a scientist; he's a world famous mountain climber, and though there are no no climbing adventures here, there's plenty of exciting travelogue as he deals with Chinese police, cold, mud, and the problem of finding a place to sleep for the night as he travels Tibet, Nepal, Baltistan (not sure what country that's in) and a bit of Pakistan in an attempt to answer the question of what exactly he saw one evening while trecking alone in the mountains. By this time, he's already spent a lot of time in the Himalayas, and he has a lot of contacts, so his quest is refreshingly organic. He asks the locals of each area what they know, what they think the yeti might be, and follows their tips. Like Taylor, he does not simply ask, "Is it real or is it a hoax?" He wants to know what the yeti means, both to its yak-herding neighbors and to us tourist, outsiders, and armchair adventurers. (I took one star off because he complained a bit too much about being teased by the press and by the Austrians. And also for his dismissal of Lobsang Rampa's account of an encounter in the Chan Tang desert, to which Messner, by his own admission, had never been.) In the end, the yeti does not disappoint Messner, nor will he disappoint the discerning reader.
June 22, 2023
The 'yeti' is more than, just a mythical creature. It lives in the minds of the people who have had the rare sighting and captures the imagination of Westerners. Yet it's originated from an actual biological species and so the great Reinhold Messner begins his quest to solve this mystery, once and for all. I felt like a fellow explorer accompanying Messner on his various trips through Tibet, Burma, Nepal and India. He's an exceptional human being with a sharp intellect and a penchant for adventure & curiosity. I marveled at his encounters throughout the book and am personally inspired by his unrelenting pursuit. Coming to the yeti itself, Reinhold concludes that the Tibetan 'chemo', the Balti 'dremong' & the Nepalese 'yeti' are one and the same thing. A species of the Himalayan Brown Bear that has fur of different colors and has humanoid mannerisms to a degree. This shy and nocturnal bear species has probably lived in the Himalayas since centuries and has taken the form of 'yeti', their stature magnified in humongous proportions as a result of human perception, biology & cultural roots. The chemo is both feared and worshipped by yak shepherds and other local natives in the inhospitable Himalayan terrain and the tales around it being a superhuman may fulfill longings and dreams that mere humans might have. It's cultural significance remains and is captured sensitively in the book as well.
July 13, 2022
The book was not what I expected. I liked the discussion of the original yeti myths and where they came from. I also enjoyed learning some about the history of Tibet, Nepal, and other places I hadn't been as familiar with. That being said, I wish he would've gone more in depth on these subjects or spent more time fleshing out the cultural significance and not just repeating generic stories he was told. He didn't really bring the people and places to life, in fact at times I felt he flattened them down to just whatever short snippet about potential chemo or yeti sightings they had to offer and that was it. Early on he posits the theory of a rare bear perhaps being the culprits behind the sightings and then he spends the rest of the book seemingly repeating this notion over and over like beating a dead horse without offering more to the conversation. He'd have a page or two where he'd discuss interesting concepts and studies from different people that would draw you in but he'd always circle back to "I want to take a picture of a bear" and dwell on that for a disproportionate amount of time. It was a fast read and it had its moments but I'd say those were few and far between.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2021
This is really two books: one, an adventure tale by a great mountaineer; the other, a confusing attempt to show that the Yeti is a large and very strange type of brown bear. Messner is a legend among climbers as the first human to summit Mt. Everest without oxygen, but his zoology is slipshod at best. Whatever one thinks of the Yeti, Messner’s version of the bear hypothesis is a poor fit. He describes bear-Yetis routinely walking and running on two feet, not to mention whistling to each other. He includes photographs of an ordinary-looking brown bear he claims is the mysterious chemo, or Yeti.
March 21, 2020
I got interested in the beginning as Reinhold Messner described his first encounter with a chemo. And could understand why he got fascinated. But, I think, he worried too much about his credibility and he concluded simplistically that what people called the Yeti was just a brown bear.
Liked the way he described the landscapes around Tibet, Nepal, and India but I was expecting a little more from someone like him
Liked the way he described the landscapes around Tibet, Nepal, and India but I was expecting a little more from someone like him
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2025
I loved this book. Beautiful writing about the Himalya region, with all it's natural and exotic beauty, the cultural history, the political changes and the mystical aspects shared by us in the West, and the people who live there. Long live the Yeti!
April 15, 2022
Didn’t necessarily read this for the Yeti, but for Messner’s excellent style of writing.
August 11, 2025
This is a summary and distillation of Messner's encounters with Himalayan cryptobiota over his years at altitude in the remotest regions. He makes a persuasive case that the yeti myth derives from an as yet undescribed species of bear that survives above the treeline over much of central and Eastern Asia.
Read at Belly River RS, Glacier NP.
Read at Belly River RS, Glacier NP.
January 13, 2018
Messner reminds me of another great traveller - Roald Amundsen, who did amazing things, but whose simple and straightforward accounts of his adventures made them sound almost routine and easy, and as a result did not capture the public's romantic imagination.
No wonder people got more excited about his mention of meeting what might have been a yeti, than they were about his dangerous climbs up to incredible heights (minus seven toes) without oxygen.
This book is well written, non-sensational and reflective. It is not just about the author's physical experiences up in the Himalayan mountains, but about the local cultures and beliefs, his personal sadness about the changes brought about by politics, and last but not least, the western psyche and why it needs yeti stories.
No wonder people got more excited about his mention of meeting what might have been a yeti, than they were about his dangerous climbs up to incredible heights (minus seven toes) without oxygen.
This book is well written, non-sensational and reflective. It is not just about the author's physical experiences up in the Himalayan mountains, but about the local cultures and beliefs, his personal sadness about the changes brought about by politics, and last but not least, the western psyche and why it needs yeti stories.
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