Dark shadows Falling by Joe Simpson (1997-05-03) by Joe Simpson, 5 stars

[Jen]

Well written and certainly shows deep thought about the changing morals as climbing has become more commercialised. I truly hope that Anatoli Boukreev read, or at least was told about, this book before his untimely death. Joe Simpson seems to have listened to all the accounts about the 1996 disaster and come to his own conclusion. He gives both sides of the oxygen argument but he then states "Given Boukreev's incredible mountaineering record, his work fixing the ropes on the route, his achievement as the first to reach the summit without bottled oxygen, his subsequent efforts to rescue Fischer the following day, and the fact that on the South Col that night he was the only one capable of going out repeatedly to rescue all of Fischer's surviving clients, it seems that his decision was justified."".....his actions that night undoubtedly saved at least three lives." Simpson later states "Anatoli Boukreev, the phenomenal mountain guide from Kazakhstan......". Simpson clearly admires and respects Boukreev because all his achievements were using his own strength and talent and not relying on others or artificial assistance.

This should not be surprising as Simpson has mixed feelings about the way climbing is going and in his heart believes that Everest and the other 8000ers should be climbed without oxygen and fixed lines to reduced all the problems we are seeing more of. Though he does admit that if he was given the chance to climb Everest for free if he used oxygen and fixed lines he may not be able to say no.

The issues raised in this book are all sensible and still stand sadly. The sheer number of people climbing is causing more rubbish and deaths on the slopes of the highest mountains. The more people there are the more stuff they use and leave. The more people there are the more chance of traffic jams at height where it is most dangerous. The fact it is so commercialised means money talks over experience and with guides people expect to summit even if they really don't have the skills themselves; this is evidenced using Hansen as an example and Hall having his better judgement compromised because Hansen was a client. Simpson uses the way almost all parties helped with evacuating the injured or guiding clients from other teams as well as their own in 1996 as an example of how climbing was and should be. Several teams lower on the mountain came up to help and gave some of their oxygen despite the fact it may compromise their own summit bid (IMAX). Many people behaved in an exemplary way including the Sherpas who went back up and rescued Gau despite him not being their client.

Because all nationalities are climbing at the same time some groups refuse to assist others when they are in need and basic morality is giving way to selfish desire to reach the peak. The worst examples of selfish behaviour provided are by Naar, a Dutch climbing leader in 1992, who refused to even try to help an Indian climber who had collapsed but was waving 30 yards from his tent. Simpson wonders if he would have tried if the man had not been Indian. The behaviour of Ian Woodall in 1996 is raised as he refused to lend batteries to help with communication during the disaster or to assist in any way (and his 4 most experienced climbers had already walked out of the expedition at base camp). The behaviour of the Japanese team on the Tibetan side just stepping over 3 incapacitated Indian team members, without even stopping or offering water or oxygen so they might get themselves moving down again, in 1996 is also raised.

An excellent book. Well written and well thought through. Simpson is obviously struggling with his love of climbing, the way it is changing and his personal morals. I'm glad there are people like Simpson raising the difficult questions and 27 years (and umpteen deaths later) on I truly hope more people will start raising these issues too.