After the Wind: Tragedy on Everest One Survivor's Story

I read the After the Wind and also The Climb by Anatoli Boukriev , and Touching my Soul by Tenzing Norgay and so have a much more generous impression of this tragic climb. I felt really disturbed by the part Jon Krakauer played, albeit unwittingly, and really didn't want to read his book Into Thin Air especially after reading the account by Anatoli Boukriev. However I am very glad that I did go on to read Lou Kasischke's book as it showed a more positive, helpful and perhaps more balanced account of the part Jon Krakauer took in the tragedy and his story was more gentle, more to do with human frailties and a well rounded account . Tenzing Norgay put it so aptly when he said that Everest should never be climbed when primarily driven by desire to make money and as an exercise of Ego; it has to be climbed with an attitude of utmost respect and humility. I am so glad I read all three books about this complex tragedy.

One criticism I have of many of the books that have been written about the 1996 Everest Debarcle is that they were written very soon after the trip and rushed onto the marked before the dust had settled and thoughts has been fully gathered.This book does not fall into that category.At the start of the book you get the impression that Kasischke did not want to embark on the project as he knew that it would expose old wounds, which it certainly does.It is very much his personal story of the whole trip and why he is still alive, where many of the other climbers are not. With this in mind it is a brilliant piece of work about when you should (or more importantly when you shouldn't) carry on. Like on many of these trips the people who return are different from the people who set off and Kasischke's narrative explains the problems that can be called by so-called "Summit Fever". This leaves you with the old mountaineers quote of "You never conquer a mountain, it merely tolerates your presence".1996 was a turning point in Everest history as there followed a move towards better organised commercial trips.

This book is terrible. I hate to say it because Kasischke had a very tough time of it during that fateful season on Everest but the problem is, he's just not a very good writer. The book is repetitive ("the raging wind..."), with random bits of spiritual musing and occasional incoherent finger pointing, all laid out with the literary panache you might expect of a corporate lawyer. It's at its best when he just sticks to what happened on the climb but his poor grasp of narrative constantly weakens what could have been a really gripping story. Did he have an editor? There are a clutch of books about the '96 tragedy and it's a shame, but this is the least of them.

Having read several of the 1996 accounts of the Everest disaster this one has the emphasis on risk and risk assessment as the prime cause. Despite a careful climbing plan Rob Hall chose to ignore his own plan in place of personal gain. This goes to show how even the most experienced leaders can become obsessed with one goal at the expense of all others and throwing safety to the wind. Thanks Lou, as a non climber I found your account as different and intriguing as the others I have read.

Amazing story and well-written. I wasn't there so I can't judge, but it seems like the team leader Rob receives a very raw deal in this book from the author. Lou went through hell and returned, so he has my total admiration, but the reliance on constantly referrring to the love of his wife becomes a little tiring after a while. Even so, amazing story and worth a read.

What a genuine account of what clearly must have been an horrendous experience. God bless you Lou and Sandy. X

Lovely book with great black and white illustrations

Book is good reading. Dissappointing that there were no picutres, but drawings which were ok but not great. Also, the "new" book I bought looked as if it was home made. The edges of the pages looked as if they had been cut with a handsaw. A lot of money of a book that is poor quality.