Read Addicted to Danger Affirming Life in the Face of Death Jim Wickwire Dorothy Bullitt 9780671019914 Books

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Adventurist Jim Wickwire, an eyewitness to glory and terror above 20,000 feet, has braved bitter cold, blinding storms, and avalanches to become what the Los Angeles Times calls "one of America's most extraordinary and accomplished high-altitude mountaineers." Although his incredible exploits have inspired a feature on 60 Minutes and a full-length film, he hasn't told his remarkable story in his own words -- until now.
Among the world's most fearless climbers, Jim Wickwire has traveled the globe in search of fresh challenges. He was one of the first two Americans to reach the summit of K2, the world's second highest peak, the toughest and most dangerous to climb. But with the triumphs came tragedies that haunt him still. During several difficult climbs, he was forced to look on helplessly as four of his climbing companions lost their lives. A successful Seattle attorney, Wickwire climbed his first mountain in 1960. Deeply compelled by the thrill of risk, he pushed himself to the limits of physical and mental endurance for thirty-five years, before facing a turning point that threatened his faith in himself and his hope in the future. How he reassessed his priorities and rededicated his life -- to his family and his community -- completes a unique and moving portrait of one man's courage and commitment. Addicted To Danger is a tale of adventure in its truest sense.

Read Addicted to Danger Affirming Life in the Face of Death Jim Wickwire Dorothy Bullitt 9780671019914 Books

"This is a great book to read if you want to learn more about Jim Wickwire and some of the mountaineering greats of the modern era. If you want a well-written book that makes you feel as though you're climbing a lonely peak in bitter cold yourself, read Krakauer's "Into Thin Air." For all the time Wickwire has spent in amazing and beautiful surroundings, he seems largely unable to describe them. Wickwire's story telling always seems focused on the action and never on the scenery. Half the mountaineering terms he tosses around are only explained in the glossary you find in the back of the book.

It was interesting to me how the writing about non-climbing related aspects of his life are presented in a fairly lively manner while his accounts of his early expeditions seem to have been copied out of his journal without much in the way of revision. This book would really have benefited from a vigorous, professional editing. In fact, his publisher should have demanded it. Wickwire certainly has a story or two to tell and it was irritating to for me to be distracted by his clunky writing.

All that being said, he has led an interesting life in the mold of the classic Victorian gentleman explorer-gone for months at a time, knowing his wife and children (five!) only through the post. People have called him narcissistic, self-centered, and monomaniacal. All true to some degree, I am sure, but how else would you expect him to have accomplished so much? His list of mountaineering accomplishments, included here in loving detail, is astonishing.

Reading this book never answered for me the question of "why?" Why take these huge risks time after time? As someone who has been willing to push myself to the point of hallucination for nothing more than bragging rights and a t-shirt or belt buckle, I should have a pretty good handle on the "why" question, but I don't. That is perhaps why he doesn't really tell us "why" in this book. Maybe he really doesn't know either. Maybe it's just pretty fun to be up on the mountain with a fairly simple set of obligations in front of you: Keep moving. Stay alive.

Maybe it's on the edge of death we finally see what is life. Maybe some of us need that more than others. Maybe Wickwire needed that a lot more than the rest of us.

I suspect that this book was able to come to into being only because Wickwire had retired from serious climbing. I also suspect it was harder for him to write the book than to mount an expedition to climb Everest. Most of the stories have a painful aspect, and he doesn't skimp on the unflattering details. While it's not a great mountaineering book, it was certainly an interesting read. I'm glad he finally wrote it."

Product details Paperback 340 pages Publisher Atria Books (February 1, 1999) Language English ISBN-10 0671019910

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Addicted to Danger Affirming Life in the Face of Death Jim Wickwire Dorothy Bullitt 9780671019914 Books Reviews :

Addicted to Danger Affirming Life in the Face of Death Jim Wickwire Dorothy Bullitt 9780671019914 Books Reviews

• I love this book, Wickwire takes you on adventures with him and describeds in detail the deaths of few of his frieds, and his ability to survive.
  His frieds make fun of him for cutting steps in a summit peak as they descend and than they fall to their deats, also his word is the only one on the death of Marty Hoey. Jim goes at great length to discribe this addiction to adrenaline and love of climbing and pushing one self to limits. Wickwire is a survivor his many brushes with death make the pages come alive, I recommend it
• This is an absorbing account of the mountaineering adventures of Jim Wickwire, one of the foremost American high altitude mountaineers. It is at times a moving memoir, and at other times somewhat sophomoric in its attempt to explain what drove him to climb, at great cost to his family.
  
  The book is nicely illustrated with many photographs of his family, fellow mountaineers, and his beloved mountains. The photographs are well placed, as they go with the flow of the story. When you see those of his wife and children, however, it makes you wonder how he could ever be away from such a beautiful family for so long and miss so many family occasions. It is a testament to his wife's devotion that she and the children are still loving towards such an absentee figure.
  
  The most interesting part of the book involves his mountaineering adventures. Whether writing about the death of a companion on the mountain or the victory of a successful summit ascent, it is told with much feeling. The single most moving chapter, however, is the one which describes the unfortunate death of fellow mountaineer, Chris Herrebrock, while he and Jim were on Peter's Glacier on Mt. McKinley. It is poignantly told, and one can sense the impact that this young man's death had on Jim Wickwire.
  
  He also vividly recounts his summit of K2, second only to Everest in height, but infinitely more difficult to climb. He was one of the first two Americans to summit K2 and on his descent was forced to bivouac solo at 27,750 feet. He survived this bivouac sans water, stove, and supplemental oxygen, while lacking a sleeping bag and down parka. He credits the images of his wife and children for his survival that long, frigid, and lonely night. It was only his fierce desire to see them again that kept death at bay.
  
  The chapters which discuss mountaineer Marty Hoey were intriguing because of the romantic feelings he had towards her, and she towards him. Jim was on a climbing expedition on Aconcagua where she was a fellow expeditioner, when the embers of a romantic relationship began, though it was never physically consummated. Of course, this budding romance came to an abrupt end when Marty died tragically on Mount Everest while, again, on expedition with Jim. He later let his wife read his diary which told of his feelings for Marty. She was very understanding of this emotional betrayal. It would have been a kindness to his wife not to have made these feelings public. Its inclusion in the book indicates a continuing insensitivity towards his wife that is unfortunate.
  
  All in all, however, the book makes for a good read, though in the end one wonders if Jim Wickwire is really through with the mountains which so inveigled him throughout his life. One cannot help but wonder if there is yet another promise to his wife and family waiting to be broken.
• am I supposed to rate the condition and timliness of receipt of this book by the seller? because that was all great. the book itself? not so much. The author detailed two, maybe two and a half good climbing adventures. The rest of the book left me seething at his self-absorbed obsession with big climbing adventures while abandoning his wife and 5 children (in as many years) for months at a time to go off on his adventures. He blatantly chronicles the number of his childrens birthdays he's missed, as well as the number of anniversaries he's missed, even high school graduations - all so he could attempt summits he usually never succeeds at making for one lame reason or another. One time because he was devastated at the death of his female climbing partner with whom he was enamored. I guess the story needed something to maintain the reader's interest. The sad part is, he just doesn't get it. He really believes climbing and getting next to impressive men who climb is the point of his existense. ho hum.
• This is a great book to read if you want to learn more about Jim Wickwire and some of the mountaineering greats of the modern era. If you want a well-written book that makes you feel as though you're climbing a lonely peak in bitter cold yourself, read Krakauer's "Into Thin Air." For all the time Wickwire has spent in amazing and beautiful surroundings, he seems largely unable to describe them. Wickwire's story telling always seems focused on the action and never on the scenery. Half the mountaineering terms he tosses around are only explained in the glossary you find in the back of the book.
  
  It was interesting to me how the writing about non-climbing related aspects of his life are presented in a fairly lively manner while his accounts of his early expeditions seem to have been copied out of his journal without much in the way of revision. This book would really have benefited from a vigorous, professional editing. In fact, his publisher should have demanded it. Wickwire certainly has a story or two to tell and it was irritating to for me to be distracted by his clunky writing.
  
  All that being said, he has led an interesting life in the mold of the classic Victorian gentleman explorer-gone for months at a time, knowing his wife and children (five!) only through the post. People have called him narcissistic, self-centered, and monomaniacal. All true to some degree, I am sure, but how else would you expect him to have accomplished so much? His list of mountaineering accomplishments, included here in loving detail, is astonishing.
  
  Reading this book never answered for me the question of "why?" Why take these huge risks time after time? As someone who has been willing to push myself to the point of hallucination for nothing more than bragging rights and a t-shirt or belt buckle, I should have a pretty good handle on the "why" question, but I don't. That is perhaps why he doesn't really tell us "why" in this book. Maybe he really doesn't know either. Maybe it's just pretty fun to be up on the mountain with a fairly simple set of obligations in front of you Keep moving. Stay alive.
  
  Maybe it's on the edge of death we finally see what is life. Maybe some of us need that more than others. Maybe Wickwire needed that a lot more than the rest of us.
  
  I suspect that this book was able to come to into being only because Wickwire had retired from serious climbing. I also suspect it was harder for him to write the book than to mount an expedition to climb Everest. Most of the stories have a painful aspect, and he doesn't skimp on the unflattering details. While it's not a great mountaineering book, it was certainly an interesting read. I'm glad he finally wrote it.