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High Crimes: the Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed
"The perfect follow-up to Krakauer's riveting account of a perfect storm."
-- Miami Herald "Kodas's absorbing description of the narrow moral compass governing human interaction at the top of the world is bound to shock both armchair adventurers and seasoned mountaineers."
-- Chicago Tribune "(Kodas) discovered more deceit, thievery, and double-crossing among his climbers than you find in a Martin Scorsese gangster film. High Crimes is both an adventure story and an expos of a sport riddled with danger and corruption."
-- Washington Post Book World "Kodas's descriptions of the struggles confronting even the best-prepared climbers leave the reader breathless."
-- Dallas Morning News "[High Crimes] is hair-raising and lays bare the excitement and fear that face great explorers at the top of the world. . . . Well written, and as deftly plotted as the finest mystery novel, Kodas brings to life a disturbing picture of society at high altitude."
-- Austin Chronicle "Kodas does an excellent job exposing the ways in which money and ego have corrupted the traditional cultures of both mountaineers and their Sherpa guides. . . . His narrative is as hard to turn away from as a slow-motion train wreck."
-- Publishers Weekly High Crimes is journalist Michael Kodas's gripping account of life on top of the world--where man is every bit as deadly as Mother Nature.
-- Miami Herald "Kodas's absorbing description of the narrow moral compass governing human interaction at the top of the world is bound to shock both armchair adventurers and seasoned mountaineers."
-- Chicago Tribune "(Kodas) discovered more deceit, thievery, and double-crossing among his climbers than you find in a Martin Scorsese gangster film. High Crimes is both an adventure story and an expos of a sport riddled with danger and corruption."
-- Washington Post Book World "Kodas's descriptions of the struggles confronting even the best-prepared climbers leave the reader breathless."
-- Dallas Morning News "[High Crimes] is hair-raising and lays bare the excitement and fear that face great explorers at the top of the world. . . . Well written, and as deftly plotted as the finest mystery novel, Kodas brings to life a disturbing picture of society at high altitude."
-- Austin Chronicle "Kodas does an excellent job exposing the ways in which money and ego have corrupted the traditional cultures of both mountaineers and their Sherpa guides. . . . His narrative is as hard to turn away from as a slow-motion train wreck."
-- Publishers Weekly High Crimes is journalist Michael Kodas's gripping account of life on top of the world--where man is every bit as deadly as Mother Nature.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 365 reviews
July 13, 2012
This guy tries a little too hard to expose the "seedy underbelly" of the Everest scene. In this book he recounts the drama behind both his own disastrous failed attempt to summit, and the drama of some others who ended up dead due to bad sherpa'ing, stolen equipment, etc. etc. Problem is he's an unreliable narrator; you never know if the people he's badmouthing are actually that bad, or if he's just a whiny useless sad sack. Little bit of A, little bit of B.
Nevertheless I did get sucked into the main scandal covered by the book. Gustavo Lisi is so villainous! (He's this mountain guide whose client dies while they're climbing together... I won't spoil by telling more, but basically he's a sociopathic con man.) It was interesting to read about all the gossip, drama, fraud, petty larceny, brawling and bickering that goes on at Base Camp, as opposed to man's heroic triumph over nature etc.
Oh one thing that really annoyed me about this book-- Kodas just takes it as a given that every climber on Everest has a moral obligation to help any other climber who's in trouble. I don't see that as obvious at all. If you think mountaineers who step over a dying man on their way to the summit are guilty of "murder," why is it ok for you to keep most of your paycheck rather than donate it to Oxfam International? I think most people just haven't thought through the consequences of the moral positions they hold. See: Living High and Letting Die .
Not only does he moralize about people not rescuing other people, he acts like every death on the mountain is a massive avoidable tragedy. It's not a tragedy. It's some rich blokes willingly exposing themselves to mortal risk for the sake of their ego or inner satisfaction. Climb your mountain if you want, we all do crazy ish. Just don't expect my pity if it doesn't work out. (I always think of that guy in the Everest IMAX movie who got caught in the infamous 96 storm and froze to death on the mountain top, while his wife was 8 months pregnant. Really dude? You couldn't wait?)
Nevertheless I did get sucked into the main scandal covered by the book. Gustavo Lisi is so villainous! (He's this mountain guide whose client dies while they're climbing together... I won't spoil by telling more, but basically he's a sociopathic con man.) It was interesting to read about all the gossip, drama, fraud, petty larceny, brawling and bickering that goes on at Base Camp, as opposed to man's heroic triumph over nature etc.
Oh one thing that really annoyed me about this book-- Kodas just takes it as a given that every climber on Everest has a moral obligation to help any other climber who's in trouble. I don't see that as obvious at all. If you think mountaineers who step over a dying man on their way to the summit are guilty of "murder," why is it ok for you to keep most of your paycheck rather than donate it to Oxfam International? I think most people just haven't thought through the consequences of the moral positions they hold. See: Living High and Letting Die .
Not only does he moralize about people not rescuing other people, he acts like every death on the mountain is a massive avoidable tragedy. It's not a tragedy. It's some rich blokes willingly exposing themselves to mortal risk for the sake of their ego or inner satisfaction. Climb your mountain if you want, we all do crazy ish. Just don't expect my pity if it doesn't work out. (I always think of that guy in the Everest IMAX movie who got caught in the infamous 96 storm and froze to death on the mountain top, while his wife was 8 months pregnant. Really dude? You couldn't wait?)
May 15, 2008
A real page turner! Crime, selfishness, natural disasters, death, frostbite, summit fever...
I have two criticisms of this book that prevent me from giving it five stars. The first is its structure--Kodas chronicles two Everest summit attempts that take place in the same season but on different routes: his own Connecticut Everest expedition and the summit bid of Dr. Nils Antezana, an older climber. Chapters go back and forth between the two accounts--and not chronologically--with sidetracks into numerous other stories, background info, and previous seasons' climbs. All the info is highly compelling, but the sheer number of characters (I think there were 5-7 Davids alone) is confusing and the back and forth is jarring--just as I was totally engrossed by one story, the chapter ends and I had to re-gear for the continuation of a previously interrupted story.
My second problem with the book is Kodas' grievance with his climbing expedition partners seems to have compromised his objectivity. He recounts every injustice done to him, every hurled insult, every piece of equipment lost or unpaid for or unfairly acquired. I got a little bogged down in the telling of Kodas' summit bid because of this.
For me, the excellent part of the book is the tragic telling of the events leading to the death of Dr. Antezana. Kodas does a great job of portraying Dr. Antezana and his family, who come across as such humane, kind, loving people. Yet Kodas also is honest about how Dr. Antezana's lack of judgement and intense desire to summit Everest contribute to his downfall.
Kodas also does a good job of laying out all sides of the dilemmas inherent in guided high altitude climbing. Is a climber's first reponsibility his own summit bid (to say nothing of his own life) or to helping other climbers in bad to desperate situations? should the big expensive climbing outfits share their gear and expertise with those who show up unprepared and under-funded? No easy answers.
I have two criticisms of this book that prevent me from giving it five stars. The first is its structure--Kodas chronicles two Everest summit attempts that take place in the same season but on different routes: his own Connecticut Everest expedition and the summit bid of Dr. Nils Antezana, an older climber. Chapters go back and forth between the two accounts--and not chronologically--with sidetracks into numerous other stories, background info, and previous seasons' climbs. All the info is highly compelling, but the sheer number of characters (I think there were 5-7 Davids alone) is confusing and the back and forth is jarring--just as I was totally engrossed by one story, the chapter ends and I had to re-gear for the continuation of a previously interrupted story.
My second problem with the book is Kodas' grievance with his climbing expedition partners seems to have compromised his objectivity. He recounts every injustice done to him, every hurled insult, every piece of equipment lost or unpaid for or unfairly acquired. I got a little bogged down in the telling of Kodas' summit bid because of this.
For me, the excellent part of the book is the tragic telling of the events leading to the death of Dr. Antezana. Kodas does a great job of portraying Dr. Antezana and his family, who come across as such humane, kind, loving people. Yet Kodas also is honest about how Dr. Antezana's lack of judgement and intense desire to summit Everest contribute to his downfall.
Kodas also does a good job of laying out all sides of the dilemmas inherent in guided high altitude climbing. Is a climber's first reponsibility his own summit bid (to say nothing of his own life) or to helping other climbers in bad to desperate situations? should the big expensive climbing outfits share their gear and expertise with those who show up unprepared and under-funded? No easy answers.
November 8, 2021
This book read like two books. One book was well written with a horrific and fascinating look at Everest though the lens of one I’ll fated summit bid. It was riveting. The other was the authors own story about his own terrible summit bid, which was more like a rant and not as well written. Some of his complaints seemed over the top considering he chose to have no guide and never opted out despite what seems like an extremely dangerous scenario. I don’t think the debate of choosing life or death of other climbers while on Everest is as clean cut either. Be forewarned of extreme bias. Which is pretty common in climbing literature
March 3, 2010
Having read most any book I can find on mountaineering and Everest in particular, this one stands out. Like many, I read Krakauer's "Into Thin Air", which is a must read and starting place for anyone interested in Everest. Most other books on Everest are either not as well written or not as interesting. Kodas and Krakauer are both journalists first and mountaineers second, which in the end (I believe) produces an superior book.
Aside from being very well written, Kodas tells a climbing story that I had never heard. Kodas tells the dark stories of climbing, the ones other authors are certainly aware of but have chosen not to reveal.
Kodas tells of his own experience on the mountain, of how some on his team turned homicidal in their quest for the summit. He tells of theft high on the mountain, where the consequences can be deadly. He tells the story of a doctor who died while being led by a deadbeat liar who claimed to be an experienced guide, but was only interested in using his client's money to satisfy his own ambition.
In the end, I left the book with a greater appreciation of the lengths some are willing to go to in order to satisfy their own ambitions (not completely dissimilar to business in the US). Other authors will teach you to respect the mountain. Kodas will teach you to watch your back whenever you are not alone on the mountain.
Aside from being very well written, Kodas tells a climbing story that I had never heard. Kodas tells the dark stories of climbing, the ones other authors are certainly aware of but have chosen not to reveal.
Kodas tells of his own experience on the mountain, of how some on his team turned homicidal in their quest for the summit. He tells of theft high on the mountain, where the consequences can be deadly. He tells the story of a doctor who died while being led by a deadbeat liar who claimed to be an experienced guide, but was only interested in using his client's money to satisfy his own ambition.
In the end, I left the book with a greater appreciation of the lengths some are willing to go to in order to satisfy their own ambitions (not completely dissimilar to business in the US). Other authors will teach you to respect the mountain. Kodas will teach you to watch your back whenever you are not alone on the mountain.
June 28, 2008
High Crimes reads a bit like a failed attempt to climb Mount Everest. And indeed, that is what much of the book is about, various failed attempts to conquer the mountain, some merely discouraging and disappointing, others misbegotten and tragic. At times the book is compelling and absorbing, but at other times it gets tedious and boring. It covers a lot of the same ground over and over, seeming to go up and down, and then back up and down again. Some parts make quick and compelling reading while others are pretty tough slogging. All this back and forth gives the book a choppy pace, and leaves the reader a bit exhausted by the end.
The book paints Everest as the world's highest crime scene, a place full of thieves, rogues, self absorbed shits and worse. While much of this is undoubtedly true, the book does seem to have an axe to grind and might be just a tad bit unbalanced. But you certainly know which characters wear the black hats in this dark tale, and the author obviously has personal animosity for some of them, stemming from his encounters with them during his own unsuccessful attempt to summit Everest.
By telling the story of two climbers allegedly abandoned high on the mountain and left to die by selfish guides whose behavior is described as callously indifferent if not downright criminal, High Crimes highlights some of the most pressing problems confronting Everest today. These include the increasing number of inexperienced, infirm, and unwise amateurs clogging the slopes and the ill trained guides who exploit them.
I guess Everest could be seen as a microcosm of the modern world, putting the spotlight on a lot of what's wrong with it, from selfishness, lack of concern for our fellow human beings, the ease with which we pollute formerly pristine environments and the frequently pernicious effects of technology and wealth. But I have a feeling that the people who climb Everest may well not be like most of the rest of us at all.
It could be that the extreme environment of Everest brings out the worst in people by putting them under extreme psychological and physical stress. Or it could be that there is a quantum leap between most people and those that feel like they can only be most alive by taking what most of us would regard as foolish risks to accomplish a feat that at bottom may not be worth a person's life.
Are the people that populate High Crimes representative of those who climb Everest? If so, do they reflect society going to hell in a handbasket? Or are they and Everest sui generis? Is Everest a cautionary tale? Or is it a dark and twisted freak show? Read this book and decide for yourself.
The book paints Everest as the world's highest crime scene, a place full of thieves, rogues, self absorbed shits and worse. While much of this is undoubtedly true, the book does seem to have an axe to grind and might be just a tad bit unbalanced. But you certainly know which characters wear the black hats in this dark tale, and the author obviously has personal animosity for some of them, stemming from his encounters with them during his own unsuccessful attempt to summit Everest.
By telling the story of two climbers allegedly abandoned high on the mountain and left to die by selfish guides whose behavior is described as callously indifferent if not downright criminal, High Crimes highlights some of the most pressing problems confronting Everest today. These include the increasing number of inexperienced, infirm, and unwise amateurs clogging the slopes and the ill trained guides who exploit them.
I guess Everest could be seen as a microcosm of the modern world, putting the spotlight on a lot of what's wrong with it, from selfishness, lack of concern for our fellow human beings, the ease with which we pollute formerly pristine environments and the frequently pernicious effects of technology and wealth. But I have a feeling that the people who climb Everest may well not be like most of the rest of us at all.
It could be that the extreme environment of Everest brings out the worst in people by putting them under extreme psychological and physical stress. Or it could be that there is a quantum leap between most people and those that feel like they can only be most alive by taking what most of us would regard as foolish risks to accomplish a feat that at bottom may not be worth a person's life.
Are the people that populate High Crimes representative of those who climb Everest? If so, do they reflect society going to hell in a handbasket? Or are they and Everest sui generis? Is Everest a cautionary tale? Or is it a dark and twisted freak show? Read this book and decide for yourself.
February 7, 2014
In 2004, journalist Michael Kodas joined local mountain climbers from home on an expedition to Mount Everest. He anticipated an exhilarating and arduous adventure among a group of like-minded idealists that he could report to his readers back in Connecticut. But on the Himalayan mountain, he discovered thieves, prostitutes, con men, and blackmailers. There were people who would do anything for a quick buck, or a guarantee of reaching the top. And some of them were on his own team.
Thieves stole equipment on which the team's lives depended, Kodas's life was threatened by one of his teammates, and a climbing partner was beaten unconscious by another in Base Camp. He returned from the Himalaya disillusioned. But a plea for help from the daughter of a mountaineer who vanished on Everest on the very day that Kodas had retreated from his own disintegrating team prompted him to return to Everest and uncover an underworld that preys on unsuspecting climbers on major peaks around the world.
High Crimes is a shocking expose of the dark underside of Everest: people stepping over dying climbers on their way up; unscrupulous con men who sell faulty oxygen tanks that leave climbers without air when their lives depend on it; drugs and prostitution in Base Camp; and people all but murdered in the cutthroat race to get to the top. Illustrated with incredible photographs and written with thriller-like pacing, High Crimes is a gripping and fascinating story.
If summiting Everest is on your list of "100 Things to do Before I Die" you should read this compelling if somewhat disheartening look at the dark side of climbing the world's tallest mountain.
High Crimes explores the corruption of one of the purest places on earth, Mount Everest, and the author doesn’t pull any punches pointing the finger and naming names of those who indulge in dishonest and outright criminal behaviour putting others’ lives at risk….and worse.
The author compares Everest Base Camp to a Wild West boomtown… with no sheriff.
He is especially critical of the Everest peak baggers who pay thousands of dollars to unscrupulous commercial operators to be dragged to the top and back down again (if they are lucky), "climbers" who have as much business being on the mountain as I do.
The structure of the novel is a little distracting, as the author tells his own summit attempted with the wife beating climbing team from Hell and the heart-breaking story of Dr. Nils Antezana, both threads running through the book pulling it all together.
Fascinating stuff
Thieves stole equipment on which the team's lives depended, Kodas's life was threatened by one of his teammates, and a climbing partner was beaten unconscious by another in Base Camp. He returned from the Himalaya disillusioned. But a plea for help from the daughter of a mountaineer who vanished on Everest on the very day that Kodas had retreated from his own disintegrating team prompted him to return to Everest and uncover an underworld that preys on unsuspecting climbers on major peaks around the world.
High Crimes is a shocking expose of the dark underside of Everest: people stepping over dying climbers on their way up; unscrupulous con men who sell faulty oxygen tanks that leave climbers without air when their lives depend on it; drugs and prostitution in Base Camp; and people all but murdered in the cutthroat race to get to the top. Illustrated with incredible photographs and written with thriller-like pacing, High Crimes is a gripping and fascinating story.
If summiting Everest is on your list of "100 Things to do Before I Die" you should read this compelling if somewhat disheartening look at the dark side of climbing the world's tallest mountain.
High Crimes explores the corruption of one of the purest places on earth, Mount Everest, and the author doesn’t pull any punches pointing the finger and naming names of those who indulge in dishonest and outright criminal behaviour putting others’ lives at risk….and worse.
The author compares Everest Base Camp to a Wild West boomtown… with no sheriff.
He is especially critical of the Everest peak baggers who pay thousands of dollars to unscrupulous commercial operators to be dragged to the top and back down again (if they are lucky), "climbers" who have as much business being on the mountain as I do.
The structure of the novel is a little distracting, as the author tells his own summit attempted with the wife beating climbing team from Hell and the heart-breaking story of Dr. Nils Antezana, both threads running through the book pulling it all together.
Fascinating stuff
February 14, 2015
When I started climbing I also started reading books about climbs and quickly noticed that the authors ALWAYS found villain's to castigate.
The author's behavior was always noble, generous, and beyond reproach.
But those other people!!!
This book is no different, the author thinks highly of himself,
but by his own admission he wouldn't let his team mates send even a single email through his internet connection.
Is that stingy, petty, or mean?
The structure of the book is horrible, the author tells a dozen different stories and is cutting back and forth from one to another so that the reader doesn't have the satisfaction of completing one story before heading off on something else.
I did find it interesting that he's the only Everest writer that questions whether walking up 10,000' of ladders and fixed ropes that others have placed is really climbing.
I wonder if he would have mentioned that if he had been successful on either of his two Everest attempts.
The way 99% of Everest climber's do the mountain isn't really climbing.
One has to question the point of walking up ladders just to get to some point higher than where others have been.
But to answer another reviewers question,
Everest climbers are not a cross section of society,
so while their behavior is interesting to behold,
it doesn't reflect on the rest of us, or portend the future.
The photos were nice, would have been better to have more.
The revelation that the $450 a bottle oxygen is usually unusable crap from India rather the the real deal, will open the eyes of anyone planing to go there in the future.
Only one mountain, but so many types of crimes.
At the end he muses about a nut case in Connecticut who chops off bolts others use for safety on the rock faces.
He says: "the bolt war seems less about bolts than about being at war."
The same could be said of people who write books about other climbers.
======
I just looked through this book again,
pardon me if I'm cynical,
but I wonder if all the thieving on Everest is directed
to some extent by the premium guides.
Why pay $60,000 instead of $10,000?
"We can protect you from thieves."
I'd have to guess the premium guides benefit
from the crime up there.
And they do resent the budget people going up and
using their fixed lines, aluminum ladders etc for free.
The extent of their resentment is generally quite intense.
Other legit businessmen in other areas of the economy have
used criminals to direct business/profits their way.
The author's behavior was always noble, generous, and beyond reproach.
But those other people!!!
This book is no different, the author thinks highly of himself,
but by his own admission he wouldn't let his team mates send even a single email through his internet connection.
Is that stingy, petty, or mean?
The structure of the book is horrible, the author tells a dozen different stories and is cutting back and forth from one to another so that the reader doesn't have the satisfaction of completing one story before heading off on something else.
I did find it interesting that he's the only Everest writer that questions whether walking up 10,000' of ladders and fixed ropes that others have placed is really climbing.
I wonder if he would have mentioned that if he had been successful on either of his two Everest attempts.
The way 99% of Everest climber's do the mountain isn't really climbing.
One has to question the point of walking up ladders just to get to some point higher than where others have been.
But to answer another reviewers question,
Everest climbers are not a cross section of society,
so while their behavior is interesting to behold,
it doesn't reflect on the rest of us, or portend the future.
The photos were nice, would have been better to have more.
The revelation that the $450 a bottle oxygen is usually unusable crap from India rather the the real deal, will open the eyes of anyone planing to go there in the future.
Only one mountain, but so many types of crimes.
At the end he muses about a nut case in Connecticut who chops off bolts others use for safety on the rock faces.
He says: "the bolt war seems less about bolts than about being at war."
The same could be said of people who write books about other climbers.
======
I just looked through this book again,
pardon me if I'm cynical,
but I wonder if all the thieving on Everest is directed
to some extent by the premium guides.
Why pay $60,000 instead of $10,000?
"We can protect you from thieves."
I'd have to guess the premium guides benefit
from the crime up there.
And they do resent the budget people going up and
using their fixed lines, aluminum ladders etc for free.
The extent of their resentment is generally quite intense.
Other legit businessmen in other areas of the economy have
used criminals to direct business/profits their way.
January 25, 2014
4.5 stars
Journalist Michael Kodas takes a look at how busy Everest is and the issues that have happened due to its popularity. Primarily, he is looking at the fraud and theft that happens there (plus more). The consequences of fraud and theft at Everest, though, versus anywhere else, can turn deadly.
Kodas climbed Everest in 2004 with a neighbour, George, their wives, and a few other people. Things turned sour very quickly. So, he describes his own experiences with that group, as well as recounting 69-year old Nils Antezana's death on Everest, at the same time as Kodas and his group were there, but Antezana, his guide and two Sherpas were climbing the other side of Everest.
Wow! This was very good. Kodas, being a journalist, is a good writer, and I just wanted to keep reading. I didn't want to put the book down. Nothing's going to live up to Into Thin Air for me, but this comes close. It does jump around in place and time; however, I was still able to follow. There are lots of people involved and lots of stories, but I think that actually helped me figure out time/place, as Kodas focused on the two main stories and added in a few others here and there, but always came back to the main stories. For anyone with an interest in Everest, this is definitely worth the read!
Journalist Michael Kodas takes a look at how busy Everest is and the issues that have happened due to its popularity. Primarily, he is looking at the fraud and theft that happens there (plus more). The consequences of fraud and theft at Everest, though, versus anywhere else, can turn deadly.
Kodas climbed Everest in 2004 with a neighbour, George, their wives, and a few other people. Things turned sour very quickly. So, he describes his own experiences with that group, as well as recounting 69-year old Nils Antezana's death on Everest, at the same time as Kodas and his group were there, but Antezana, his guide and two Sherpas were climbing the other side of Everest.
Wow! This was very good. Kodas, being a journalist, is a good writer, and I just wanted to keep reading. I didn't want to put the book down. Nothing's going to live up to Into Thin Air for me, but this comes close. It does jump around in place and time; however, I was still able to follow. There are lots of people involved and lots of stories, but I think that actually helped me figure out time/place, as Kodas focused on the two main stories and added in a few others here and there, but always came back to the main stories. For anyone with an interest in Everest, this is definitely worth the read!
February 19, 2019
I have no desire to climb Mt. Everest, but am fascinated to read about those who do, try or die trying.
January 16, 2024
fifty two book club 2024: read a non-fiction book recommended by a friend
March 31, 2011
Michael Kodas, who makes his living as a reporter and photojournalist with The Hartford Courant, focuses this book on his experience attempting to climb Mount Everest in 2004 as part of the Connecticut Everest Expedition, which included his wife and fellow journalist Carolyn Moreau, and Bolivian-born physician Nils Antezana, who successfully reached the summit of Everest but was later abandoned by his "guide," Argentinean Gustavo Lisi, and Sherpa's and perished on the mountain and occurred at the same time as the Connecticut team's attempt. The title of the book reflects how the glory of being able to reach the summit of the world highest mountains, the Himalayas, changes and reveals climbers (of varying experience and ability as shown in the book) to be either heroes or villains by uncovering cases of theft, threats, beatings, and abandonment that have become common in mountain climbing. "The change is caused both by a tremendous boom in traffic to the world's mountains and a new class of parasitic and predatory adventurer." (Publisher description)
There were two main issues that I had with this book. While I did enjoy reading it and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys nonfiction, there are so many people involved in both Kodas's experience climbing Everest and Nils Antenzana's journey that I could not remember what importance they had even though Kodas does a great job of explaining each of the two expeditions involved in the book (including the turmoil and dissolution of his team) and the book seems to include every detail of the expeditions (Kodas's account of threats, insults and equipment issues) to the back-stories related Dr. Antezana's life, family and his eventual death on Everest. The important features of the book include understanding who can be trusted in tense and often life-threatening situations, the issue of experience and ability climbing in high altitude, and whether glory of reaching the summit of Everest is more important than getting help for someone whose life is at risk. The part of the book that I enjoyed the most was the determination of the Antezana family (Nil's wife Gladys, daughter Fabiola, son David and Fabiola's husband Davide Percipalle) to discover the truth of Nils Antezana's death and the mysterious past of Gustavo Lisi, the man that led Nils on Everest, along with Michael Kodas and several climbers who participated in each of the expeditions. This book may not be suitable for some readers because it contains sometimes graphic descriptions of the turmoil of the various expeditions, descriptions of the many hardships faced by the climbers, and strong language.
There were two main issues that I had with this book. While I did enjoy reading it and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys nonfiction, there are so many people involved in both Kodas's experience climbing Everest and Nils Antenzana's journey that I could not remember what importance they had even though Kodas does a great job of explaining each of the two expeditions involved in the book (including the turmoil and dissolution of his team) and the book seems to include every detail of the expeditions (Kodas's account of threats, insults and equipment issues) to the back-stories related Dr. Antezana's life, family and his eventual death on Everest. The important features of the book include understanding who can be trusted in tense and often life-threatening situations, the issue of experience and ability climbing in high altitude, and whether glory of reaching the summit of Everest is more important than getting help for someone whose life is at risk. The part of the book that I enjoyed the most was the determination of the Antezana family (Nil's wife Gladys, daughter Fabiola, son David and Fabiola's husband Davide Percipalle) to discover the truth of Nils Antezana's death and the mysterious past of Gustavo Lisi, the man that led Nils on Everest, along with Michael Kodas and several climbers who participated in each of the expeditions. This book may not be suitable for some readers because it contains sometimes graphic descriptions of the turmoil of the various expeditions, descriptions of the many hardships faced by the climbers, and strong language.
September 20, 2019
Lord of the Flies on Everest, basically. What I learned from this book is that narcissism and self absorption seem to be prerequisites for climbing Everest. Michael Kodas himself comes across as an unreliable narrator, never doing anything wrong and never taking any responsibility. It made me laugh when he didn't have a problem calling out some of his wife's desperate behaviour. Ultimately any situation where there is a certain degree of lawlessness isn't going to show you people at their worst, it's just going to show you what they're capable of. Good or bad.
Sadly the worst crimes of this story are the ones committed against the native people of Tibet and Nepal in the pursuit of money and glory by the climbers and their community. Used as disposable products by the people who hire them (whether they're sherpas or prostitutes), it's no wonder they steal from or abandon them.
High Crimes is entertaining though, and I learnt enough about the people in this community to never support their "charities".
Sadly the worst crimes of this story are the ones committed against the native people of Tibet and Nepal in the pursuit of money and glory by the climbers and their community. Used as disposable products by the people who hire them (whether they're sherpas or prostitutes), it's no wonder they steal from or abandon them.
High Crimes is entertaining though, and I learnt enough about the people in this community to never support their "charities".
December 6, 2012
An in depth look at the varous issues surronding Everest. Professional reviewers have liken it to a sequel to Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster. In many ways it is. Kodas is a little more damning than Nick Heil, but he does a very good job of fairness. It should be read with Heil's Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season.
September 26, 2017
Similar to Into Thin Air, but not as deeply felt. Kodas is much less spiritual than Jon Krakauer. It describes Kodas's 2004 trip to Everest and the continued spiral down into crime, drug use and violence of those who are using the mountain for their own purposes, where lots of money is to be made, criminals will follow,
September 16, 2024
Eye opening!
I’ve been fascinated with people who have the desire to have their bodies slowly die at high altitudes, having never had the desire myself 🤣. It interests me to hear accounts of the physical, technical and mental trials people undergo, among other things.
But I never knew nor suspected that there has been (still is?) such a lawlessness in the mountains. Is it mountain madness?
I’ve watched many documentaries, including the one about Lhakpa Sherpa, and I wasn’t wholly convinced about her “humble” personality. This book made me even less so, although the book is not about her.
People being left to die by “guides” and Sherpas? (Sorry, I know Sherpa is a surname that has become synonymous with a profession). People being sabotaged. Theft, tents cut loose and pitched off the mountain or hidden, leaving climbers in peril. Wow! I had no idea!
Now that I reflect on this audiobook, I accept that it is (mostly) one man’s experience and perception of the events, and terrifying ones at times. (Your camping partner sleeping with a knife so that she can slice her way out of her tent if “someone” sets fire to it, is a terror I don’t want to imagine! That said, when I go camping, in England, during the nice seasons, on a flat field, I too sleep next to a fold away sharp knife (a birthday present from my brother in law 🤣) that I call my “fire escape” opened and ready, just in case we need to get out quickly. So I can’t imagine what that feels like when you seem genuinely under threat of life from others! It’s not like you can just pack your shizzle up quick into the boot of the car and drive home. You’re half way up a mountain ffs!)
Anyway, I get all excited and waffle on.
So the author, Michael Kodas, mentions near the end of the book that the commercialism of Mount Everest, the inexperienced climbers causing bottlenecks, the tea stalls, solar panels, laptops, satellite phones, prostitution, authors, journalists and film crews etc are contributing to the demise of, in my words, the spirit of mountain climbing. But perhaps he should have openly included himself in with that. He went, in order to write a book about the people he was climbing with, and that’s what he did. So he is one of those contributing factors, and I’d have just liked to hear him say that.
I’ve been fascinated with people who have the desire to have their bodies slowly die at high altitudes, having never had the desire myself 🤣. It interests me to hear accounts of the physical, technical and mental trials people undergo, among other things.
But I never knew nor suspected that there has been (still is?) such a lawlessness in the mountains. Is it mountain madness?
I’ve watched many documentaries, including the one about Lhakpa Sherpa, and I wasn’t wholly convinced about her “humble” personality. This book made me even less so, although the book is not about her.
People being left to die by “guides” and Sherpas? (Sorry, I know Sherpa is a surname that has become synonymous with a profession). People being sabotaged. Theft, tents cut loose and pitched off the mountain or hidden, leaving climbers in peril. Wow! I had no idea!
Now that I reflect on this audiobook, I accept that it is (mostly) one man’s experience and perception of the events, and terrifying ones at times. (Your camping partner sleeping with a knife so that she can slice her way out of her tent if “someone” sets fire to it, is a terror I don’t want to imagine! That said, when I go camping, in England, during the nice seasons, on a flat field, I too sleep next to a fold away sharp knife (a birthday present from my brother in law 🤣) that I call my “fire escape” opened and ready, just in case we need to get out quickly. So I can’t imagine what that feels like when you seem genuinely under threat of life from others! It’s not like you can just pack your shizzle up quick into the boot of the car and drive home. You’re half way up a mountain ffs!)
Anyway, I get all excited and waffle on.
So the author, Michael Kodas, mentions near the end of the book that the commercialism of Mount Everest, the inexperienced climbers causing bottlenecks, the tea stalls, solar panels, laptops, satellite phones, prostitution, authors, journalists and film crews etc are contributing to the demise of, in my words, the spirit of mountain climbing. But perhaps he should have openly included himself in with that. He went, in order to write a book about the people he was climbing with, and that’s what he did. So he is one of those contributing factors, and I’d have just liked to hear him say that.
August 20, 2024
This book effectively scared me out of ever thinking about trying to climb Mount Everest. That being said, the author jumps around and discusses different people's experiences, crimes, attempts, and (in some cases) deaths while climbing Mount Everest. I wish that the author stuck with one topic, then moved to the next. If he did so, this book would have been easier to follow and I would have been more engaged. I started reading this book after watching the Netflix documentary about Lhakpa Sherpa; the portion of his story that he tells about Lhakpa is about the same as what you see on the documentary, so that's good. Otherwise, this book described hikes like Everest to be a wealthy person's playground; lots of selfish people climbing, not caring at all about anyone else around them, and in some cases actively sabotaging others' climbs.
May 30, 2021
This book doesn't get quite as much press, but it exposes the evil side of Everest, mainly the side where guides mislead you and cheat you and other teams steal your oxygen bottles and equipment. People rarely write about the politics on the Tibetan (Chinese) side of Everest because it's a relatively new topic, so all of that was interesting. This book covers a lot of cultural things that many climbers ignore.
It does seem like if you want to write about tragedy at Everest, all you have to do is show up during climbing season and wait.
It does seem like if you want to write about tragedy at Everest, all you have to do is show up during climbing season and wait.
March 5, 2024
Borrowed in print, BDL—
I don’t know if I’ve ever wished for a book to have more footnotes- but this one needed them badly. Instead, all the information was shoved into the main text, making it difficult to stay on top of all the people whose stories Koda was trying to tell.
The book centers on two main groups who attempted to summit in 2004 and it dives into many of the problems that were happening on the mountain at the time, including theft, inexperienced guides, abandoned climbers, violent outbursts at multiple camps and potentially (purposefully) faulty oxygen tanks. Clearly the place was a circus in those years and I think this book combined with the concurrent Discovery series that was filmed at the time gives an interesting look at human cost of climbing.
While informative, the writing style of jumping back and forth between all the different narratives made the book very confusing to follow. I was also very turned off by how the author, his wife and their allies seemed to make very little effort to help a woman who was obviously and grievously being abused by her husband. Why didn’t they get authorities involved?
I’m very eager not to read Everest, Inc. when it comes out so I can get filled in on what has happened in the 17 years since this one was published.
I don’t know if I’ve ever wished for a book to have more footnotes- but this one needed them badly. Instead, all the information was shoved into the main text, making it difficult to stay on top of all the people whose stories Koda was trying to tell.
The book centers on two main groups who attempted to summit in 2004 and it dives into many of the problems that were happening on the mountain at the time, including theft, inexperienced guides, abandoned climbers, violent outbursts at multiple camps and potentially (purposefully) faulty oxygen tanks. Clearly the place was a circus in those years and I think this book combined with the concurrent Discovery series that was filmed at the time gives an interesting look at human cost of climbing.
While informative, the writing style of jumping back and forth between all the different narratives made the book very confusing to follow. I was also very turned off by how the author, his wife and their allies seemed to make very little effort to help a woman who was obviously and grievously being abused by her husband. Why didn’t they get authorities involved?
I’m very eager not to read Everest, Inc. when it comes out so I can get filled in on what has happened in the 17 years since this one was published.
January 6, 2024
Did not finish. Got through 50% and it was just too repetitive about how terrible humans are to each other. The story didn’t flow well, it would advance in time and then go back again, over and over.
September 24, 2024
tbh i skipped the last 50 pages…the premise was interesting but ultimately the book kept repeating the same stories over and over
July 2, 2024
So crazy to get a glimpse into the greed, theft, and deceit that happens on expeditions to Everest. Found this book super interesting.
February 19, 2021
I suspect everyone knows someone who blames absolutely every loss or failure in their life upon anyone and everyone else. Ballgames are lost because of shoddy teammates or biased referees. Packages are always lost in the mail, jobs are always for bad employers who undervalue the special snowflake. And apparently one can't summit Everest because the expedition leader is a mercurial charlatan, or so goes Michael Kodas' telling of events.
The premise of this book is intriguing and it starts off well. But it is ultimately brought low by Kodas himself. He tries to generate suspense by cutting back and forth between his two main stories. This method backfires because by the time you've made it through a third of the book you can't remember who many of the ancillary characters ARE. This is made worse by the fact that he gives at least 400 words of biography for pretty much every person he mentions, even if they are only brought up as, say, a witness of a man's whereabouts on a particular afternoon. I don't need to know what college a fellow graduated from, what his favourite colour is and how well he plays cards just to find out that he saw X alive on the South Col. But that's the tedious way Kodas chooses to tell the story of Gustavo Lisi and his shameful conduct.
Less poignant and more tedious, Kodas' own story about his failed summit bids start to sound like whiny excuse-making a quarter of the way through and just keep degenerating further. Presuming that every accusation Kodas levels against George Dijmarescu and Lhakpa (sp?)are correct, I still place the blame squarely upon Kodas' shoulders. HE IS A JOURNALIST. Yet he took this man's claims at face-value and only came to realise his error when they were halfway around the world in the Himalaya.
The simple truth seems to me that Kodas is a hobbyist climber who thought he could parlay his relationship with Dijmarescu into Krakauer best-seller money and was distracted by his own ambition. I guess he did get a book out of it, but more than once I got the feeling that he was disappointed to not have had as close a brush with death as did Krakauer. The fact that he opens the book by name-dropping David Sharp is telling to me. ("See! I, too, was buddies with someone who Died Horribly On Everest! Buy my book!")
The premise of this book is intriguing and it starts off well. But it is ultimately brought low by Kodas himself. He tries to generate suspense by cutting back and forth between his two main stories. This method backfires because by the time you've made it through a third of the book you can't remember who many of the ancillary characters ARE. This is made worse by the fact that he gives at least 400 words of biography for pretty much every person he mentions, even if they are only brought up as, say, a witness of a man's whereabouts on a particular afternoon. I don't need to know what college a fellow graduated from, what his favourite colour is and how well he plays cards just to find out that he saw X alive on the South Col. But that's the tedious way Kodas chooses to tell the story of Gustavo Lisi and his shameful conduct.
Less poignant and more tedious, Kodas' own story about his failed summit bids start to sound like whiny excuse-making a quarter of the way through and just keep degenerating further. Presuming that every accusation Kodas levels against George Dijmarescu and Lhakpa (sp?)are correct, I still place the blame squarely upon Kodas' shoulders. HE IS A JOURNALIST. Yet he took this man's claims at face-value and only came to realise his error when they were halfway around the world in the Himalaya.
The simple truth seems to me that Kodas is a hobbyist climber who thought he could parlay his relationship with Dijmarescu into Krakauer best-seller money and was distracted by his own ambition. I guess he did get a book out of it, but more than once I got the feeling that he was disappointed to not have had as close a brush with death as did Krakauer. The fact that he opens the book by name-dropping David Sharp is telling to me. ("See! I, too, was buddies with someone who Died Horribly On Everest! Buy my book!")
February 4, 2009
Mt. Everest has become a vast garbage dump. Persons of all persuasions, limitations (be the first without oxygen), handicaps (be the first asthmatic), ages (be the first over 70), and genders (the first transsexual – just kidding, at least so far) – if they have the funds – can pay an outfitter to get them to the summit. Some outfitters are better – and more reliable and honest – than others. Some steal supplies, others try to make it on the cheap. Base camps are now filled with prostitutes and hustlers, trash is everywhere (including bodies on the way up.) Aside from the fact that only an idiot would want to face the hazards and hardship of preparing for, and then climbing the mountain, which I do not need to remind anyone, has already been surmounted numerous times, it kills people. The base camps are virtually lawless and Kathmandu resembles nothing more than a shanty town.
Kordas follows the climbs of two parties. One, led by an unscruplous guide, is fraught with difficulty and leaves a member, a Bolivian doctor, to die. His own party bickers and becomes downright nasty. Sure is fun to read about though. Best on a summer day when the temperature is over 90.
By the way, the TV series on climbing the mountain, Everest: Beyond the Limit, is outstanding. You can get it cheaply through iTunes. My hat is off to the cameramen, who not only had to climb the mountain, but lug the frigging camera along with them.
Other titles to read with this one:
Into Thin Air A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
Dark Summit The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season
Kordas follows the climbs of two parties. One, led by an unscruplous guide, is fraught with difficulty and leaves a member, a Bolivian doctor, to die. His own party bickers and becomes downright nasty. Sure is fun to read about though. Best on a summer day when the temperature is over 90.
By the way, the TV series on climbing the mountain, Everest: Beyond the Limit, is outstanding. You can get it cheaply through iTunes. My hat is off to the cameramen, who not only had to climb the mountain, but lug the frigging camera along with them.
Other titles to read with this one:
Into Thin Air A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
Dark Summit The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season
November 25, 2015
This nonfiction book tells of the other side of the world of climbing Mt Everest. While most stories about Everest focus on the heroism, the mountaineering ethic, the camaraderie of those who climb Everest. "High Crimes" written by a reporter who is also a mountaineer, shows a different side. Too many climbers do not have the skills or conditioning for a successful climb or have the money for a fully supported guide service. But they persist anyway, often hiring sketchy guides for minimal amounts of money. The sketchy guides themselves cause problems by their greed and incompetence. The book also touches on thefts on the mountain of tents, sleeping bags and especially the expensive and coveted oxygen bottles
My only fault with the book is its structure and narrative which tells of two stories; one is the author's own experience at his attempt of climbing Everest and the other is about a 69 year old doctor who died after descending from an Everest summit and the consensus of the climbing community that it was due to incompetence by one of the "bargain" guides. Both climbs happened at the same time but on different routes and different parties, any cohesion between the two was lost by the author's going on tangents during the narratives discussing other climbers, other climbs, other ethical issues of mountaineering
But the substance was great, it included nuanced analysis of the issues on the mountain; what is the responsibility of the prepared climbers and guides who invest tens of thousands of dollars to pursue a dream when confronted by the results of an ill prepared attempt that seems planned on leaching off the more prepared climbers, the thefts by some Sherpas balanced by the poverty of their people contrasted to the vast amounts of money that come to the mountain.
My only fault with the book is its structure and narrative which tells of two stories; one is the author's own experience at his attempt of climbing Everest and the other is about a 69 year old doctor who died after descending from an Everest summit and the consensus of the climbing community that it was due to incompetence by one of the "bargain" guides. Both climbs happened at the same time but on different routes and different parties, any cohesion between the two was lost by the author's going on tangents during the narratives discussing other climbers, other climbs, other ethical issues of mountaineering
But the substance was great, it included nuanced analysis of the issues on the mountain; what is the responsibility of the prepared climbers and guides who invest tens of thousands of dollars to pursue a dream when confronted by the results of an ill prepared attempt that seems planned on leaching off the more prepared climbers, the thefts by some Sherpas balanced by the poverty of their people contrasted to the vast amounts of money that come to the mountain.
October 29, 2013
It was really hard to decide whether I liked Michael Kodas' "High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed" or not. Ultimately, I found the book's problems detracted from my enjoyment of it.
On the good side, I found Kodas' expedition stories to be interesting and chock-full of good tidbits. The death of Nils Antezana seems particularly tragic and a good illustration of what summit fever can bring.
That said, I found the transitions between stories to be really jarring... I really disliked Kodas' style of introducing a new character, then giving that person's history from A to Z, then return to his story. The book jumped too much and Kodas' premise got lost someplace along the way. The final chapters seemed rushed and tacked on.
The book also left me wondering how prevalent theft on Everest really is. Kodas makes it sound as that tents need to be padlocked or something to prevent people from stealing your gear, oxygen and food. I've read lots of Everest expedition stories... and have never seen theft mentioned as a constant problem previously (though I have read about camps being stripped by Sherpas who thought hikers had died or because of friction between expedition leaders.)
Overall, I found the book interesting, I guess, but it doesn't stand up to all of the great expedition memoirs out there.
On the good side, I found Kodas' expedition stories to be interesting and chock-full of good tidbits. The death of Nils Antezana seems particularly tragic and a good illustration of what summit fever can bring.
That said, I found the transitions between stories to be really jarring... I really disliked Kodas' style of introducing a new character, then giving that person's history from A to Z, then return to his story. The book jumped too much and Kodas' premise got lost someplace along the way. The final chapters seemed rushed and tacked on.
The book also left me wondering how prevalent theft on Everest really is. Kodas makes it sound as that tents need to be padlocked or something to prevent people from stealing your gear, oxygen and food. I've read lots of Everest expedition stories... and have never seen theft mentioned as a constant problem previously (though I have read about camps being stripped by Sherpas who thought hikers had died or because of friction between expedition leaders.)
Overall, I found the book interesting, I guess, but it doesn't stand up to all of the great expedition memoirs out there.
September 1, 2016
Oh dear, this book is all over the place. Partly the story of the author's failed trip to Everest and all the dreadful people around him, partly the story of a Bolivian-American doctor who died on his attempt, and the doctor's daughter's quest to find out exactly what happened to him (and to expose his "guide" as a evil lying fraud.) And partly a bunch more stories in which we are treated to lots of other reasons not to try to climb Mount Everest. Mother Nature isn't your only adversary, you must also deal with criminally faulty equipment, shirkers, thieves, con artists, cheapskates, liars, abusers, druggies, etc. One does wonder if the author exaggerates a tad...and/or was possibly a pill himself that didn't "get along"...probably a bit of all of it. At any rate, it does make whatever you are doing at the moment seem a lot wiser and saner than climbing a 28,000 ft mountain in Nepal. (or Peru, or Alaska, even Connecticut, where the author lives, apparently all the rock climbers there are real nasty too!)
November 9, 2008
I really did not like this book at all. The book explores the crime and unethical behavior surrounding Mt.Everest today. The author questions why there are so many deaths on Everest. A 69 year old man dying while trying to summit. Climbers who refuse to use supplemental oxygen. Climbers without limbs...I have to wonder what are these people doing there in the first place and why did they feel invincible?? For all the time spent bashing the inexperienced climbers I have no idea why the author felt he was qualified to climb, let alone his wife. I felt like the author wrote this book to justify to the world why he personally never made it to the top.
May 9, 2013
Super compelling. Very well written. More proof of the nightmare the entity of Everest-as-money-maker has become. Summiting Everest has become a fool's journey. Leave it to the serious mountain climbers. The fact that, with enough money, I could probably reach the summit is proof that the whole thing has become a joke. Too many people have died.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2011
This book focuses on what appear to be rare occurrences and exaggerates them into a major problem on Everest. In addition, the author is a hypocrite committing some of the very crimes he complains about.
September 25, 2009
Kodas came off as a drama queen, whiner, and scapegoat artist. It would be interesting to hear the other climber's versions of the events depicted in this tabloid. Thumbs down from me.
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