I have met and talked to Jim many times at an ice climbing festival in Colorado. He's a great guy and speaks from his gut. The book is quite a bit like him in that regard. The rawness of the emotions was particularly stirring to me, having had my own near-death experience on Liberty Ridge - the route featured in this book.Because of that I had a really hard time with the book and had to put it down frequently. Not because of any fault of the book mind you, but because it was intense enough to give me the shakes several times over. The more time you spend on the big mountains of the world, the more you begin to realize just how fast everything can go belly up and you're fighting for your life.The only reason I gave it four instead of five stars is because it kind of lags and wallows a bit in the aftermath, as Jim tries to rationalize it and make the whole experience a part of his new life.I really recommend this book to anyone who has the climbing bug and wants to see what it's like. Anyone who says "It can't happen to me. I'll be safe." This is reality folks. I wasn't sure about this book at first but as I got into it I like it more and more. I was a bit bored by all of the climbing details as he is trying to make his way out of the crevasse. But once I finished the book I understood that we needed to go through that journey with him step by step to appreciate the outcome. I think what he learns from the experience and how he handles his survivor guilt is quite powerful.
I liked the book, reminded me of my trip to Rainier in 2010. Amazing story of perserverance.
—Kathryn
Great adventurous read - if u like reading adventure books this is a must!!
—Jes
unbelievable story of endurance, faith, strength and will. amazing
—ananth
Somewhat surprisingly lame.
—zaynab
