Amazon.com
Why just climb Everest when you can climb it without supplemental oxygen? Why just climb it without oxygen when you can climb it alone? And why fly to Nepal to climb Everest when you can bicycle all the way there? Apparently, questions such as these occurred to Göran Kropp, a Swede with a taste for adventure and a desire for the Ultimate High. In October 1995, Kropp set out from Sweden with a bicycle, a trailer, and over 200 pounds of equipment. Over the next four months, he cycled some 7,000 miles across Eastern Europe, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. By the time he arrived in Kathmandu, Kropp had been shot at, pelted with rocks, and offered the madam's daughter--free of charge--in a Hungarian brothel.
After carrying his own equipment up to Everest Base Camp, Kropp found himself surrounded by other climbers, all waiting for a break in the weather so they could attempt the summit. Many books have been written about that disastrous season on Everest, notably Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and Anatoli Boukreev's The Climb. Kroop adds little of substance to the story, engaging mainly in camp gossip about who was sleeping with whom and "outing" climbers who lied about reaching summits. Even Kropp's account of his own climb is somewhat suspenseless--though some readers will be relieved that he doesn't go into too much detail about his physical breakdown. More tiresome is Kropp's clear disdain for climbers who use supplemental oxygen. ("Mount Everest is not 29,028 feet tall if the mountain is scaled by a climber wearing an oxygen mask.") He also despises climbers who "see Everest and other high peaks reduced to trophies kept in a china cabinet"--though his "Ultimate Mountain List" (he's already climbed 16 of the 22) seems a bit like a trophy room itself.
After he finally reached the summit--on his third attempt in under a month--Kropp spent a few weeks recuperating in Kathmandu and then hopped on his bike for the long and rugged ride home. Not satisfied, Kropp is already planning and training for his next adventure, to take place in 2004: sailing from Sweden to Antarctica, skiing to the South Pole, and returning--all solo. That he is only just learning to sail doesn't dissuade him--"I like to jump headfirst into new projects." Ultimate High is proof that he's determined--and crazy--enough to complete them. --Sunny Delaney
From Publishers Weekly
On Mount Everest, May 1996 was the cruelest monthAthe month eight climbers died on the mountain, the month that has been recounted already in books by Jon Krakauer, David Breshears, Anatoli Boukreev, Matt Dickinson and others. Half a year earlier, in October 1995, Swedish climber KroppAthe second person in the world to reach the summit of K2 without the aid of oxygenAset out from Stockholm on an 8000-mile bicycle trip to Katmandu, with 250 pounds of gear and the intention of scaling Everest without oxygen. Kropp's account, written with journalist Lagercrantz, is straightforward, yet ultimately trifling. Too much space is wasted on self-absorbed anecdotes (e.g., Kropp, during what he calls his "wild period," mounting the stage at a rock concert and shouting "The government is imperialistic!"). The world according to Kropp is filled with too many silly exclamations ("This is totally awesome!") and too little insight. But when Kropp refrains from glib self-absorption, his story is as gripping as the adventures of Indiana Jones. Along the way, Kropp encounters ravenous wild dogs, numerous free lunches, blizzards, stone-throwing youngsters, a hilarious misadventure in a brothel in Hungary, weddings in Romania, gunfire in Turkey. It's an excellent adventure, but very mediocre adventure writing. Color inserts not seen by PW. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Since the late 19th century, climbing mountains has held a certain allure. Expeditions are now reaching all-time highs, as experienced and inexperienced climbers "reach for the top." These two books examine mountaineering on Mt. Everest through different perspectives. Liberally sprinkled with entertaining anecdotes and significant cultural observations, Ultimate High is the story of a determined man with a unique goal. It chronicles both Kropp's ascent of Everest and his 8000 mile journey, on bicycle (with equipment in tow), from Sweden to the Himalayas and back. (To truly conquer the mountain, Kropp believes, one must get there and climb it without artificial assistance.) As it happened, his climb coincided with the much-publicized May l996 disaster (described in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air), so, in addition to detailing his own endeavours, he describes (with riveting clarity) the drama taking place around him. Kropp captures the emotional highs and lows of mountaineering; his astute observations of team dynamics and candid revelations of his mental and physical state provide insight into the climber's world. Taking a more academic and analytic approach, Ortner (anthropology, Columbia Univ.) provides a fascinating examination of the world of the Sherpas. Drawing extensively from autobiographies and her own ethnography, Ortner examines Sherpas both as mountaineers and villagers. In the process, she tackles a variety of subject matter, including sahib/Sherpa relationships and local history, culture, and religion. In doing so, she incorporates quotes from climbers, their chilling tales, and detailed research. Her book is an eye-opening, behind-the-scenes look at mountaineering. Complementary to any work on the Himalayas, it should be compulsory reading for climbers going to this area. Both books are recommended for public and academic libraries.AJo-Anne Mary Benson Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The New York Times Book Review, John Rothchild
To outdo him, you'd have to climb Everest backward.
The bike trip, which takes up about a third of the book, is worth the cover price in itself.
From Booklist
"Because it's there" has often been the response when adventurers are asked why they undertake dangerous ventures. Swedish mountain climber Kropp describes his ordeals in his 1996 attempt to scale Everest, alone and without the aid of the supplemental oxygen deemed essential in such high altitudes. Traveling via bicycle from Sweden to the base of the mountain range through some very dangerous territory, Kropp had to endure much--loneliness, illness, hostility--before his quest even began. He exposes the seamy side of mountaineering, with its politics and bureaucracy: the exorbitant expenses, the permits, the competition. His assault on Everest took place at the same time several climbers met their deaths (poignantly depicted), and he shows his disdain for "tourists" who pay tens of thousands for the chance to live out a fantasy at the expense of common sense. Man versus nature has always made for fascinating reading; Kropp's life-and-death struggles could leave the reader almost as exhausted as Kropp. Ron Kaplan
From Kirkus Reviews
A ham-handed account of what had all the ingredients to be a gripping adventure taleSweden to Kathmandu by bicycle, trek to Everest, climb, return by same routefrom Kropp, the second person to ever reach the summit of K2 without supplemental oxygen, assisted by Swedish freelance journalist Lagercrantz. Inspired by the Himalayan feats of Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler, the light-traveling by-fair-means high-altitude climbers, Kropp decides to tackle Everest with no support whatsoever. He will get wherever he has to go under his own steam, carry his own food and low-rent gear, climb unassisted by Sherpas or oxygen: ``the high tech gadgets, the abandoned equipment, and the left-over, left-behind junk are a rape of nature.'' But rather than this being an environmentally sound, good-spirited approach, Kropp comes across as superior, with a scary sense of purity and punishment: ``I prepared for the ascent by running in the mountains above the city until I felt the taste of blood in my mouth.'' The trip to Nepal is told in juddering diary entries such as ``December 29 / Kashan / I get a pencillin shot in a small hospital,'' and when he gets to base camp, many of the climbers disgust him: ``Everest has become a luxury peak, a place for buffoons who want something to brag about at their garden parties.'' (This is May 1996, and a good number of them will soon be dead.) Kropp spends too much time commenting on the conduct of others (``excuse me for gossiping'')who is having an affair with whom, who lied about summiting what peaksand too little building a compelling narrative about his own adventure. He climbed without oxygen, and perhaps that robbed him of the experience. He sinks his own self-righteous ship by sneering at Messner, who climbed all the high peaks without oxygen. ``The sad thing is, you can tell . . . the thin air has probably damaged his brain.'' ``So much writing has been done about climbingand lifeat the highest altitudes.'' Too much. Add this book to the ballast. (photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
This is an intriguing man and an intriguing adventure ... a real Sisyphus kind of expedition, cycling all the way from Sweden with all the food and equipment he would need, then carrying it--143 pounds weight-to the Everest base camp, and climbing solo, even making a new route through the icefall. Well worth reading.
Chris Bonington, mountaineer and author of Quest for Adventure
"Find a friend who weighs a hundred and fifty pounds. Ask this person to climb on your back. Then see how far you can stagger before you collapse. Now, imagine that a remarkable adventurer hauled that same weight by bicycle and backpack to Everest base camp from his native Sweden and then climbed to the summit without supplemental oxygen. Göran Kropp's ascent of Everest will go down in history as perhaps the most bizarre, astounding, but at the same time authentic, climb of all time."
--Matt Dickinson, author of The Other Side of Everest
"Kropp is a one-of-a-kind adventurer, a modern-day Viking. His insider's look at the 1996 Everest tragedy, in which eight people lost their lives during his own remarkable ascent of that mountain, is candidly revealing and utterly honest. A riveting read that recounts one of mountaineering's greatest adventures, Ultimate High is a lasting contribution to mountaineering literature."
--Ed Webster, publications director, the American Alpine Club
"Ultimate High is an exciting expedition not only into the extreme, hostile, and often deadly environment of Everest, but also a fascinating insight into the creative, resourceful, and dramatically persistent mind of a single mountaineer, Göran Kropp."
--Peter Athans, six-time Everest summiteer
Review
This is an intriguing man and an intriguing adventure ... a real Sisyphus kind of expedition, cycling all the way from Sweden with all the food and equipment he would need, then carrying it--143 pounds weight-to the Everest base camp, and climbing solo, even making a new route through the icefall. Well worth reading.
Chris Bonington, mountaineer and author of Quest for Adventure
"Find a friend who weighs a hundred and fifty pounds. Ask this person to climb on your back. Then see how far you can stagger before you collapse. Now, imagine that a remarkable adventurer hauled that same weight by bicycle and backpack to Everest base camp from his native Sweden and then climbed to the summit without supplemental oxygen. Göran Kropp's ascent of Everest will go down in history as perhaps the most bizarre, astounding, but at the same time authentic, climb of all time."
--Matt Dickinson, author of The Other Side of Everest
"Kropp is a one-of-a-kind adventurer, a modern-day Viking. His insider's look at the 1996 Everest tragedy, in which eight people lost their lives during his own remarkable ascent of that mountain, is candidly revealing and utterly honest. A riveting read that recounts one of mountaineering's greatest adventures, Ultimate High is a lasting contribution to mountaineering literature."
--Ed Webster, publications director, the American Alpine Club
"Ultimate High is an exciting expedition not only into the extreme, hostile, and often deadly environment of Everest, but also a fascinating insight into the creative, resourceful, and dramatically persistent mind of a single mountaineer, Göran Kropp."
--Peter Athans, six-time Everest summiteer
Book Description
Ultimate High
My Everest Odyssey
"On October 16, 1995, [Göran Kropp] had left Stockholm on a custom-built bicycle loaded with 240 pounds of gear, intending to travel round-trip from sea level in Sweden to the top of Everest entirely under his own power, without Sherpa support or bottled oxygen. It was an exceedingly ambitious goal, but Kropp had the credentials to pull it off."
-Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air
Readers of Jon Krakauer's bestselling Into Thin Air will recall Göran Kropp, the remarkable Swedish solo climber who loves to do what others label impossible. His goal was to reach and climb Mount Everest using his own physical means and without any outside assistance. In doing so, he would earn a place in the record books with the most self-contained combined approach and climb of Mount Everest ever accomplished.
Kropp's Everest quest began 7,000 miles away, in Stockholm, where, at age twenty-nine, he set out by bicycle for Kathmandu, towing behind him nearly everything he'd need to live for a year. In this riveting first-person narrative, Kropp puts his own unique spin on the concept of adventure as he recounts his four-month trek across Europe and Asia, during which he was robbed, assaulted with a baseball bat, almost shot in Turkey, and nearly stoned in Iran. When he left the staging ground in Kathmandu in April 1996, he became the first ever to carry his equipment--all 143 pounds--up 17,100 feet to Everest Base Camp.
Kropp's first attempt at scaling Everest unassisted ended in frustration when he was forced to turn back only 350 feet, one hour, from the summit, his strength drained, his morale crushed. Despite this setback, and in the face of rapidly deteriorating weather that would result in the deadliest season in Everest's history, Kropp steeled himself for a second attempt. Just days after the legendary storm that claimed the lives of eight climbers, he tried again and made it to the top of the world--without Sherpa aid, without bottled oxygen. Within a few days, he loaded up his bike for the equally harrowing 7,000-mile trek back to Stockholm.
From the Inside Flap
Ultimate High
My Everest Odyssey
"On October 16, 1995, [Göran Kropp] had left Stockholm on a custom-built bicycle loaded with 240 pounds of gear, intending to travel round-trip from sea level in Sweden to the top of Everest entirely under his own power, without Sherpa support or bottled oxygen. It was an exceedingly ambitious goal, but Kropp had the credentials to pull it off."
-Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air
Readers of Jon Krakauer's bestselling Into Thin Air will recall Göran Kropp, the remarkable Swedish solo climber who loves to do what others label impossible. His goal was to reach and climb Mount Everest using his own physical means and without any outside assistance. In doing so, he would earn a place in the record books with the most self-contained combined approach and climb of Mount Everest ever accomplished.
Kropp's Everest quest began 7,000 miles away, in Stockholm, where, at age twenty-nine, he set out by bicycle for Kathmandu, towing behind him nearly everything he'd need to live for a year. In this riveting first-person narrative, Kropp puts his own unique spin on the concept of adventure as he recounts his four-month trek across Europe and Asia, during which he was robbed, assaulted with a baseball bat, almost shot in Turkey, and nearly stoned in Iran. When he left the staging ground in Kathmandu in April 1996, he became the first ever to carry his equipment--all 143 pounds--up 17,100 feet to Everest Base Camp.
Kropp's first attempt at scaling Everest unassisted ended in frustration when he was forced to turn back only 350 feet, one hour, from the summit, his strength drained, his morale crushed. Despite this setback, and in the face of rapidly deteriorating weather that would result in the deadliest season in Everest's history, Kropp steeled himself for a second attempt. Just days after the legendary storm that claimed the lives of eight climbers, he tried again and made it to the top of the world--without Sherpa aid, without bottled oxygen. Within a few days, he loaded up his bike for the equally harrowing 7,000-mile trek back to Stockholm.
From the Back Cover
This is an intriguing man and an intriguing adventure ... a real Sisyphus kind of expedition, cycling all the way from Sweden with all the food and equipment he would need, then carrying it--143 pounds weight-to the Everest base camp, and climbing solo, even making a new route through the icefall. Well worth reading.
Chris Bonington, mountaineer and author of Quest for Adventure
"Find a friend who weighs a hundred and fifty pounds. Ask this person to climb on your back. Then see how far you can stagger before you collapse. Now, imagine that a remarkable adventurer hauled that same weight by bicycle and backpack to Everest base camp from his native Sweden and then climbed to the summit without supplemental oxygen. Göran Kropp's ascent of Everest will go down in history as perhaps the most bizarre, astounding, but at the same time authentic, climb of all time."
--Matt Dickinson, author of The Other Side of Everest
"Kropp is a one-of-a-kind adventurer, a modern-day Viking. His insider's look at the 1996 Everest tragedy, in which eight people lost their lives during his own remarkable ascent of that mountain, is candidly revealing and utterly honest. A riveting read that recounts one of mountaineering's greatest adventures, Ultimate High is a lasting contribution to mountaineering literature."
--Ed Webster, publications director, the American Alpine Club
"Ultimate High is an exciting expedition not only into the extreme, hostile, and often deadly environment of Everest, but also a fascinating insight into the creative, resourceful, and dramatically persistent mind of a single mountaineer, Göran Kropp."
--Peter Athans, six-time Everest summiteer
About the Author
Göran Kropp first climbed a mountain at age six, but did not develop a passion for the sport until joining the military after high school. With single-minded pursuit, he devoted his life to training and the quest for mountain conquests, achieving his first high-altitude climb in 1988. In 1993, Kropp became the second person to reach the summit of K2, the second-highest mountain in the world, without supplemental oxygen. He followed his record-breaking feat chronicled here with a May 1999 cleanup project on Everest, in which he collected empty oxygen bottles and other debris piled there, and summitted once again. For his next adventure, he plans to sail from Sweden to the Antarctic and ski to the South Pole.
David Lagercrantz is a freelance journalist in Sweden.
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