Dark Shadows Falling

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The author of Touching the Void interweaves stories of his own mountaineering adventures with reflective consideration of recent tragedies on the world's loftiest peaks. As more people take to the mountains--many of them amateurs and dilettantes who can afford to hire guides of varying levels of expertise--the odds of disaster loom ever higher. Simpson weighs in on "summit fever," the treatment of local sherpas, and what he sees as unimaginative "yak routes" up the once-grand mountains.

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Summary: dark shadows falling
Comment: book in excellent condition arrived really quick to the middle of the desert in australia thanks heaps

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Summary: Truly about ethics on the Mountain
Comment: I truly enjoyed reading Joe Simpson's book. Finally..you read about what one really see's on Everest and no hold's barred! If you want to know what one has to "step over" on the mountain..read this book..if you want to read about what one see's on the south col..then read this book...a great read!

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Well written, somewhat unfocused

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This is a well written book and can be recommended, although there is little here that will be unfamiliar to readers of John Krakauer's "Into Thin Air", or any of the other myriad of books on the 1996 Everest disaster.
Climbing at high altititude is an extremely dangerous pursuit. I don't think this is newsworthy. Simpson is appalled by the callousness of climbers that refuse even the slightest comfort for the dying at high altitude. Several gruesome examples are cited and certainly the lay person winces at the apparent disregard of life and human suffering. I am not a climber and others are better equipped to discuss the possiblities of rescue at these heights, but my guess is that the chances of rescue are very remote and pose distinct risk to the climber that tries (witness Robb Hall's death on Everest in support of a client that had no real chance of making his descent in the weather). At the risk of being cruel, I have to think that the individual takes these risks into account before going on the mountain and gets what they pay for. In any event, Joe Simpson is a avowed atheist so I really question what rational would motivate such a person to risk his life for another person. Since the author believes we have but one life, why risk it for another person that is very likely to die anyway? Simpson is absoulutely correct in asserting that there are a number of climbers on Everest and other high peaks that have no business being there and qualify only based on their fat wallets, but guess what, they assume the risk as well. The fact that their bodies litter Everest and K-2 is testament to the fact that this is a serious undertaking.
All this said, I really like Simpson as a writer. Most of this mountain literature is unreadable and he sets himself appart as an articulate and thoughtful person. I would probably suggest Into the Void over this book. It's also one hell of a movie

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ETHICS IN THE MOUNTAINS...

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Joe Simpson writes from the heart. He is clearly a man, as well as a mountaineer, of conscience. It is about time someone put into words, what many people are undoubtedly thinking. He explores the ethics of some of the bad behavior being exhibited today by some so called mountaineers. While the writing may be a little choppy at times, his message is a powerful one.

Conservationists should take heart. The author is disgusted by the conditions found on formerly pristine mountains. The once unsullied beauty of many of nature's wonders is being fouled by human detritus. The amount of garbage being left behind on Mount Everest by expeditioners is disgusting. Get off Everest, if you cannot or will not clean up after yourselves. There is no maid service on Mount Everest!

The author tackles head on the deplorable way that Sherpas and other native peoples are treated by expeditioners. Often ill clothed and ill equipped for the harsh climatic conditions found at higher altitudes, there is evidence of little regard for their welfare. In catering to an expeditioner's needs, however, these are the very people who make it possible for expeditioners to attain a certain level of physical comfort. Yet, when disaster strikes, they are often left to die by the mountainside by members of a throwaway society. How quickly some forget that it is the Sherpas who make expeditions possible, and who are oftentimes the unsung heroes when a calamity occurs. Talk about a thankless job!

It is incredible that human beings are so easily discarded, as if they were nothing more than a disposable can of soda. Putting a higher value on material goods, which can easily be replaced, or on a so called thrill over the life a fellow human being is one of Joe's pet peeves and rightly so! It is always startling to read that a climber has passed over or by the body of a still living, sentient human being, who is in distress or at the cusp of death, and not offered any assistance or succor to that person, but instead has raced on to try and summit or even just returned to one's relatively warm tent under the premise that there isn't much one can do. You have to wonder at the total self-absorption and lack of humanity inherent in that person. Joe calls these people to task in no uncertain terms.

Joe Simpson's feelings about mountaineering recall to mind some of those voiced by world class climber and Chamonix guide, Gaston Rebuffat, in his book "Starlight and Storm'. They both seem to share the same purity of vision and exultation in the climb itself. They both seem to share a belief in the brotherhood of the rope. Unfortunately, Gaston Rebuffat is no longer amongst us. One can only hope that Joe Simpson is not a lone voice crying in the wilderness.

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Whom is my Neighbour

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I am extremely fascinated by DARK SHADOWS FALLING. In this book about mountaineering, Mr Joe Simpson writes of his effort to understand why mountaineering ethical standards seem to have slipped to such low standards on Everest. (p203)

From his perspective, Everest is simply another holiday destination, just more expensive, as befits its size. Everyone benefits, exept of course the mountain. The most embarassing and humiliating aspect to me, as a person from an affluent western nation, is the disregard shown for the lives of others by people just like me. The author admonishes, _People from rich western nations showed what they really cared about - themselves._ (115)

Mr Simpson has written a first-rate apologetic in defense of the faith of mountaineering, and is calling for a return to the _essence of why we went to the mountains_. (28). The book is organized to support his quest to answer the question of why ethics on the mountain have fallen harder than an avalanche. A variety of answers are proposed in each chapter and bolstered by case studies. For example, the culprits offered in chapter 2 include overcrowding, human fallibility, incompetence, and unforgiving natural elements with little margin for error. On the other hand, Mr Simpson offers counter-examples that showcase the standard of ethics he promotes. This same chapter details the heroic effort of valiant rescuers. In this manner of arugument, counter-argument and case studies, media attention, monetary motives and an inhumane level of disregard are investigated.

Mr Simpson relates his own experiences as he prepares for a climb of the South Face of Pumori. Here he finds his ideals put to the test. Compromise is always a temptation and luck plays an important role in survival. Always the love and delight of the mountains radiates as he describes their solitude and beauty. If you are intested in mountaineering, adventure or ethics, this book may be interesting to you.

As is usually the case, my interest is in spiritual matters. Mr Simpson fits the role of a prophet quite smartly. Herr Doktor Gershom Scholem offered that important distinctive concepts, or philosphies, tend to have similar histories of development.

In this view, the first revelation expressing the fundamental contents of a religion is the greatest, the highest in rank. Mr Simpson points to the mountaineers that led the way, such as, Heinrich Harrer, first to ascend the fearsome North Face of the Eiger, whose book _The White Spider_ Joe read at the age of fourteen and was immediately hooked on its mesmerizing story.

As these distinctive ideas gain commerce, organizations evolve to husband their growth and assimilation. Strangely, the needs of the organization begin to overwhelm the message. The symbol becomes an icon. This is the stage to which mountaineering has apparently evolved, according to Mr Simpson. Pragmatism, greed and entertainment, Mr Simpson purports, is fast replacing the ethics of respect for the mountain and fellow climbers that were integral to the experience of the first mountaineers.

The stage that is on the horizon for mountaineering is marked by a break from the traditional authority as the _revolutionary mystics_ move forward with a new paradigm that validates the original concepts. As mountaineering enters this stage it will be interesting to see who champions the cause of Mr Simpson's clarion call to higher ethics. The candidates might include the Commercial Guides who are themselves fine mountaineers for the most part, the Nepalese Government who are torn between dour economics and a love for the natural beauty of their homeland. With deepest regret, in my opinion, the least likely candidate is someone like me. In particular, those Mr Simpson identifies as affluent westerners, the ones who reap the most benefit and yet, are instruments of the most harm at Everest.

I spend less time than I would like in the out-of-doors, and I have never, ever _mountaineered_. Even so, as I read DARK SHADOWS FAILLING, I am reminded of the ease with which my spiritual relationship may fall into disrepair. At times, the day-to-day activities overwhelm the ideal of my first, spiritual commitment. It is then that I find it helpful to return to the precepts that started my journey. For me, it is a blessing to be able to renew my spiritual commitment each day by setting aside a time for study and reflection. In this way, I feel that I might be fostering the original ethics.

PEACE