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 enlarge | Author: James M. Tabor
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $7.85
You Save: $19.10 (71%)
New (34) Used (24) from $7.85
Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 49633
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.6
ISBN: 0393061744
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.52209798
EAN: 9780393061741
ASIN: 0393061744
Publication Date: July 16, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Who do we blame for a natural tragedy? October 9, 2007
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
The seven who died on Denali were likely doomed at the moment the five on top decided to go for the summit. They couldn't have known that, because they had no idea about the weather headed their way. Neither did anyone else, apparently. (Even if someone had hinted at a storm, the storm that hit was extraordinary.)
I had a hard time understanding why Wilcox was the target of blame for the tragedy. Even if all of the criticisms of the expedition are accepted, they seem to have little causal relation to the deaths on the mountain. His decisionmaking should be judged based on the situation as it unfolded, not as we now know it ultimately would unfold. Only his failure to call for a full rescue effort at the first opportunity may have made a difference, yet that gets little play. The failure of Park Service officials to appreciate the emergency and act promptly is troubling, yet there remains a serious question as to whether that would have ultimately made a difference.
I knew nothing about the 1967 disaster before I read this book, so all of my views are formed by its contents. My primary criticism is the effort to reconstruct conversations for which there is no living witness. Tabor would have been better to describe his conjectures without the level of false precision implicit in his faux dialogue or description of their actions during the storm. Even though a reasonably careful reader would not be misled, it puts the reader needlessly on guard, even during the eyewitness accounts.
 pursuits & dreams October 8, 2007
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book is thought provoking because it reveals so many things. In trusting the author's information, it reinforces some conclusions which follow us everywhere in life. Here are some: Not many will pursue the summit of life although some will admire you for going there. Every weakness is exposed the higher you climb to your pursuits & dreams. In most cases, there is little or no joy in reaching your summit without significant people there to enjoy it with you. Unity is paramount in any successful endeavor and of course the opposite is also true, disunity will destroy it. The more you ascend and gain different eyesight, the more inspiring, beautiful, amazing & majestic things become but those are the same things that, if not respected, can take your life. After finding myself in an almost tragic event in the Pacific Ocean, it is easy to understand how this expedition found themselves so quickly in serious, life threatening situations. As I finished the final pages of this book just a couple of hours after traveling through Kalispell, Montana, I realized this is where James Tabor interviewed Howard Snyder. I was meant to read this book. As a final thought, while in this earthly body, we were not designed to live "FOREVER ON THE MOUNTAIN" top. T.F. tommy@lafayettefirst.com
 Dissapointing September 26, 2007
17 out of 30 found this review helpful
Having significant personal experience with many of the Alaskans identified in the book, I found this book very misleading. The Park Headquarter's staff made easy targets for the author. What a terrible injustice Tabor has done to the memory of those individuals and to their families who had no opportunity to defend themselves from his callous charecterizations. The most experienced mountain experts and rescue team members came to the conclusion and reiterated their belief that the weather, their location and their level of experience put these men in an unsurvivable situation. The park headquarters who had not launched a summer rescue in several years - like everyone involved did all they could. They grieved with the families and friends of these men.
I agree with an earlier reviewer - If you want to "hear" the real story and not a fictionalized version meant to create a hero/villian scenario that might make an appealing movie, read either White Winds by Joe Wilcox and Hall of the Mountain King by Howard Snyder - first hand accounts of the tragedy. White Winds in my opinion is the most thorough account.Forever on the Mountain: The Truth Behind One of Mountaineering's Most Controversial and Mysterious Disasters
Don't waste your money September 25, 2007
11 out of 23 found this review helpful
If you want to learn the facts behind this climbing tragedy read White Winds by Joe Wilcox and Hall of the Mountain King by Howard Snyder, actual climbers who were there. This book is a weak effort to create controversy where none existed.
There are enough facts in Tabor's book to give it the appearance of truth but those facts are overshadowed by obvious fallacies, among them out-of-context quotes, manufactured conversations that could not have been--and weren't--recorded and unsupported assumptions by the author.
Tabor seems to want mimic Jon Krakauers' epic study of the tragedy on Everest with the goal of his own movie deal but he has neither the chops to write it nor the facts to support his assertions.
A Compelling Read September 20, 2007
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
I have just finished Forever on the Mountain and found it an absorbing, compelling read on so many levels. Great writing! I am not a climber but I do enjoy good adventure literature. This book is full of memorable people and I found Mr. Tabor's reconstruction and conclusions about what happened to be logical and believable. He made several references to his own personal experiences as a climber and former police officer that added an extra dimension and credibility to the book for me-I like that the author revealed how his background influenced his approach to thinking, investigating and writing about this tragedy.
I must say that the single most baffling character in this book was Don Sheldon, the pilot. He may have been a terrifically gifted pilot but his acumen and judgement were certainly questionable.
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