I hate rollercoasters. I can't imagine skydiving, bungee jumping, or riding a motorcycle. I not a big fan of flying, or even driving fast. In short, I am NOT a thrill-seeker. So maybe that's why I LOVE books about high-altitude climbing. It's an activity so far removed from what I'd ever consider doing that I find it absolutely fascinating. The idea that people purposely spend weeks in a location where their bodies slowly die while forcing themselves up a mountain, in mortal danger the entire time, for a 30-minute visit to the summit, is just unfathomable to me. And that is why the stories of those who do it interest me so much.
Ever since I read Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air on the recommendation of a friend, I've read many books on this subject. I've seen all the documentaries on PBS and various cable outlets, and even watched the cheesy movie adaptation of Krakauer's most famous book (my recommendation: use those 2 hours of your life to read the book instead).
Therefore, it was a no-brainer to pick up Michael Kodas's High Crimes. Kodas, a Connecticut journalist and amateur climber, was part of an expedition to Mount Everest in 2004. During his time on the mountain, he found danger well beyond the type inherent in climbing at extreme high altitude. Kodas documents rampant theft, violence, death threats, crass commercialism, indifference to suffering, prostitution, fraud, suspicious deaths, and on and on. He interweaves the story of his own failed attempt at the summit with tales of other expeditions that turned dark and/or deadly, and in doing so reveals a side to the Everest phenomenon that is not widely known outside the climbing world (or, at least, to me). It is a sobering book, and not a little depressing.
Prominently featured is the suspicious death of a Maryland doctor, Nils Antezana, a native of Bolivia who learned to fly planes at the Lee Airport off Rt. 50 and who came to climbing late in life. He was 69 years old when he died on Everest, allegedly left to die by the man he had hired to safely get him to the summit and back. His family's search for the truth of what happened to Antezana is a major part of the story here, and is a heartbreaking and mystifying tale.
Because Kodas is writing about so many expeditions and happenings on Everest, he jumps around in time a lot and there are a ton of names to remember. It gets a bit confusing at times, but not enough to detract from the reading experience. Those who prefer a more straight-line narrative style might not enjoy this writing style, but I didn't mind it. I recommend this for other "armchair mountaineers" and for those interested in the sordid side of what is generally viewed as a fairly noble sport. It's not a happy tale , but one worth reading, if only in order to have a more complete view of the mountaineering industry on Everest and other high peaks.
