Dickinson, in my opinion, did a better job than Krakauer at writing for the non-climbing audience, perhaps because he isn't really a climber at all. He doesn't use much jargon, and when he does - "the Death Zone," for example, which was the UK title of this book - he defines his terms. He also answers a lot of the questions non-mountaineers and armchair adventurers have about climbing; for once and for all, he explains why climbers dread calls of nature above 8,000 meters, as just one example.

Dickinson writes very differently than most climbers, especially the ones who have written about Everest 1996. His narrative retains the tension and, in some places, tragedy that are common to the best expedition accounts, but he also uses humor in places where it's appropriate. I found myself laughing out loud in several places. The Other Side of Everest is also different in that it doesn't have the haunted, agonizing tone that Into Thin Air did, perhaps because Dickinson was farther from the tragedies, relatively speaking, or perhaps just because he waited longer than Krakauer did to write about it. Also, The Other Side is an account of a successful, "easy" Everest climb, not a disaster, which changes the perspective and the tone a lot from the other books about the 1996 season.

In additional to the Everest-disaster-season story, The Other Side has another story to tell: how a non-climber got to the top of the world. Dickinson's case of summit fever drives him to the top of a mountain he didn't really expect to climb - after all, he's clumsy even at sea level - and so his book is a good look at the way normal people with little mountaineering experience (i.e., commercial expedition members) handle high-altitude climbs - and, to the extent that it can be explained at all, why.

This book was written by a film director, so perhaps it isn't a surprise that the pictures are so good, but it's lovely anyway. I'm also pleased that the publishers sprung for two different insets of color photos, at least in the hardcover edition; some of them are truly breathtaking.

In short, The Other Side of Everest is well worth reading for all lovers of adventure travel and climbing writing; even those who feel they've read Everest to death should enjoy this one. The book is a welcome addition to climbing literature, and would give pleasure on almost anyone's bookshelf.

12 of 12 found the following review helpful:


Everest '96 again but with a refreshing new slant  Jul 27, 2000 By Simon Jackson
Much has been written about Mount Everest 1996 and indeed the debate that was initiated not just by the events on the mountain but by the accounts of it primarily in Krakauer's Into Thin Air and Boukreev's The Climb continues. The Other Side of Everest (The Death Zone in England and Australia - don't but the same book twice!) adds to our knowledge of May '96 while at the same time does not attempt to mimic other accounts or indeed to enter the understandably emotive arena of claim and counter claim that personifies the 1996 Everest season.

Matt Dickinson, a film maker, writer and novice climber attempted Everest by its North Face. Essentially a cameraman there to film the English actor Brian Blessed's third attempt on the mountain, Dickinson writes with a refreshing honesty regarding his motivations, his fears and his almost lack of climbing skill. The result is an excellent account of the climb that enables the reader - particularly those of us whose highest peak is a flight of stairs - to get an understanding of the reality not just of climbing in general but of climbing Everest in May of 1996.

Most people will read this book after Boukreev and Krakauer have stimulated their interest in Everest. If this is the case you might also want to take a look at Everest: Mountain Without Mercy, a stunning IMAX pictorial account of the '96 climb. Furthermore, if like me you're now hooked on the whole subject of mountaineering then do a search for the books of Joe Simpson and Andrew Greig, you won't be disappointed.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:


Another one for the Everest library  Aug 15, 2000 By Cat
Like many who started with Krakauer's Into Thin Air, I've now read a number of Everest stories, including more than one eye-witness account of the 1996 storm. Dickinson's story includes another description of the 1996 storm, but from the North rather than the South side of the mountain. Because of the different approach, Dickinson is not able to add detail or first-hand opinions on the disaster that played out on the South Col. However, Dickinson's account is well worth adding to the library for several reasons: it is well-written and humorous, it provides interesting information on the North route (the one attempted by Mallory and Irvine), and, more than any of the other Everest books I have read, it describes the conditions on Everest in such a way that a non-climber, like me, can almost imagine what it must be like to be so high, with so little air, in such cold. As he is quick to admit, Dickinson is not a high-altitude climber. He came to Everest to direct a documentary film about climbing the mountain, but initially did not intend to attempt the summit himself. Because he was a novice at high-altitude, Dickinson is able to describe the surprising sensations of oxygenless and extreme cold more convincingly than others, such as Boukreev, who almost assumes familiarity with such matters. At least for this armchair climber, these details are at least as fascinating and exciting as the dramatic story playing out on the South Col. And of course, because Dickinson did summit Everest and did return to tell the story, there is plenty of human drama and climbing excitement. I highly recommend this account.

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:


gripping account -- better than I expected  Oct 06, 2000 By M. H. Bayliss "book queen"
I'm starting to feel like an Everest junkie after reading Into Thin Air and watching the IMAX account of that climb. I was skeptical that this book would add anything, so I guess it pleasantly surprised me. Because Dickinsin is not an "expert" climber, I enjoyed his open and honest perspective into climbing. As the scrappy guy, he surprises everyone by actually gaining strength and being able to attain the summit.

This book has even more blow by blow detail than Into Thin Air. If you are interested in just how hard it is to make every step towards the top, this book will take you there. It's the closest many of us will get to any task of this magnitude. Plus, this book offers a new and interesting perspective: the NORTH face of the mountain, a tougher climb in many respects. As such, it serves as an excellent companion to Into Thin Air for its complimentary perspective. I enjoyed the vivid details of this book from the extraordinary sherpas to the feisty yak herders to the accounts of bowel evacuation on a high mountain. There are also some interesting personal insights. In short, an excellent read, well written and very detailed. I feel out of oxygen from the last 40 pages.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:


Yep, another one - still holding the interest  Mar 21, 2000 By saliero
I read this after Krakauer and Boukreev's stories, and found it every bit as gripping. Must admit to having become a fanatical armchair Everesteer, and it has to be a pretty bad book to not hold my interest (Lene Gammelgard manages though!) And, yes, it is called 'The Death Zone' in the English and Australian editions at least.

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