November 2015

I am an armchair adventure traveler. You would never find me on the top of Everest or diving beneath the sea, but reading about the intrepid souls who train and take on these challenges intrigues me. I remember the 1996 Everest disaster and the way it attracted worldwide attention as then the deadliest day on the mountain.

When Jon Krakauer’s INTO THIN AIR was published in 1997, I did not read it. Simple reason was that I had worked with Sandy Hill Pittman when I was at Mademoiselle magazine, and from colleagues who read it,  I heard she was particularly maligned by Krakauer. When you know someone who is in a book, you look at it with a different lens. Thus, when Lou Kasischke’s book, AFTER THE WIND, came onto my radar, I was happy to read it.

Lou wrote his book shortly after returning from Everest, and then he put it away in a drawer. More than a decade later, and with fresh perspective, he took it out and gave it a sharp edit. As a result, he has the advantage of a longer lens perspective on his writing. While many point to the storm as the reason that so many died on this trek, Lou hones in on a basic climbing tenet: the turnaround time. When climbing, getting down is as important as climbing up. You need to allow enough time and energy to return to camp. Lou feels strongly that if everyone had turned around at the agreed-upon time, they would have made it back to camp alive.

Reading AFTER THE WIND and watching the film Everest (which he was a consultant on; his character is portrayed in one short scene, the pivotal turnaround one), I agree with him. Lou turned around because of a promise he had made to his wife --- that he would return safely. He did, but he also handed off his climbing gear when he reached the bottom and never has climbed again. The experience was life-changing for him on many fronts.

While he shares many, many details of climbing in this book, I found the story easy to follow. It’s full of beautiful illustrations (there are 52 of them) done by Jane Cardinal that enhance the story. You can see some here. I read it in an afternoon, as I was pulled into the story and the narrative flowed smoothly. Lou also looks candidly at the cost of his climbing on his marriage and his relationship with his wife. The communication between them has its own important storyline.

By the way, I did read INTO THIN AIR after reading Lou’s book, as well as LEFT FOR DEAD by Beck Weathers, who was on the same expedition and was left for dead by his companions --- twice. I think Lou’s long-lens view makes it strong. Krakauer has said that he feels he suffers from PTSD from this trip --- and I think it shows in his writing. Lou had learned to tame his demons before he published. It makes for a cleaner and clearer read for the reader.