When I want to escape "real life" through a book, one about scaling one of Earth's 8,000 meter mountains does the trick and this one is no exception. I loved this book on a different type of expedition to climb Mount Everest. Here is my review of "The Third Pole."
Title/Author: “The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession and Death on Everest” by Mark
Synnott
Rating: 4 ½ of 5 stars (excellent)
Review: Even with today’s guided climbs of Mount Everest which result in
even novice climbers reaching the summit of the world’s tallest mountain, the
peak still inspires wonder and even a mystery. It was a mystery that was nearly
100 years old that inspired the author of this book, Mark Synnott, to undertake
an expedition on Everest and his account of this made for a great engrossing
book. Add in stories of other climbers and the reason why he wanted to solve
this mystery makes it a gripping read as well.
The mystery is a question of who were truly the first climbers to
reach Everest’s peak. History shows that
it was Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953, but nearly thirty years earlier, two British
explorers, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine, attempted the feat. They were last seen 800 feet short of the
summit and Irvine allegedly had a Kodak camera that would have shown if they
had reached the top and taken photos. That had never been proven one way or
another, not even when Mallory’s body was found in 1999. Since Irvine’s body and the camera had never
been found, Synnott became part of a 2019 expedition that want to answer the
question. This expedition would not only
be human but also use drones for recording and filming any evidence of Mallory
and Irvine reaching the summit.
What evolves is not only what Synnott and the other team members
endure on the mountain and at ground level (bureaucratic red tape by the Chinese
government) but also an excellent critique of other aspects of scaling Everest. One of the best sections on topics not
related to Synnott’s expedition is his description of the exploitation of the
work done by sherpas. He tells of their dangerous work and the inadequate recognition
and respect given to them. However, many
people will risk their lives and their relationships for this occupation as the
payout will often make a sherpa financially set for the rest of their life. He also includes a nice explanation of the
general use of the word “sherpa” against the culture of the Sherpas in Nepal.
A reader who is not familiar with the climb by Mallory and Irvine
will learn about it and the two climbers with enough information to understand
why Synnott wanted to make this trek. This
isn’t everything known about them, however, and there are other books on them
if the reader wants to know their complete story. These bits about them are woven into the book
at different times and it will require careful reading to keep their stories
apart from those of the other climbers, but it is worth the time to do so.
Adventures and results of other climbers are also interspersed in
the book, both for those who reached the summit and survived and for those who
perished. The stories are personal,
engrossing and will evoke many emotions for readers. One in particular that covers the gamut of
these emotions is the climb by a British woman named Kamaljeet Kaur, who went
by the name “Kam.” After a brutal gang
attack and subsequent depression, Kam used climbing as her therapy and it led
her to Everest, where she eventually reached the top but nearly died in the
process. The writing of her story is not
only hard to put down, but hard to read at times. However, it is one that illustrates what
makes this book so good for any reader who likes adventure or mountaineering
books. And the result of Synnott’s expedition?
No spoilers here – pick up the book to find that out and be prepared to
be drawn into the wonder of Mount Everest.
I wish to thank Dutton Books for providing a copy of the book in
exchange for an honest review.
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