The article from Barcott and The White Spider could not have given more opposing views on mountaineering. Barcott claims that climbers are motivated by aspirations for authorship yet, The White Spider does not seem be a tale of the heroism of Harrer. Instead, it was history of the North Face of the Eiger, as well as a cautionary tale. This is in direct contradiction to Barcott’s argument. Barcott has a wholly pessimistic view of climbers and their motivations for ascension. It seems that Harrer’s need to write a book comes from more than just seeking fame, he sees it as his duty to inform others on the dangers of mountaineering, and point out the mistakes that climbers have made while ascending the Eiger.

Each climber in the book was represented to have more than average climbing abilities. Some were cited as being amongst the best, yet many of their attempts resulted in tragic death; some of which could have been avoided. The book stresses teamwork and the importance of knowing the mountains’ climbing history and key features. Harrer chastises Corti for not understanding these key principles, which resulted in the death of his three companions. A major theme that Harrer is trying to convey is that many of the deaths were caused by negligence. Climbers consistently underestimated the difficulty of the mountain, leaving major equipment behind, as well as not turning back when they should have. Harrer’s experiences as one of the first ascenders, was successful, not only due to skill, but also because they worked very well as a team and put each others’ risk on par with their own (something that Corti seemed to have not seen as essential).

The White Spider brilliantly brought forth the honor of climbing. The poor souls who lost their lives climbing the North Face were written with honor. Each story was written of as if Harrer understood that their tragedy could have been the legacy of any climber. The bond, which first class climbers share, is also expressed beautifully. Climbers looked after each other. In the case of the 1957 ascent, the two parties met and joined forces. Even with a language barrier and the fact that one party had lost all their gear, there is a certain comradery that exists between climbers. No other book thus far in this course has expressed the brotherhood of climbers that Harrer describes. Each ascent and each attempt was looked on with respect by the author, save the Corti ascent. It seems that Harrer is trying to convey that each climber deserves to be respected and remembered well.

It seems to be a stigma amongst many non-climbers that if someone ends up in a disastrous situation while in the wilderness they were dumb, complacent, or unskilled. This is expressed in The Tragedy of Tony Kurz, an expert mountaineer who endured much suffering before his death. Media took to calling him a coward and a complainer. Harrer combats this by expressing how great each mountaineer was, in contrast with how the mountain refused to allow an ascent. A major topic within this class concerns the “selfishness” of climbers. Are climbers selfish for putting rescue team bodies in harms way because the climber underestimated the mountains? The White Spider puts this question to rest. The rescue teams who were expected to search for the lost climbers seemed to hold no reservations of risking their own lives for the sake of a fellow sportsman. This book seems to have provided more subject matter to discuss than previous books and I anticipate class discussion this week.