While I may be alone in this sentiment, tones of this book’s introduction reminded me of Into Thin Air, namely the dramatic buildup to the “but that’s not really how it happened” blow. This may not be coincidence, as David Roberts was for some time a close mentor and teacher of Jon Krakauer at Hampshire College. However, the pupil seems to have missed a lesson or two, as I felt that Roberts’ approach to the subject of disaster and controversy was decidedly more tactful. And what disaster and controversy it was!!!

By all accounts, just reaching Annapurna’s feet was, well…a feat (ha!). During this period the only substantial departures from Herzog’s account seem to be details of little consequence and the model of ‘leadership’ that Herzog employed. It seems as though he legitimately felt he was the best man to be leading this expedition regardless of his relative (to the guides Terray, Lachenal, and Rebuffat) naivety in difficult high alpine climbing. This is important to note, but does not exclude the dictator from his mannerisms and actions. For example, the meeting during which Annapurna is decided on as the final destination is described in Lachenal’s diary as a “council” of war during which Herzog barely sought opinions, let alone heeded them, from ‘his’ guides. The tone of this comment is not positive, and Herzog’s resentment is obvious from his edits of Lachenal’s diary following his death. Similarly, Lachenal and Rebuffat’s description of this period of the trip is laden with phrasing suggesting Herzog’s overbearance and unwillingness to consider decisions democratically. Following their inauspicious reconnaissance of Dhaulagiri, the team actually made decent time to the base of Annapurna, considering the state of local infrastructure (there was none to speak of aside from rural agrarianism) and the total absence of accurate maps. Once on the mountain, sure the picture was not as rosy as Herzog painted it, but they made good progress. The summit push is where the substantial recasting of events becomes more obvious, with Herzog’s descriptions of events (and possibly more importantly, attitudes) differing from other members of the group. Here, I appreciated Roberts’ attention to detail in his analysis of why Lachenal, Rebuffat, and Herzog were so affected by frostbite during the day of the summit bid and the subsequent descent. For, undoubtedly the physical, emotional, and psychological damages from this experience were especially apparent in Herzog, and only to a slightly lesser extent in Lachenal. Herzog’s loss of toes and fingers has figured prominently in his description of his personal metamorphosis following Annapurna, figuring as a sort of sacrifice for his gained glory and knowledge. Roberts specifically cites medications (Maxiton specifically) alongside the technical apparel of the group as possible causes for such severe frostbite. The fact that team members were regularly taking sleeping pills and other meds on the mountain (including near-constant morphine administration during the trek home) is entirely omitted in Herzog’s account. No doubt, these and other facts appear to have been cut out to build a pedestal of untouchable competence, strength, and perseverance beneath the feet of expedition members.

As evidenced above, Lachenal’s diaries have served as an invaluable source of information from this expedition, as the man was somewhat meticulous and (especially on the descent) had a decent amount of time on his hands. However, even these were nearly expunged completely following Lachenal’s death in 1955 while skiing above Chamonix. Herzog, in an apparently genuine gesture, offered serve as ‘tuteur‘ for Lachenal’s widow and children. Herzog seems to have taken this duty seriously, but continued to disparage Lachenal’s temperament in private. Additionally, Herzog overtook editing of Lachenal’s journals and reflections, which he had begun the previous year and were due to be published soon. Herzog, his brother, and Lucien Devies picked through these volumes, leaving little of the original intact. This, along with nuggets like Herzog’s 1998 memoir, highlight the man’s obsession with his image, with the form of himself which he had so diligently romanticized for decades.