Nanda Devi: The Tragic Expedition

by John Roskelley

Book Overview

A powerful account of a famously tragic expedition.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380705680
• ISBN13: 9780380705689
• Release Date: January 1988
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Tragedy and Conflict

This is an exceptional book detailing a famous and tragic climb up Nanda Devi. What makes this book exceptional is not the detail of the tragedy but rather the lack of teamwork in this expedition and the author's role in the conflict. The closing remarks also frame the danger in being a high altitude climber as eventually 4 of the 13 members of this team die on the mountains in later years.This expedition had two leaders, uncommon for high altitude expeditions. Initial meetings detail disagreements in selection of climbers and goals for the climb. With no clear leader, these initial disagreements festered on the mountain and contributed to the partial failure of the expedition. But the unique perspective of this book is that the author appears to be the central antagonist in the disagreements. Now clearly, he writes from his perspective and supports his position in a no compromise, "perfection" oriented climbing method. But it's clear these conflicts are partially his fault as he has minimal compromising capabilities which exasperates the team leaders. I've never read a climbing adventure so centered on a conflict that ends in such tragic proportions.The characters on this climb are expertly described by the author and the expedition is described in detail. I hesitate to provide details of the climb so you might enjoy the excitement in the read but suffice to say, the most compelling human being on the mountain ends up in the most precarious fate. Read this book if you enjoy climbing or tales of adventure. You will not be disappointed.

A Classic in Mountaineering Literature

I read this several times during this past, hot Midwestern summer. Only "Into Thin Air" comes close to rivalling this book in suspense, calamity and pathos. An aspect of the 1976 Nanda Devi expedition that clearly speaks to the reader is the fact that, despite warnings and very dangerous signs that one or more members of the team are going to die, Unseold and company blunder on, into a frightening and God-forsaken Unknown impossible for the armchair adventurer to truly understand. This Unknown (in mountaineering terms read, "new route"), met with sickness and despair among most of the summit team, is perhaps the most appallingly dangerous and bleak terrestrial place I have encountered in literature not taken from the battlefield. You will be riveted, saddened, and ultimately perplexed by the wilfulness of humans to put themselves in such precarious spots. This is Roskelley's point, though. He is an adventurer, and the absurdity of what he does, if not blatantly obvious to himself, he makes an attempt to outline in the last chapter of the book. Mountaineering, it seems to me, is not so much foolishness and tempting of fate. It is within those utter human limits that Roskelley, Unseold, and company, for once, taste life.

Mythic Expedition

Destiny shaped this journey to India and the beautiful but treacherous Nanda Devi peak named for a Goddess in the remote Indian province of Garhwahl. It was as if each member of the expedition had a predestined role to play. Devi, the young namesake of the mountain; Roskelley, the savage achiever; Elliott, who left in fear; Evans, who arrived too late; Willi Unsoeld, leader, father divided in his role; Marty Hoey, who was saved for another day; and Andy Harvard, more romantic than mountaineer.The portents were grave from the outset. Their goals were unsettled, organization was poor, and the players were disparate. Devi is phenomenal in her energy and drive with a mystical connection to the mountain. The upper climb was fraught with endless avalanches, monsoon inspired storms and vertical rock faces. Roskelley miraculously achieved his summit goal. Two days later at Camp IV, Devi suddenly sickened, became drastically ill, murmured, "I am going to die" and expired. Her father had her wrapped in her sleeping bag, and after a short prayer "consigned her to the mountain." She has never been found. There are more than a few local people who think their goddess came back to them in living form to dedicate herself anew to the mountain.Roskelley tells this tale well, sometimes struggling to be fair and not always succeeding. The technical passages can be difficult for the average reader. (The book could have used a glossary of terms.) His writing style is passionate and driven, but wastes no words. It is his story and Devi's.

Not only about exploration, but about managing people

It may seem odd, but I often recommend this book to people who manage groups and projects. Nanda Devi is indeed the story of a Himalayan mountaineering expedition that resulted in death and injury, but it is more a story of how people lead and follow each other, in this case, in a life-and-death situation. Business management is not life-and-death, but the same frictions, malfunctions and mistakes apply to everyday life. So this book is not only fascinating for climbing and exploration history, it is valuable for a study of human nature. It's a valuable study for anyone interested in the art of leadership.Willi Unsoeld, an experienced mountain climber who had successfully conquered Everest, started this expedition along with his daughter Nanda Devi. Unsoeld had named his infant daughter for the most beautiful mountain he'd ever seen. Naturally, as a young climber and daughter of a prominent mountaineer, she was determined to climb her namesake.Right from the start, the co-leaders of the expedition disagreed fundamentally on everything from climbing style to food. Neither leader would take control, preferring instead to let members of the group make their own decisions and run a "mellow climb." The climb itself took place at a less-than-optimal time of year to accommodate one of the leaders, who had to wait for the end of the school year. The lack of strong, executive leadership split the entire expedition team into factions. Even simple decisions on evacuating members with altitude sickness became muddled and nearly ended in tragedy. This set the tone for the rest of the climb, and only the climbers who struck out for themselves or were extremely rugged ended up making it to the summit. Other members failed to summit or, in the case of Nanda Devi herself, lost her life on the mountain for which she was named.The Roskelly version of the expedition in this book caused lasting rifts in the climbing world. John Roskelly, the author of this book, was one of the climbers who did successfully reach the summit. There was lingering bitterness long after the expedition and the publication of the book. Everyone involved had their own version of what went wrong and who was to blame. Not only is this an exciting and well-told tale of an expedition, but the book highlights the behaviors that lead to the tragedy. While this book is one man's opinion of what happened, it is a good look into what can go deathly wrong when leadership is mishandled. Other good books to read with a similar theme are Roland Huntford's Last Place on Earth, which contrasts the leadership styles of Scott and Amundsen in the race to the South Pole, and Krakauer's Into Thin Air, the story of another tragic Himalayan climb.

THE EXPEDITION FROM HELL...

This is a gripping chronicle of the 1976 Indo-American Nanda Devi Expedition which saw the author, Lou Reichardt, and Jim States summit Nanda Devi, a 26,000 foot plus peak located in the northwest frontier of India. They succeeded in making one of the most technically demanding climbs in the Himalayas. They also survived one of the most acrimonious and tragic of expeditions, as it ended with the needless death of Nanda Devi Unsoeld, daughter of mountaineering legend, Willi Unsoeld, who was co-leader of the expedition. Named after the mountain which her father so loved, Nanda Devi Unsoeld was consigned in death to her namesake. It was she who had been the driving force in the creation of the expedition, spurred on by her desire to climb the mountain for which she had been named, not knowing that death would await her on its slopes.This expedition, which was replete with mountaineering greats, started off on the wrong foot, as it had two co-leaders, Willi Unsoeld and Ad Carter, neither of whom was willing to take a real leadership role and make decisive decisions. This saw the expedition fracture into two groups, with a great deal of acrimony between the two, as a philosophical divide developed. The author paints a picture of what life was like on this expedition. It is a no holds barred portrait, warts and all, unflattering to the author, as well as to others on this expedition. While Roskelley was clearly a mountaineer of superior ability, as compared with others on the team, it is probable that his brusque manner helped to divide the expedition into what was perceived to be the "A" and "B" teams. It was the delivery, I surmise, and not the message, which rankled others and prompted them to behave badly which they, undoubtedly, did during the course of the expedition.What is inexplicable to me, however, is Willi Unsoeld's handling of his daughter's illness on the expedition, and his behavior at her mysterious and unexpected death on the mountain. One would expect more from an expedition leader, never mind a father. It is almost as if he relished consigning her to the mountain in death, with all its mystical implications. A sad end for a being who in life was beautiful and joyous, yet certainly the stuff around which legends are created. In fact, some believed that the goddess Nanda Devi had been reborn as Wlli Unsoeld's daughter, living as a mortal and unaware of her divinity, until she returned to her home, the mountain for which she had been named.The book is written in lean, spare prose, with enough mountaineering lore and tidbits to engage all climbing enthusiasts, as well as readers who simply love a good adventure story.