000			01940cam a22002298a 4500
001			026583
005			20231009193237.0
008			080306s2008 nyu 000 0 eng
010			_a 2007021477
020			_a9781401302733
040			_aDLC _cDLC
082	0	0	_a796.522 KOD
100	1		_aKodas, Michael
245	1	0	_aHigh crimes : _bthe fate of Everest in an age of greed _c/ Michael Kodas
260			_aNew York _b: Hyperion _c, c2008.
300			_a357 p.
504			_aIncludes bibliographical references and index.
520	3		_aJournalist Kodas has written a disturbing account of stupidity and greed on the slopes of Mount Everest. On assignment for the Hartford Courant in 2004, Kodas joined an expedition led by a couple who had summited the mountain more than a dozen times between them. As he moved up Everest, Kodas watched his expedition disintegrate in a mess of recriminations, thefts, lies and violence. At the same time, a sociopathic guide was leading a 69-year-old doctor to his death on the unforgiving slopes. The twin disasters led Kodas to delve into the commercialization of Mount Everest, and to discover that such experiences were becoming a depressing norm. A thorough reporter, Kodas does an excellent job exposing the ways in which money and ego have corrupted the traditional cultures of both mountaineers and their Sherpa guides. He also brings a painful focus to the delusions, misunderstandings and indifference that allow climbers to literally step over the bodies of dying people on their way to the top. Oddly enough, Kodas writes less ably about himself, and the reasons for his own expedition's collapse remain unclear; the sequencing of story lines is confusing as well. Nevertheless, his narrative is as hard to turn away from as a slow-motion train wreck.--Publisher´s Weekly.
650		0	_aMountaineering _x-Social aspects
650		0	_aMountaineering _x-Corrupt practices
942			_cMO
999			_c266513 _d266513