Sean Gursky reviewed Ultimate high by David Lagercrantz
Review of 'Ultimate high' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
"Bye for a while," I said to no one.
This book came as a recommendation based on my most recent trio of mountaineering books. I was warned the story was a bit rough in how it was written but what it lacked in polish made up in the story. Thanks Scott, you weren't wrong, and this recommendation was excellent.
Kropp isn't a writer who climbs mountains, Kropp is an adventure enthusiast who wrote about his experience. The story is not as refined as others but until I can bicycle from Sweden to Mount Everest, survive the 1996 disaster and then cycle home I have no place to judge.
Let's get to the book.
If the goal of mountaineering was just to save time and effort, then I would have been satisfied scaling Everest with the Saab aircraft. But my goal was not just to cover a certain distance in the …
"Bye for a while," I said to no one.
This book came as a recommendation based on my most recent trio of mountaineering books. I was warned the story was a bit rough in how it was written but what it lacked in polish made up in the story. Thanks Scott, you weren't wrong, and this recommendation was excellent.
Kropp isn't a writer who climbs mountains, Kropp is an adventure enthusiast who wrote about his experience. The story is not as refined as others but until I can bicycle from Sweden to Mount Everest, survive the 1996 disaster and then cycle home I have no place to judge.
Let's get to the book.
If the goal of mountaineering was just to save time and effort, then I would have been satisfied scaling Everest with the Saab aircraft. But my goal was not just to cover a certain distance in the shortest possible time; I wanted to prove something.
Kropp's motivation to manage his Everest expedition entirely on his own is one part crazy and another part admirable. The mystique and religious experience the mountains hold are not lost on Kropp and his reverence towards them is front and centre in the book. His motivation to return to what mountaineering is and without large expeditions is idyllic and does make a strong argument for who should, or shouldn't, climb deadly mountains.
This book was an adventure and Kropp is the definition of motivation. His commitment to prove something to himself was incredible and while his 'no outside help from others' principle was more detrimental to himself than anything, you have to admire his focus on sticking to that goal.
Nowadays, there are no blank spots on the map, no new places on the globe to discover, and God knows how long it will take before a new generation of discoveries sets out on journeys through space. I wish I could be one of them.
Kropp's year long journey was very existential, which scratches a personal literary niche I have. I suspect it's nearly impossible not to be a bit introspective as each day you question your purpose and find the strength to just keep on pushing yourself.
Had Kropp bicycled to Everest, submitted without issue and biked home this would have been an incredible story. But he did it in May 1996, perhaps the most documented climbing season on Mount Everest. There was so much chaos, confusion and controversy on that summit push all perspectives from that time are appreciated.
When I complain about the distance of a multiday hike I will think of Kropp and how much willpower and fortitude he demonstrated day in and day out on this insane personal adventure.