A Denali tragedy

If you enjoyed Into Thin Air: a personal account of the Mount Everest disaster by Jon Krakauer (and the copies in our system have been checked out 149 times, so there's a lot of you out there), then you might enjoy our new book for the day. Forever on the Mountain: the truth behind one of mountaineering's most controversial and mysterious disasters, by James Tabor chronicles the disapperance and failed rescue attempts involving a 1967 expedition up Denali (or Mount McKinley, as it was known then). Trapped by one of Denali's famous storms, seven members of a 12-person expedition died in the snow. Tabor uses interviews, diaries and government documents to piece together the events surrounding the disaster and the official (and non-official) responses. Tabor lays bare infighting amongst the expedition members - especially following the disaster - and bureaucratic cover-ups in this gripping story. He is a well-known writer on the outdoors, and it's obvious that he has little sympathy for people who have attempted to shield themselves from criticism, especially the decision makers in the Park Service. It's also clear that he admires the local volunteers who tried to rescue the stranded climbers and were briefly trapped by stormy weather themselves. This is a gripping read that you will find hard to put down.