Eiger Dreams

Eiger Dreams: Ventures among men and mountains

by Jon Krakauer

Eiger Dreams is a collection of non-fiction essays originally published in 1990. Many of the writings were previously published in magazines like Outside in the mid-80s, so the book is sometimes dated. I expected to read pages of often captivating and always gritty alpine climbing stories based on the title. Eiger Dreams does not disappoint, starting with climbing the North Face of the Eiger in the Alps and later an essay on the thirteen deaths in one climbing season on K2 in 1986 as well as a particularly disgusting ice cave at 17,200 feet on Denali. Krakauer is adept at capturing various places and characters within just a sentence or two, especially on his adventures in pretentious Chamonix, France in Chamonix.

Wedged between alpine climbing stories, ice climbing in Valdez, and a semi-dull bit on Canyoneering, are several personal portrait pieces. These range from the zen-like mathematician/bouldering expert John Gill to two misfit (and often irksome) climbing brothers to The Flyboys of Talkeetna alpine pilots. There are more than a few history lessons mixed in the writings, including A Mountain Higher Than Everest? And reminders on the mundane details of alpine climbing expeditions (but even somewhat relatable for the casual backpacker) in On being tentbound.

The natural inclination is to compare this Krakauer essay collection to one of his other books like his classic Into Thin Air about the 1996 Everest disaster or more recently, his scathingly well-done book Missoula about sexual violence on college campuses. Eiger Dreams is not my favorite Krakauer read by far, but it stands on its own as a masterfully written collection with some essays more engrossing than others. It also makes for a very quick read by a warm fire as you read about epic storms and frostbite.

Krakauer’s own solo climb up The Devil’s Thumb in Alaska at age 23 ends the book on a story of personal triumph but also one of incredible risk, which defines many of Krakauer’s future books like Into Thin Air and Into the Wild.

“It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough it is your God-given right to have it.”