Friday, November 11, 2011

Everest, The Really Hard Way -- Jonathan Hanson

Rating: ****

Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, with over 2000 successful climbs but more than 130 deaths. For accomplished mountaineer Tom Whitaker, climbing has become tougher, but not impossible, after a car accident took his right leg in 1979. He doesn't believe that his handicap should allow people to coddle him, or think that he can't climb the tallest peak on Earth.

Whitaker was the first amputee to have exceeded 8000 metres when he climbed North Ridge in 1995. Unfortunately, because he had troubles maneuvering over the rocky terrain, he didn't complete the climb. However, he has not been discouraged from being the first amputee to climb to the top of Mount Everest.

I liked this article because it shows how important it is to not give up. For some people, losing a limb would seem like the end of their old life, but for Tom, it was just another mountain to climb over in life. He pushed himself and didn't use his disbility as an excuse to give up.


Hanson, Jonathan. "Everest, The Really Hard Way". Outside Magazine. May 1998. Page 36. Print.

No comments:

Post a Comment