Freedom Climbers

This book was hard for me to rate. The topic is fascinating. The people that are the focus of this book are/were truly awe-inspiring. However, it was extremely difficult for me to acclimatize (see what I did there) to MacDonald's writing style. For a good chunk of the beginning of the book, I was having a hard time keeping people and facts straight. There's an avalanche (yes, I went there) of information that necessitates note-taking and charts, and as a casual reader, I neither had the time nor the energy for that.This book falls somewhere around a 3.5/5 for me, but points are due and rounded up for making me feel! A lip quivered! In all seriousness, parts of this book (notably the second half) were amazing and had me unable to put the book down. The Polish climbers were truly incredible and in a league of their own. The details of their climbs had me thinking, "That sounds terrible," more often than not.I'll end my review with a quote by Wanda Rutkiewicz that I feel is ever-appropriate:“We should not presume to judge those who seek out danger on the world’s highest places or demand to be told the meaning of what they do. Simply, when they pay the ultimate price for their passion, we should remember them…”

This was a great read. It really shed light on a important chapter in mountaineering namely the Polish golden age. It shows you how much courage and dedication these climbers had. They had so many first ascents despite all the odds being stacked against them (poor equipment, difficult financing, iron curtain bureaucracy, etc..). Jerzy Kukuczka has lost the close race against Reinhold Messner to be the first person to climb all 14 8000+ meter peaks. But he did it in such style with first ascents, or winter ascents on a lot of them that one can really see him as a greater climber.It brings you back to the essence of climbing, which is about companionship and the desire to push the limit and discover yourself through the process. It's also about the style in which you do it. Reaching the summit is one thing but the way you achieve that is everything.

This book is a must-read to anyone with an interest in mountaineering literature. I had never heard of any of the climbers in the book but was fascinated with the context of their stories; that is to say, east bloc climbers during the cold war leaving their situations in Poland behind (temporarily) to stake their claims to fortune and fame in various mountain expeditions broad.Macdonald has succeeded in creating a nuanced and layered book, which at the same time is thoroughly engaging and gripping.I read this almost in a single sitting on my kindle.

Spectacular book that delves into not only the climbing achievements of Polish climbers but also the trials and tribulations of climbing during the communist era.

Freedom Climbers The book is more than just about climbers even if it admires them and tells their life stories. One can learn a lot of european history and how people in one country related to the outside world. It explains their attitudes and motives.That is a story about human ambitions and destiny, love and death.I enjoyed it, made a gift of it to my son and plan to buy another copy for my daughter.

A truly excellent book, whether or. Ot you are a climber or climbing aficionado, the insightful and sensitive portrayals of complex characters and their relationships are excellent. E author manages to interleave really powerful stories of climbing achievement in a way easily understood by anyone with resonant and fascinating biographical details. The context of the different socioeconomic environments of climbers from different countries superbly highlight the impacts this has on the motivations of the personalities.

been on the lookout for a book on Jerzy Kukuczka .this book is a masterpiece on him its lucid ,detailed and written with a feeling.as a big bonus the exploits ,heroism,and dedication of Wanda Rutkiewicz is an icing on the cake

This is a really gripping mountaineering, humans-dealing-with-adversity, inspiring story. I'm an avid reader of books by and about mountaineers, and this is a valued addition to my library. I read it straight through.

This is quite a unique mountaineering book. Bernadette McDonald has conducted a thorough investigation on the success of the polish climbing community. The main body of the book is hers trying to find the reasons behind the big boom in Himalayan climbing done by the Poles. There is a lot of information on the historic, political and social background of the most famous polish climbers of the 80s-90s. The author did a lot of research and this resulted in a brilliant analysis of polish climbing pioneers.Reading the book is a little bit like reading a dry report, however, and I found it lacking in excitement. It is not necessarily a bad thing - this is simply the style of the book. The description of astonishing first ascents and many tragedies is almost devout of any emotions. The deaths of many are mentioned off-handedly. Perhaps it is because the author was writing the analysis as an "outsider" and did not have personal connection with most of the climbers.I was slightly confused (being polish myself) by spelling of the names. Some were spelled in polish (Wanda - read Vanda), some in phonetic English (Voytek - polish Wojtek). I think it would be helpful to all English readers to have some little notes on how to pronounce each name.Ueli Steck apparently said that Himalayan winter ascents are reserved for Poles and Russians, and that anyone going to Nanga Parbat in winter [unclimbed so far] must be insane. Needless to say, there is a new expedition planned for winter ascent of Nanga Parbat for 2016 by two polish climbers, Adam Bielecki and Jacek Czech.

Very surprised when I read this book. I'd read the usual reviews but I must admit Freedom Climbers is a different take on the Himalayas history of climbing the high mountains. The first chapter advises the reader how the Polish climbers faced austerity and fashioned the future climbing challenges of this excellent climbers. Truly inspirational, awesome book ... I couldn't put the book down until I got to the back cover. A must for any mountaineering buff x

One of the best climbing books I have read - almost up there with 'Touching The Void' & 'The White Spider', also & 'Paths of Glory'.

Couldn't put the book down. Must read for the enthusiasts of mountaineering books.This book presents some of the greatest climbers in the history of climbing & for me the best climber ever: Jerzy Kukuczka.The book not only shows their great achievements & first winter ascents in the hardest conditions possible, but also the reality of their daily lives in communist regime.The author had done a great research about the climbers.

Great book!!!