There are countless qualities that a person needs in order to scale Mount Everest, like a delicate balance of personal will and common sense, as well as a concern for their fellow climbers. Although these traits can lead a person to the top, they may also very well lead them to their death. When John Krakauer decided to take on the offer to climb the infamous mountain with Rob Hall and his team, he had already been experienced with climbing before. Unlike the author, the rest of the climbers in his team were either mildly experienced, or were new to extreme conditions on mountains like Everest. When I started the book, I thought that the most important aspect of making it to the top was having persistence, and the will to persevere, but as the book progressed, I started to learn that these qualities not only help a person get to the top, but may also be their demise. One would think that if someone chose to push his or her way to the top no matter what, he or she would be successful, but as the book continues, it becomes clear that the smarter ones are the people who have the will to stop short of the summit and turn around.
Although the guides are the most experienced ones on the mountain, throughout the book they act competitive towards each other in a race to get all of their clients to the top, and in doing so, they make several fatal mistakes. Rob Hall was the guide of Krakauer’s team, and throughout the book he displays his immense knowledge of climbing as well as his superior judgment. When first getting into the book, it seems that he is one of the wiser characters, but this turns as he becomes immersed in a race to bring his clients to the top. He competes with Scott Fischer, who is another tour guide scaling the mountain at the same time as him. Both of the guides are renowned for their ability to get their clients to the top, and by the end of the book this reputation is the reason that they push themselves too far. In the story, Hall leads Krakauer’s group to the summit, but thing go awry as soon as an unpredicted storm hits. The team decided to have a designated time in which they all leave the summit so that they have time to climb back down the mountain. Hall waits hours past the designated time in order to assist Doug Hansen, a returning guide that was unable to reach the summit on his last climb. Because of his loyalty towards his client, Hall winds up in the eye of the storm on top of the summit and slowly dies. This shows that a person with Hall’s loyalty and selflessness may seem like a valid candidate to climb the mountain, but in reality, these qualities brought him to his demise.
One must posses self control in order to scale the mountain, as well as the ability to be responsible for one’s self. In the story, Sandy Pittman displays the opposite of these qualities by performing several acts. Although she was there to document the trp, Sandy could have chosen to not carry as much equipment as she did. During the book, she has the sherpas carry most of her equipment up the mountain as she struggles with the climb completely empty handed. This act shows her inability to be responsible for herself, as well as her disregard for her teammates. As she struggles up the mountain, Pittman eventually becomes too weak to climb, and instead of stopping short of the summit, she attaches herself to Lopsang and has him hoist her up the mountain. By doing this, Pittman shows her inability to fend for herself, as well as bad judgment.
Throughout the book, Krakauer makes several good decisions that influence the reader to deem him as the most well rounded climber on the mountain. Through his acts, he displays a hint of selflessness, while still maintaining self-control. During his journey up the mountain, he assists his teammates several times, and emits a professional vibe. Although his displays a lot of selflessness, Krakauer earns his title as he most well rounded climb through his self centered decisions. One would think that that these acts would make him unsuccessful in his climb, but in reality, they are one of the main reasons for his safe return to the base camp at the end of the novel. Krakauer shows this quality during a part in which he has just reached camp after leaving the stormy summit. He is physically exhausted, and after finally returning to his tent, he is summoned by one of his teammates to bang pots and pans together to guide the rest of his teammates back to the camp. After being requested, Krakauer refuses to help because he is severely exhausted, and this turns out to be a smart decision. If Krakauer had not made this decision, he could have very well died in the midst of the storm sheerly because he had no energy left.
As one can see, there are a vast amount of qualities that a person may need in order to make it to the summit and back alive. After the book has run it’s course, the reader is left thinking about the decisions made by each character, and while some seem unnecessary, others seem very crucial to ones survival. Overall, there are numerous qualities that one can posses, but the most important ones are a will to survive, as well as maintaining control and not pushing one’s self past what is physically possible, and not relying solely on one’s teammates. These qualities will either bring a person back home safely, or forever glue them to the monstrous peak.