A Slender Thread: Escaping Disaster In The Himalaya

by Stephen Venables

Together with Chris Bonington and other distinguished British climbers, Stephen Venables was high on the unclimbed and sacred mountain of Panch Chuli when, at 1am on a dark Himalayan night, his abseil failed and he fell catastrophically, somersaulting from rock to rock and landing, seriously-wounded, at the end of a rope suspended above a 50-degree icefield. This is the story of his arduous and almost miraculous survival, and of the brilliant, committed teamwork which brought him to safety.

Genres: Adventure, Nonfiction, Mountaineering, Climbing, Travel, Biography, Memoir

237 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Patrick Carroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

This shows both how quickly disaster can occur and then how a situation can reverse from disaster to rescue when the odds appear insurmountable, basically depending on the skill of a helicopter pilot. I suppose I'm seeking some explanation as to why people want to climb and in such isolated areas ? I've come to the conclusion it isn't really explicable, though the concept of "flow" when doing something well against the consequences of a mistake are probably central drivers however it doesn't feel like it is actually about the risk? We'll written and you get a real sense of the fine balance between success and disaster.

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of climbing writing generally and have read of some of Venables exploits via other writers previously. This climbing narrative manages to incorporate so many other facets without loosing coherence. Economics, geography, history, politics, flora to mention but a few. The disaster aspect reads well and the rescue helicopter pilots performed a remarkable feat. However the book is satisfying overall not just the rescue - I'm going to look at another climbing book by Venables.

[Peter Corrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Amazon review on July 5, 2017: An honest account

I thought this was a good book, not great perhaps but definitely engaging. It turns out I had read it before but it took until the near end and the Chile expedition that I realized it. A sure sign of my own growing senility? (is there a less debasing term for that?). Anyway, at least if I review it I can have a record. The book is certainly interesting from the perspective that it is not another Everest tale. There are many other mountain areas far less covered than Everest obviously, but the remote and somewhat undiscovered Pan Chuli region of India is fascinating and the pictures are beautiful. That may be a good thing when you read about the literal garbage and dung heap that Everest has become. The descriptions of the early (Heinrich Harrer) expedition to Pan Chuli are interesting and the descriptions of the terrain and glaciers are good. Yet there are a lot technical mountain climbing terms which can be difficult for the non-expert (such as myself). For instance, I had to look up abseiling to really understand something of how that works. Some of these climbing books would benefit from a primer and a few diagrams of how various systems and techniques work. Despite the terrible accident described in the book, the saddest parts deal with his and his wife's realization of their son's autism at a time when that was a somewhat novel thing. There are some really interesting reflections on the purpose of mountain climbing and indeed life itself which seemed honest and true. You can die on a 7,000 meter hill or around the next bend.

[Oggie Ramos · Rating 1 out of 5]

I went ahead and read the book in one sitting inspite of what some reviewers here noted. I had to agree that it was somewhat dull. The premise was promising but the unraveling of events and storytelling was insipid and unexciting. Either the editor who wrote the prologue was exaggerating or baiting when he said the book belongs to the mantle of such incredible company such as Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air", et al. Nothing could be farther than this. Maybe it was the author's self-admitted difficult personality that made the storytelling bland. Imagine, instead of being grateful for the ever-patient wife for helping the author ease back into everyday life with broken legs, he was sulking for her not assembling a neighborhood welcoming party. I'm into the outdoors and mountaineering myself and I was not illuminated with even an iota of why puny men rise to the challenge of monstrous mountains in this novel. There were a slew of names dropped that will fly over the heads of non-mountaineers as well as anecdotes that were superfluous and added nothing to the narrative. A wasted opportunity if you ask me. If it were possible to grade this half-a-star, I would have done so.

[Amerynth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am surprised that Stephen Venables is able to make a living as a moutaineer/writer if "A Slender Thread: Escaping disaster in the Himalaya" is a good example of his work. I just really didn't like his writing style, which made what should be a compelling and interesting story terribly boring. I couldn't get through this book, so maybe it improved by the time it got to the latter half.

Venables book is mostly about a giant fall he took while climbing in the Himalaya. (I just put this book down a few hours ago and I honestly can't even remember where this fall took place.... Panch Chuli, maybe?) He talks about a gazillion other climbs along the way and is a huge name dropper -- this is a book that will appeal to someone who dwells in climbing circles, I think, but not to an arm chair adventurer.

I've read a lot of excellent books by mountaineers who also happened to be talented writers, and this book just really paled in comparison.

[Kim Armstrong Silcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting memoir of elite climbing in the Himalaya, and the author's rescue after falling 300 feet which broke both of his legs. Fortunately his team was very experienced and got him down to a place where a helicopter could pick him up, and went for help. Could have ended badly for all of them.

[Tim Reisner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thorough and honest but, if I'm being absolutely truthful, not as exciting or jeopardy-filled as I'd have liked.

Touching the void set a high bar for 'something goes wrong on a climb' literature.

[Santanu Dutta · Rating 4 out of 5]

While starting I was a bit hesitant. In fact the book was kept aside in my book shelf as usual. Initially I could not find this that good. However the book gradually took up the course.
Written on an expedition on Mount Panch Chuli V range of the great Himalayas in Kumaoon-Nepal border this is one of the classics of mountain tales at least that I have read. The book narrates the expedition, chronicles other expeditions and the disaster that strike while descending after successful summit attempt. The disaster, the climbers the men their courage and ambition are merged together and results in fight. All are merged in a slender thread that separates success and failure, life and death on the high mountains.

[Suzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall disappointing read and I gave up about 45 pages before the end. I just found it too technical with lots of climbing references and detail, and there wasn't much drama or tension. I realise it's tricky to get the right balance of filling in the background of the characters and getting to the action, but I felt it took too long to get to the climbing incident. And then when it arrived, there were several pages of tension which was thrilling and then it fizzled. There's no doubt it was an experience for Steve and I'm glad he shared his story but I can't help but feel that putting his story in the hands of different editor could've produced a much more dynamic read. Overall 2.5 stars average.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 2 out of 5]

This sounds as if it should have been a very dramatic and exciting book but I found it surprisingly dull. Again with this author, it seemed to take forever to get to the actual climbing incident and it was full of boring and irrelevant things and very complicated climbing descriptions which are fine if you are a climber, but too much for non climbers like me.

[Philip Burnett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great book about the Paunch Chuli range in northern India. Gives a good feel for expedition living and some of the thrills and draws of climbing. I went to a lecture by mr. Venables and found him very enthralling, his writing mimics his personality completely. Very fun reading.

[Phil Rosati · Rating 4 out of 5]

British mountaineers always seem to put it best. Great quote from the last page: "For all the richness of 'normal' everyday life, it is good sometimes to trespass high in the sky and live life with uncommon intensity, experiencing something that gets close to the sublime."

[Joann]

A story of survival as well as deep determination. Included the human aspect with emotions. Lots of technical climbing words, which may mean more to a climber rather than a book reader. Photos and maps added to the reality of the harsh conditions.