Book Title: Everest Inc. The Renegades and Rogues Who Built An Industry At The Top of the World
Author: Will Cockrell
Promotional Blurb: Featuring original interviews with Everest mountain guides and climbers, this is “a fast-moving, nuanced account of the peak’s transformation from the ultimate mountaineering challenge into a booming business opportunity” (Joshua Hammer, New York Times bestselling author).
Anyone who has read Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air or has seen a recent photo of climbers standing in line to get to the top of Everest may think they have a sense of what the world’s highest mountain is like. It’s an extreme landscape where bad weather and incredible altitude can kill; an overcrowded, trashed-out recreation destination; and a place where the rich exploit local Sherpas while padding their egos—and social media feeds.
There’s some truth to these clichés, but they’re a sliver of the story. Unlike any book to date, Everest, Inc. is the definitive account of how a few daring entrepreneurs paired raw courage and naked ambition to get paying clients safely up and down Everest. Until the late eighties, such a thing was considered impossible. Within a few years, Everest guiding was a burgeoning industry. Today, ninety percent of the people on the mountain are clients or employees of guided expeditions.
Studded with quotes from original interviews with more than a hundred Western and Sherpa climbers, clients, writers, and filmmakers—including Jimmy Chin and Conrad Anker—Everest, Inc. foregrounds the colourful voices of the people who have made the mountain what it is today. As professional climber and author Freddie Wilkinson says, “Whether you are thinking about taking a crack at the world’s highest peak or are simply an armchair mountaineer trying to make sense of the complex dynamics driving the modern Everest industry, Everest, Inc. should be required reading.” Source.
My Thoughts: Does reading a book about Everest count as training for a climb to Everest Base Camp? I would like to think so, although this book didn’t come anywhere near getting my heart rate up or providing much mental training either.
Perhaps I am also using a little poetic license by including this book as a ‘travel read’ as it doesn’t really give you a ‘how-to’ guide to climb Mt Everest or tips and tricks on what to see and do. As the title states, it’s all about the people who tried, failed or succeeded commercially and professionally high up in the Himalayas.
And this is where I went wrong…
With our own Everest Base Camp (definitely NOT to the top of the mountain) adventure looming, I am viewing everything Everest-related with a positive mindset and this book did not live up to the hype on the cover, or possibly more accurately, my expectations. It was all a bit disappointing.
Cockrell promises to showcase the rogues and renegades in the industry and yet it quickly starts to feel like one long list of names, dates and business structures. To me it is lacking any real sense of the people and personalities, not delivering a consistent insight into their lives or their experiences on the Mountain. He does profile some characters in more detail, but the feeling of a ‘list’ predominates.
Cockrell also comes across as a bit conceited, rattling off names and CVs as if I should know and, if I don’t know, then I am definitely not part of the ‘In’ crowd.
Maybe I would have been more engaged if I was actually climbing to the top of Everest, rather than dabbling around her feet. This book is definitely for the aficionado, not the amateur or hiking tourist like myself.
I tried to stay engaged and follow his narrative, but I found myself starting to skim paragraphs and then pages. It just got boring after a while as he seemed to simply focus on revealing all that he knows.
The main issue that I had with this book was that most of its contents showcased people with highly inflated egos squabbling over who has/gets the most business (paying climbers), rather than their genuine connection with, and respect of, Mt Everest. I actually prefer the Nepali name – Sagarmatha – meaning Goddess of the Sky. The beauty and stature of the Mountain got lost in this book and submerged under the commercial or profit imperative.
I know that it is definitely not all sunshine and roses at high altitude, but surely a book about Sagarmatha should read more powerfully than smacking of a gossip column.
Disappointing, although it did contain some good maps. Note to self: next time read the back cover in detail to see if this book is truly for me. I gave it 6/10.
Author Bio: Will Cockrell has spent more than twenty years as a senior editor, writer, and consultant for national magazines including Men’s Journal, Outside, Men’s Fitness, and GQ. His work has been awarded by the American Society of Magazine Editors and Professional Publishers Association UK. A former outdoor guide, Cockrell has covered Everest throughout his career, and has visited Everest base camp in Nepal. He lives with his family in Los Angeles, California. Source.
Author Blog or Website: WillCockrell.com
Pages: 294
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Gallery Books
Published In: 2024
Available from: All good book stores.
#travelreads #nepal #travelinspo #thegreatoutdoors #armchairtravel #bookreview #himalayas #MtEverest #epicadventure #EverestBaseCamp #highaltitude #walkinginnepal #travelbusiness #Sherpas
Life...one big adventure 
Thanks for your review of this book on Everest. I appreciate knowing the local name for the mountain, Sagarmatha, that is beautiful as is its meaning. When do you plan your journey?
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We are off in early October. Some serious training has to start soon! 🙂
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What an exciting adventure. Well, running after two active kiddos, you don’t stand still. Plenty of cardiovascular exercise in the cycling you do. Time for stair climbing? And pull ups? 😉
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No kiddos in this house anymore! Hence our ability to travel widely! And yes, lots of hill climbing (I live on top of one) in front of me. Have a good weekend.
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While it may not count as training, per se, I say anything that gets your travel juices flowing is worth a read. It’s too bad this didn’t live up to your expectations (or mine at the beginning of this post). I was getting ready to look into it myself, but I think I’ll give it a pass. Thanks, Mel, and – I mean this quite literally – I’ll see you soon!
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Woo Hoo! Safe travels to you. I will have the wine lined up! 🙂
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That’s disappointing. I’m with you, though, there’s nothing enjoyable about someone name-dropping and acting as though they’re the expert of all experts on a topic. Hopefully you can find some other more intriguing Everest-related books to read as training. (And yes, I think that absolutely counts as training!)
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Thanks for the moral support! Yes, plenty of other Everest-related reading material is already lined up on the bedside table. Too many books, not enough time! 🙂
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I may have mentioned this before Mel but for practical information and planning Everest A trekkers guide is pretty good, for inspiration, Abode of The Gods will take you to Nepal.
https://www.cicerone.co.uk/everest-a-trekkers-guide
https://www.cicerone.co.uk/abode-of-the-gods
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Excellent, Ta. Thanks for the tips. Have a good day
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Good to know, I’ll give it a miss. Thanks for the honest review. Maggie
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Don’t just take my word for it. Maybe it will appeal to you as more serious hikers and climbers? 🙂
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I assume you’ve seen the 2015 movie Everest. It’s worth it for the stunning images.
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Nope, I haven’t seen it. I will try to track it down. Thanks for the tip.
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I sort of grimaced when I read the bit about the guides taking the rich up the mountain. Catch 22 situation for Nepal, abused by tourism though needs the income and NZ is unfortunately heading towards that scenario. I loved that you included the local name for the mountain. I do wish you both all the best for a good climb and the hard out training.
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Thanks so much for your kind wishes, Suzanne. Perhaps I am part of the problem too heading to Base Camp? I will do my best to tread lightly and respectfully.
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No, I don’t think you are, Mel. It’s the ones who want fame and glory at any cost.
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Two things I will never be…famous or glorious! 🙂
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Funny that and I’m quite happily not to be 🙂
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Yep, same same. 😊
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The story is a bit overdone but the cinematography is spectacular.
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Ta, I will try to track it down. Have a good week. Mel
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Sagarmatha … it just sounds so much better than Mt Everest! Wow, I can’t believe you’re going to walk to Base Camp (my current fitness level will let me down at any big airport). Good luck with your training Mel – enjoy climbing those hills!!
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Thanks for your support! I am going to need it! 🙂
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Good practical recommends from Jim, and even couch potato me wants to watch that Everest movie! Good luck, Mel!
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Thanks, Jo. I am going to need lots of luck although everyone keeps telling me I just need to go slow. I’m workin’ on that! 😊
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😁🩵
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Your review was more interesting than the book sounds. Your trek to Everest base camp Nepal will be an amazing adventure. I’m not up to that and tried taking the easy way. In 2016, I booked a helicopter flight from Kathmandu but it turned out I was the only passenger which made the cost prohibitive for me.
In 2018, I booked a tour by car that brought me to Everest Base Camp Tibet in late September. We had beautiful views of Chomolungma from the camp at the Rongbuk Monastery. That is where Mallory and friends stayed before their Everest reconnaissances and summit attempts 100 years ago. So much has changed. The current climber’s camp is several kilometers away as the Rongbuk Glacier has receded substantially. Your trip and posts will be thrilling.
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So glad to hear that you got to EBC any which way. The more serious training has started this end and I know I have a long way to go before I get to the level of fitness I will be happy with. Oh well, onwards and upwards! 🙂
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As an experienced mountain climber, I found this review insightful and thought-provoking. The book seems to capture the multifaceted nature of climbing Everest—the awe-inspiring beauty, the physical and mental challenges, and the harsh realities that come with such a perilous journey. It’s refreshing to see a discussion that doesn’t just romanticize the adventure but also delves into the ethical and environmental concerns surrounding Everest expeditions. This review has piqued my interest in reading the book to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in scaling the world’s highest peak.
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Many thanks for your positive review of my review. 🙂 Happy reading and climbing to you!
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