Élisabeth Revol 'To Live' Book Review
In January 2018 mountaineer Élisabeth Revol’s rescue after becoming the first woman to summit Nanga Parbat (8,126m) in winter made headlines around the world. Tragically, Élisabeth’s climbing partner Tomasz Mackiewicz did not survive, and the world watched - and judged - in real time as the rescue effort unfolded. To Live is Élisabeth’s side of the story, and it’s a hard read.
Élisabeth Revol has survived a terrible and traumatic experience, and that trauma emanates from the pages. The book is a raw account, describing Élisabeth’s experience of events as the desperate rescue mission unfolds. I read it with a knot in my stomach and constant sadness for Tomasz, Élisabeth and their loved ones. It’s also a tribute to Tomasz, and an attempt to move on. As part of the healing process Élisabeth goes on to climb Everest, admitting that mountains are an addiction. Surrounded by paying climbers and their guides she accepts supplemental oxygen, in stark contrast to her usual alpine style. In questioning her reasons and motivation for climbing, Élisabeth finds her ‘why’ and regains hope for the future.
In focusing purely on the personal, To Live doesn’t fully address some of the issues it raises. Although this was a specific event, the scenario isn’t new. These are the choices that high altitude mountaineers make, and as long as they do, these stories will repeat. Mountaineers are well aware of the risks they take, and the consequences of their decisions live with them for the rest of their lives. There are consequences too for other teams on the mountain who make the choice to abandon their own objectives, to rescue, to risk. There are consquences for those left behind. And while we’re more aware than ever of the environmental impact of global ‘adventure’ travel, especially on Everest, should we expect more purpose from an expedition or athlete than to meet a personal ‘need’ to be up high?
Perhaps it’s unfair to expect one climber to address all those issues, and maybe this book is not the place. As a starter, the film Magnetic Mountains asks a number of well-known mountaineers about their stance on these ethical questions. Simon McCartney’s The Bond establishes more of the wider context, how climbers are connected by their past actions as well as their present choices, surviving only because of those who ventured before them. Savage Summit sets the scene for female mountaineers, documenting the circumstances in which five of the first six women to summit K2 subsequently died (three on the descent, and two in later expeditions). Élisabeth Revol is an exceptional mountaineer. A lifetime’s experience along with supreme physical endurance helped her live to tell the tale, and I’m very glad she did.
Élisabeth Revol, To Live: Fighting for life on the killer mountain (translated by Natalie Berry), Vertebrate Publishing 2020
Magnetic Mountains, producer Menna Wakeford, Everyfield Films 2017
Simon McCartney, The Bond, Vertebrate Publishing 2016
Jennifer Jordan, Savage Summit: The Life and Death of the First Women of K2 HarperCollins 2006