Читать книгу Edge of the Map. The Mountain Life of Christine Boskoff онлайн

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For those seeking controversy, the disaster on Everest and those that followed on other mountain expeditions provided ample material. Each one laid out a new palette of issues to be debated: decisions made based on inaccurate assumptions; minds clouded by hypoxia at altitudes not meant to sustain human life; weather reports gone bad; egos that transcended judgment. The narratives differed, but the end result was often the same.

Chris and Keith received news of Scott’s death at their home in Atlanta. Preparing for her second ascent on an 8,000-meter peak, Chris paused, and she and Keith made plans to fly to Seattle for Scott’s public memorial. As fresh as her climbing career was, she’d already been exposed to its dangers and had lost several friends to the mountains.

Scott’s friends gathered in Seattle from throughout the region and across the globe. A memorial service had melted into a gathering at a local brewpub. Hours later, Geri and three new acquaintances, including Keith and Chris moved on to Ray’s Boathouse. Also at the table was Henry Todd, a popular Everest outfitter from Scotland. Ray’s hummed with the sound of steady conversation. The restaurant was a fixture in Seattle, with sweeping views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains beyond. It was several weeks after the disaster on Everest.