I really found this book slow and repetitive. The author went into the fine details of camp life a little too much. It's fine to go into detail once about something but don't do it a second or even a third time, don't pad the story. We the readers get the drift. Also, I felt there was a lot of self-aggrandizing going on. The author comes across as someone who WANTS you to know how much HE has done. How he helped the people of Nepal, organizing charity events don't you know, after the horrendous earthquake of 2015 in which he was a non-participant. (He felt the quake but witnessed the death and destruction after he left his camp, which escaped without any harm. He also was airlifted out of harm's way fairly quickly.) He describes how his eyes teared up, come on! This is privileged rich drivel and isn't needed in the narrative. "Surviving the Mountains Deadliest Day" is just using a terrible catastrophe to sell book copies. Cringe-worthy. But on the plus side, at least the author's $11,000 for his first attempt at Everest wasn't taken from him by the Nepali government at a time when they could really have used it.

As someone who eventually wants to make my way to Everest someday (but not climb it due to ecological reasons), I really feel educated by this book. There was so much to unpack and learn. All the harrowing details and things that happen. It's incredible to think that a mountain has the ability to kill us just for existing. I loved this book and can't wait to read what the author has coming next.

5/5 Stars

Jim Davidson has written an enthralling account of his 2015 adventures climbing Mt. Everest. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in Nepal, stranded him and his team at 20,000 feet. His writing conveys the courage and strength required to survive in this most hospitable place, and his ultimate triumphs. Recommended reading.

Content warning: frostbite, crevasses, heights, death, cancer, heart attack

Climbing Mount Everest, know as Chomolungma in Nepal, is considered a great achievement for any climber. After training for years, author Jim Davidson finally has his chance at the peak. But in 2015, an earthquake hits, making an already tenuous climb that much dangerous.

Two years pass and Davidson resolves to make one more run for the summit. This autobiographical account of both climbs covers much territory, from the personal experiences of the climbs themselves, to the state of Nepal before, during, and after, and personal anecdotes about the people who touched Davidson’s life throughout his climbing career.

Moving, harrowing, but told with much reverence and humility, a great entry into the canon of Mount Everest climbing stories.

This reflective work feels more autobiographical than others that I have read. We learn all about Davidson, from his upbringing with his father who was a house painter, to how he and wife, Gloria, met, to the tragedy at Mt. Rainier, to his relationship with his fellow climbing community and the Sherpa people who guide the climbers up Everest. The pacing and unfolding of the narrative, especially the relationship aspects, works so well.

But it is also a deep reflection on grief and trauma. Humanizing the statistics around the number of people who die every season on Everest adds another layer of depth to this work. The danger is palpable, but respectfully human. And the ways Davidson speaks about works on both a prose and storytelling level. It’s humble and reverent. Plus, he has a real knack for contextualizing information that comes up as numbers rather than individual stories.

Simple in its telling with several insights that go beyond climbing, definitely recommended to someone in search of another read like Into Thin Air that’s as much about the people on Everest as it is about the mountain itself.

I will never understand the draw to climb Everest but continue to read about the people who do. I am glad I read this book, the harrowing climb, earthquakes, avalanches and escaping alone from deep glacial crevasse. The author has quite a story to tell. I have ordered this book as gifts for the adventurous people in my family. I found this book was so interesting that I had a hard time putting it down. This is a must read for sure

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for electronic copies to read and to listen to.

I love reading about Everest - if it is well written. This one, definitely well written. I appreciate how the information is technical without being overwhelming. It is clear and easy to understand and in many parts reads like a novel. There are some flashbacks to previous climbs that the author was part of and they really add to the story.

I enjoyed listening to this and reading along. The narrator was good and had a nice, smooth voice.

For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

The Next Everest: Surviving the Mountain’s Deadliest Day and Finding the Resilience to Climb Again by Jim Davidson is a memoir of the author’s experience being trapped on the mountain during a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, and going back. Mr. Davidson. The author is an avid climber and motivational speaker.

The book starts off with the author on Mt. Everest, moments before the biggest disaster to every hit the mountain occurs. Correspondingly, Mr. Davidson establishes the terrifying scene very quickly and efficiently, drawing a chilling picture to the reader.

The Next Everest: Surviving the Mountain’s Deadliest Day and Finding the Resilience to Climb Again by Jim Davidson is not just an adventure story, but one of resilience and courage. Having the advantage of a keen eye, and a degree in geology gives this story a unique perspective than the other thrill seekers.

The author doesn’t sugarcoat the dangers mountaineers face on Everest. Frankly, his training and education might even be a handicap since his mind can process the possibilities of dangers all around. This is not just a climbing story, Mr. Davidson shares his feelings, fears, and thoughts. The difficulties in leaving behind a family for weeks or months to pursue a passion, and the cost some people pay both financially and emotionally.

Above all, the author takes the reader up the mountain with him, almost step by step. I’ve read several books about this subject, but this one really made me feel the effort and sacrifice needed to achieve a summit – not to mention luck.

It’s important to realize that every little thing that might go wrong at those altitudes could be a catastrophe. Mr. Davidson makes that particularly clear over and over again – and he’s right.

Mr. Davidson is a keynote speaker, as well as a motivational speaker as his bio shows. This book is, I assume, geared towards that market and credentials for future jobs. That is fine, by all means, it’s still a fascinating story, well told, insightful, with self-reflection and honesty.

I really enjoyed this book and how it had so much about the journey to Everest. Probably one of my favorite Everest hooks I’ve read.

After reading Into Thin Air, I've been down the rabbit hole on Everest stories and I was certain I couldn't miss Jim Davidson's retelling of his time on the mountain during the earthquake (and subsequent decision to attempt the climb again!). The details in this book are phenomenal - you absolutely feel like you're there, alongside them as they're on the mountain - and I loved that while we get the technical climbing side of things, there's a larger message of taking on challenges in your daily life, too. Must read if you like adventure books!

I've read many adventure books, especially about Everest. This one ranks among the top for interest and honesty. To have worked for 30 years towards a trip to Everest and having it all disappear in an instant is heartbreaking. But it's nothing compared to the loss of life and property that resulted from the avalanche and earthquake that hit everyone on Everest and in Nepal.

While Everest is in the title, this memoir is less about Everest and more about the journeys to Everest. I have read many books about Everest and I realized the story was always about the summit. Not this book. This book is about what kind of person it takes to summit Everest, especially after surviving an earthquake there. After reading Krakauer‘s Into Thin Air many, many years ago, and comparing it to this book, it is interesting to see how the journey to the summit has changed. I was saddened to read The Hillary Step is no more. It’s a different era now. Climate change is real. Technology has changed. And just the other day I read that a climber at Basecamp has Covid. All in all a well written book and I would add it to my recommendations lists for friends. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book started slow for me, but once I was into it, I didn't want to stop listening. I was fascinated by the logistics of climbing Mount Everest, but I was also very intrigued by Jim Davidson's reflections on his climbing career and especially how he handled trying to climb Mount Everest a second time after his first attempt was thwarted by a major earthquake that caused the deadliest day in the history of Everest.

If you like adventure memoirs you MUST add this one to your list. It is so well written. You are given so many details, but you don't feel bogged down by them. And Jim's writing is reflective and clear.
Content Warning: Natural Disaster, Death

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was thoughtful and well written. Those who have read "Into Thin Air" will want to read this book. After the disastrous season that book describes, several changes were made to the procedures on Mount Everest to help avoid further catastrophes.

But the climb to the top of Everest can still be deadly, and this book skillfully tackles that factor. Jim Davidson respectfully describes deaths on the mountain with respect for the victims, while also deftly capturing the challenges of not one, but two attempts to climb the highest mountain in the world.

This exciting memoir tells about experienced climber Jim Davidson's experience on his first attempt at Everest in 2015 when an earthquake hit, killing 18 climbers and thousands of Nepalese people in the surrounding area. Then in 2017, he fights his fears and returns for another attempt.
After the struggles and terror during the earthquake, I found myself cheering Jim on in his second try at Everest. I find books about Everest totally fascinating despite my total fear of heights and out-of-shape body. I would never survive a trip myself but through the descriptions in this book I can feel the cold winds, hear the crunch of ice and snow under boots, and see the amazing vistas and bright blue glacier crevasses. I was sad for this adventure to end.
I received a free advanced reader copy of this book through NetGalley. This review is given voluntarily.

If you, like me, are a big fan of Into Thin Air, you'll know that books about mountaineering - especially about exciting events on the world's biggest mountain(s) - are hard to come by. Really, not that many people climb Everest, K2, and the other giants that often, and even fewer write books about it. So a heartfelt thank you to Jim Davidson, for giving me the first new and actually well-written book about Everest that I've seen in a few years.

Davidson's account is unique: he was on the mountain with IMG expeditions in 2015, resting in his tent at Camp One, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck. Jim and dozens of other climbers were stuck at Camps One and Two, with many dozens more at basecamp. The final death toll from the earthquake was 19, most people buried under ice and snow in the notorious Khumbu Icefall. Of course, at the end of this whole ordeal, no one was going to summit the mountain in such uncertain conditions that year. It became the first year in nearly four decades where not a single person reached the top of Everest.

Davidson returned back to his home in Colorado, disappointed but happy to be alive. After many months of soul-searching, he decided that he wanted to give Everest another try - it's been his lifelong dream to summit, and he was determined to achieve it. He details his intensive training regimen, from sprinting up fourteeners to doing lap after lap of uphill running to simulate Everest pushing his body to the limit. In 2017, Davidson returned to Everest for the second time, overcoming his fears of reliving that earthquake.

The book details both the 2015 and 2017 trips, the aftermath of the earthquake, the time in between spent training, and every detail of the ascent back up Everest. Davidson is quite a good writer, and despite this book coming in at around 400 pages, it remains captivating basically the whole way through. If you're ever interested in a true play-by-play of what it takes to get up Everest - all the rotations, acclimatization hikes, food, the toll it takes on your body, even how waste is disposed of on the mountain - this is a great book. You can't compare it to Into Thin Air or No Way Down as it's not really a disaster book - but it's nonetheless an interesting journey in a fascinating place - I'll read just about any book about Everest, and although this one was more middle of the road, it was still quite enjoyable. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley!

In 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Nepal. It destroyed villages, killing nearly 9000 people. And it trapped climbers on Mount Everest. The author of this book, Jim Davidson, was on the mountain that day. He spent two days trapped at nearly 20,000 feet not knowing if he and his fellow climbers would live or die. In the end, he and his climbing team were rescued. After the ordeal, he wasn't sure if he could ever return to the mountain. But in 2017 he did....and summitted.

I'm obsessed with Mount Everest. I have to admit it...and the fact that I'm not exactly sure why. I will never climb it...and aspire to one day at least get to see it....but that might not ever happen. There's just something spectacularly beautiful about the mountain. Nature at its most beautifully brutal. The highest point on earth....a point where just taking a step and breathing is all a human being can physically do. Climbers pay a lot of money to travel to the mountain and attempt to summit. I don't care for the tourism side of things. They leave so much waste on the mountain and disrespect a place that for the Sherpa people is a sacred mountain. And too many of the wealthy climbers also disrespect the Sherpa that work so hard to make the mountain accessible. For me, the draw is the mountain itself. I can understand why it is a holy place for the Sherpa. The power and beauty of nature itself rising up to more than 29,000 feet. It just amazes me.

I watch every documentary I find on Mount Everest....and read every book I come across. I was familiar with the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath. I've watched multiple documentaries about the avalanche on Mount Everest that day and the destruction of villages in the region. When I saw this book by Jim Davidson was coming out, I had to read it. And I'm glad I did! Davidson's story of danger, survival and perseverance is mesmerizing!

This book was a total binge read for me. I couldn't put it down. When the book came out, I immediately bought the audio book. This isn't just a story about a disaster in Nepal, but a story about a man's survival and subsequent fight to succeed at a life goal -- summiting the highest peak in the world.

Awesome book!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

The next Everest is so much more than the story of a man’s experience during a harrowing climb of Mount Everest. Is it perfect? No. Was I sometimes turned off by the where the author comes across as self important? Yes. Is it still a very worthwhile read? Absolutely yes.

The real power of this book is in its message of grit, resiliency, and perseverance in our daily lives. We all have our own personal Everests that we face in our lives—those harrowing moments that can either conquer us or be conquered by us.

The story of Davidson‘s experience on Mount Everest is often interesting and sometimes frustrating,but his message about how to apply it to life is where the real value lies.

Thanks go to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Training for years to climb Mount Everest, on April 25th 2015 Jim Davidson was climbing the mountain when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake released avalanches all around him destroying their climbing route and trapping them at 20,000 feet.
After escaping near death Davidson was unsure if he would ever return to the mountain and to the dream of making it to the top.
Through family support and dedication Davidson did return in 2017 to take on Everest again.
Davidson not only shows you the mountain through the lens of an avid mountaineer who deeply loves the summit but through his background in geology and environmental science he teaches you about the threats lurking beneath the mountain and the dangers of conquering this peak.
I love adventure stories. I love stories of people who take on huge life challenges and really push to succeed. People who have the mental and physical discipline to climb mountains or hike long distances have always intrigued me and I am drawn to their stories. I knew when I saw this book was releasing that I had to read it right away. Thank you @netgalley for providing me the opportunity to read a great book.
I really enjoyed how Davidson not only told the story of his climbs but also told stories of his childhood and how he developed through each of his climbs.
Davidson also went deep into the science and environmental side of climbing as well. I love a story that has me stopping to look up more information and this one definitely had that. It took me a while to read because I would often stop and google different mountains mentioned or mountain climbing gear that I was unfamiliar with. I couldn’t get enough of this inspiring story and will definitely be checking out other books written by the author.

I have always been afraid of heights and struggle with driving through mountainous areas. However, I love the beauty of nature and have a fascination with Mount Everest. Even though I've read books about Everest before, The Next Everest is unique in the story it tells and the way that it's told. Jim Davidson was on Everest at Camp One in 2015 when an earthquake hit, causing avalanches and the deaths of many. Nepal suffered greatly as a result of the quake. Davidson tells the story about his time on Everest and in Nepal in 2015. Then, he writes in great detail about his Everest climb in 2017. He paints a vivid picture of the beauty and dangers of climbing Everest.
I thouroughly enjoyed my read of #TheNextEverest by #JimDavidson. Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC for an honest review. Thank you to #JimDavidson for sharing your adventures with those of us who are only able to scale heights through reading. I hope that you are able to include photos in the final copy of the book..

Jim Davidson’s story of resilience during his attempts to reach the summit of Mount Everest is spellbinding and inspirational, especially after the deadly earthquake in 2015 that stranded him on Everest for days. Bound and determined to achieve his dream, Jim returns to Everest in 2017.

As Jim waits ten days at base camp for the weather to clear so that he can make his way to the summit, he comes to an epiphany: “Patience is perseverance. It’s passive perseverance.” These words struck a chord with me. It made me realize as he realized—you’ve come too far to give up and patience is part of the process to be embraced. Just because you’re waiting doesn’t mean you aren’t persevering.

With nuggets of wisdom sprinkled throughout, this book is a treasure. Experiencing excitement and suspense, readers will find themselves traveling with Jim on his arduous yet rewarding adventure, discovering, and uncovering life lessons along the way. At the conclusion of the book, readers are left contemplating what is their next Everest.

I highly recommend this memoir for those seeking motivation.

Thank you to Jim, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for my review copy.