The Deadliest Climbing Disaster on America's Wildest Peak

Gripping! Wonderful factual account of what happened in 1967. Too bad that we don't know what happened many years later, and too bad (spoiler alert!) that they never found all the bodies! What was really wonderful was the commitment everyone had in finding the climbers, and the agreement with everyone that weather on Denali can be a Death wish. Tho sad, and tragic...author did a great job of bringing the reader in. Keeping it real. Great read!~

Picked this up as I like a good mountain disaster tale. I liked the author's very simple style - it's an easy read, but interesting, and I learned a fair bit in the process about Denali. By way of comparison - not the drama of 'Into Thin Air', but considerably better than 'Buried in the Sky'. Just generally a sad story about the '67 expedition and what went wrong.

The author mentions Mt. Washington in Maine, when it's actually in New Hampshire. Mistakes like this always make me suspicious of the research, and the accuracy of other statements made in the text. That said, this was interesting enough to hold my attention, but not as compelling as several other books in this genre.

In July 1967, the ill-fated Wilcox expedition attempted to climb Mr. McKinley (official U.S. Government name, the native name used in Alaska is Denali or "the high one"), which is the highest peak in North America at 21,237 feet (6,168 m) above sea level (2012 revised elevation). However, with a latitude of 63-degrees North, the temperature in July has reached -23 deg F (-30 deg C) and windchill of -59 deg F (-51 deg C) as measured by the weather station installed at 19,000 ft. in 2002. The 12 climbers in 1967 were trapped for two weeks near the mountain top by a fierce summer storm.

The book is an exciting read, but bogged down a bit due the number of climbers and their stories. Fortunately there is a list of the 12 members of the Wilcox expedition at the beginning that can help the reader. There are an interesting set of photographs from the climb and subsequent rescue mission at the end of the book. The photos show up very clearly on the Kindle edition.

This book had an excellant description of Denali Mountain. the story is tragic but the weather provided much of Alaska with problems. My grandfaterh lived in Hughes on the Koyukuk river and lost buildings due to the flooding and Fairbanks suffered during this period of violent weather. A tragic tale written well. Marian Johnson

Actually it's Stephanie Austin. I bought this along with No Way down and have nothing but problems with them; I get messages saying that the book is locked due to the DRM software and then removes the books. I've re-downloaded multiple times and this is getting old. I would love to read them but the store keeps removing them from my kindle. What's going on here? I've had different kindles and have been very happy with the older versions. This is the first time that I've had and issue with a kindle book.

I am an adventure-adrenaline junkie. Okay, let's amend that: I am an adventure-adrenaline junkie....from the comfort of my couch. In other words, I love true adventure books. Especially ones about mountain climbing. I have no idea where this love came from given that I've never climbed a mountain in my life, nor do I intend to. I've even been known to avoid small inclines while taking a stroll around the neighborhood. Reading about these adventurous souls who tackle the world's most dangerous peaks, however, stirs something in my soul. Probably a little smugness that I'm not the one who fell down an icy crevasse in sub-zero temperatures and ended up a frozen mummy abandoned on a mountain side.

Whatever the reason, a well-written climbing story will always find it's way onto my bookshelves. This summer, the book I couldn't resist was Andy Hall's Denali's Howl, the riveting story of the ill-fated 1967 Wilcox Expedition on North America's tallest peak, Denali.

Formerly known as Mt. McKinley, Denali dominates the Alaska Range. At 20,237 feet high, Denali isn't the highest peak in the world, but the climb from the base of the mountain to the peak is 18,000 feet and that is the largest of any in the world.

In July of 1967, twelve young men set off to conquer Denali. Most of them had enough climbing experience that it should have been a routine ascent. They had planned and conditioned themselves for this climb for months and months. What they hadn't planned for was an unforecast super-storm that bore down on the mountain just as the Wilcox Expedition was approaching the summit, trapping them in far-below freezing temperatures and hurricane force winds in the matter of minutes, conditions that continued for ten days.

Of the twelve men who left the base of Denali, only five were to return. What happened up on the summit of that mountain has been shrouded in mystery for over forty years. Reluctant and conflicting accounts from the survivors over the years have only added to the confusion as survivors and those who watched from afar passed around accusations and blame.

Alaskan author Andy Hall's account of that fateful expedition is masterful. Despite his obvious meticulous research he never once allows the narrative to bog down with onerous details. Facts are presented where known and where they aren't, Hall provides plausible scenarios based on the evidence that is known. He provides first-rate biographical background on each member of the expedition, making it easy for the reader to keep track of each team member as the doomed party makes their way unknowingly towards disaster. Throughout the fast-moving narration, he also intersperses an excellent geological history of the imposing mountain as well as the fascinating climbing history over the past one hundred years.

Overall, Denali's Howl is so well-written it certainly rivals Jon Krakauer's blockbuster climbing hit Into Thin Air. If you enjoyed the one, you'll certainly appreciate the other.

Andy Hall reaches a new literary summit in his book, Denali’s Howl, a tale documenting the deadliest climbing disaster in North America. Mr. Hall adheres to strict journalistic principles as he recounts the climb, relying on primary sources to double- and triple-verify events leading up to, and immediately following, the accident. In doing so, Mr. Hall presents the first comprehensive account of the Wilcox Expedition.

Unlike some books in the adventure genre, Denali’s Howl does not sensationalize or selectively parse information to spin a harrowing tale. Mr. Hall allows facts, characters and the events themselves to move the reader up the mountain, through one of the worst storms in recorded history.

Denali’s Howl presents sympathetic characters, all of whom the reader wants to see prevail. The reader could easily get lost in a crowded cast, but the author does not let us. This is no small literary feat, considering the number of characters involved in the expedition. Through Hall’s meticulous character development, we meet and connect with each character personally.

I am a slow, methodical reader who gets distracted by flawed writing. To my delight, I read Denali’s Howl in a single sitting. Clean writing, credible narration, and rising action propel the story at gale-force pace. In Denali’s Howl, the author demonstrates his mastery as both researcher and storyteller. Denali’s Howl, by Andy Hall, is a work of literary and historical significance that holds the reader in Denali’s icy grip to the very end.

Read this book when you’re warm. Even though the events happened in summer in Alaska atop the highest peak on this continent, it is a chilling account of what nature can do to men. It details the perfect hundred-year storm on Mt. McKinley (Denali) that puts itself together, half on one side of the mountain and half on the other, and peels off its victims one by one.

The Wilcox expedition of 1967, beset by the normal conflicts between fit, aggressive, self-directed men, sought to score the summit of Denali. But the unseen gathering of a low-pressure system destined to collide with a high-pressure system sneaked up and created havoc that few could have survived.

Andy Hall’s father was Denali Park superintendent at the time when Andy, the author of this fine book, was five years old. The research is excellent, the writing is excellent, the narrative grips the reader. It is enjoyable to get back to each evening and that’s how I judge a book. If you are really looking forward to reading the next chapter, it’s a good book to start the buzz with your friends about.

This certainly is a tragic story of two expeditions that combined to summit Denali, where most of the group never returned when pinned down in a terrible storm. Involved also were another group some days behind on the mountain who attempted a rescue of the individuals, and the Park Service, who attempted to coordinate some rescue efforts.

The author is a son of a member of the Park Service, which came under criticism in prior published accounts for perhaps failing to mount a serious rescue effort sooner. Some criticism has been raised also about the Park Service forcing one group to combine with another. Because the latter had lost a member just before the climb, that group was under a Park Service mandatory limit for a summit team. There were allegations that combining of two disparate groups resulted in dissention that led to problems. Allegations were also made regarding the leadership of the groups. This book relates the expedition events, recounts some of these prior criticisms and attempts a balanced resolution of what happened without assigning blame.

Denali is known for unsettled weather, and the missing members were caught in an exceptionally violent and prolonged storm. Further I think there's a huge difference between guided climbs, where the leader guides the group, and a group of climbers, who may have a leader/organizer, but one who isn't in authority over the members.

I think some of the perceived blame others have in the past assigned comes from understandable survivors' guilt. But while hindsight can be 20/20, the fact is that climbers sometimes take risks or do things that in hindsight can be pointed to as a mistake. I came out of this book thinking events were unfortunate, but not perceiving any scapegoating, which perhaps was the point of the book.

One of the areas where the book had issues, is that most of the expedition members really didn't come alive off the page for me as a reader. Also, while I understood that the author was trying to expiate his Park Service father, his personal involvement as related in the story both as a child at the time, and as an author relating the tale, sort of took me out of the expedition. I think it would have been better included in a book forward, or perhaps an epilogue, but starting off the story with his and his father's involvement to me detracted from the expedition story.

Reading this made me curious to read the other expedition accounts, most long out of print, and thus expensive to track down. Perhaps its time for them to be reissued as ebooks at least.

Heart-wrenching, analytical, well-researched, non-judgemental, informative, and throroughly engaging. Required reading for every mountaineer, armchair or actual.

I read this book in about three days and I would have read it straight through if time had permitted. I haven't had a book do this to me for a long while. Last book I had I couldn't put down was Andy Weil's novel, The Martian.

Denali's Howl is unique in that the author's perspective is both personal and journalistic. He was there as a young boy, curious, mystified, awed by his surrounding and the work of his father, who was the Park Superintendant at the time. There's a perfect balance in this book of storyteller and story. It's free of writer ego, of unsubstantiated opinion, of heavy-handed commentary, of speculative writing. if you read Junger's The Perfect Storm, and you, as I, were jolted by Junger's ego-centric narrative, you know what I mean.

I highly recommend this book. I was ready to start it over after reading the last line.

One correction: Mt. Washington is in New Hampshire, not Maine.

This book details the deadliest climbing disaster on Denali. It is powerful, frightening, sad, and enlightening all at the same time. The author does a great job of piecing together many different account and interviews. He was in Alaska at the time of the disaster; his father was also on site working in the National Park. I highly recommend this book if you are even slightly interested in mountain climbing or in Alaskan history.

I highly recommend Denali’s Howl to my friends, collegues, fellow bookclub members, library card holders, invalids, inmates, and all readers in general. Andy expanded my non-existent knowledge of the Wilcox tragedy, mountaineering, and Mt. McKinley’s geography and weather systems, AND I REALLY ENJOYED IT!! High scores for character development, insight, readability, and pace. I'm looking forward to reading Andy's next book.

Denali’s Howl is a detailed account of the most deadly climbing accident ever on North America’s tallest peak, known alternately as Denali and McKinley. Although the climb took place in 1967 recent events on Mt. Everest and Rainier provide fresh reminder that tragedy doesn’t tell time.

In the summer of 1967 the Wilcox party of 12 climbers set out to climb Mt. Denali. The climbers were high on the mountain when one of the most powerful storms on record hit and raged for seven days. Now almost 50-years later, seven of the climbers remain on the mountain. Three bodies were found by other climbers, but buried soon thereafter by additional snow before they were identified or recovered. The other four bodies were never found.

Although seven climbers remain sealed in Denali’s snows, the mystery of their final days is still alive. Why did their last radio contact list five summit climbers when six had left high-camp? Did they bivouac and last for days before succumbing to the storm? Did they quickly freeze to death in sub-zero temperatures? Did they get blown off the mountain by howling winds?
On top of mystery of the climbers’ final days, there was ensuing controversy regarding responsibility for the rescue effort. Could the climbers have been saved? By whom? The Parks Service? The Alaska Rescue Group? The US Air Force? Should more of a rescue effort been made?

It’s easy to Monday morning quarterback the events, and many have done so, but you shouldn’t listen. Read about the events and come to your own conclusions instead. Errors were made, but of what significance? This is a story about extraordinary men in an intense environment. Climbing Denali is not an ordinary venture and I have great respect for those who tried, even if fate was against them.

I’ve read three other books about this same climb; White Winds by survivor Joe Wilcox, In the Hall of the Mountain King by survivor Howard Snyder, and Forever on the Mountain by James Tabor, but none match Hall’s treatise. Hall has talked with the surviving climbers, with contemporary climbers, with professional climbing guides, with rescue personnel and with expert meteorologists. All this expertise aside, the funnest insights are Hall’s own. He was at McKinley Park during the climb, albeit only 5-years old, and his recollections from childhood add a Scout-Finch flare to the narrative.

I listened to the Audible Audio version of this book and found it to my liking. The tale was well told and did not get bogged down in technical details but instead concentrated mostly on the personal interactions of the climbers and their would be rescuers. The narration fit the story well and the authors personal connection to the story offered a unique perspective.

This book details the deadliest climbing disaster on Denali. It is powerful, frightening, sad, and enlightening all at the same time. The author does a great job of piecing together many different account and interviews. He was in Alaska at the time of the disaster; his father was also on site working in the National Park. I highly recommend this book if you are even slightly interested in mountain climbing or in Alaskan history.

I highly recommend Denali’s Howl to my friends, collegues, fellow bookclub members, library card holders, invalids, inmates, and all readers in general. Andy expanded my non-existent knowledge of the Wilcox tragedy, mountaineering, and Mt. McKinley’s geography and weather systems, AND I REALLY ENJOYED IT!! High scores for character development, insight, readability, and pace. I'm looking forward to reading Andy's next book.

Denali’s Howl is a detailed account of the most deadly climbing accident ever on North America’s tallest peak, known alternately as Denali and McKinley. Although the climb took place in 1967 recent events on Mt. Everest and Rainier provide fresh reminder that tragedy doesn’t tell time.

In the summer of 1967 the Wilcox party of 12 climbers set out to climb Mt. Denali. The climbers were high on the mountain when one of the most powerful storms on record hit and raged for seven days. Now almost 50-years later, seven of the climbers remain on the mountain. Three bodies were found by other climbers, but buried soon thereafter by additional snow before they were identified or recovered. The other four bodies were never found.

Although seven climbers remain sealed in Denali’s snows, the mystery of their final days is still alive. Why did their last radio contact list five summit climbers when six had left high-camp? Did they bivouac and last for days before succumbing to the storm? Did they quickly freeze to death in sub-zero temperatures? Did they get blown off the mountain by howling winds?
On top of mystery of the climbers’ final days, there was ensuing controversy regarding responsibility for the rescue effort. Could the climbers have been saved? By whom? The Parks Service? The Alaska Rescue Group? The US Air Force? Should more of a rescue effort been made?

It’s easy to Monday morning quarterback the events, and many have done so, but you shouldn’t listen. Read about the events and come to your own conclusions instead. Errors were made, but of what significance? This is a story about extraordinary men in an intense environment. Climbing Denali is not an ordinary venture and I have great respect for those who tried, even if fate was against them.

I’ve read three other books about this same climb; White Winds by survivor Joe Wilcox, In the Hall of the Mountain King by survivor Howard Snyder, and Forever on the Mountain by James Tabor, but none match Hall’s treatise. Hall has talked with the surviving climbers, with contemporary climbers, with professional climbing guides, with rescue personnel and with expert meteorologists. All this expertise aside, the funnest insights are Hall’s own. He was at McKinley Park during the climb, albeit only 5-years old, and his recollections from childhood add a Scout-Finch flare to the narrative.

I listened to the Audible Audio version of this book and found it to my liking. The tale was well told and did not get bogged down in technical details but instead concentrated mostly on the personal interactions of the climbers and their would be rescuers. The narration fit the story well and the authors personal connection to the story offered a unique perspective.

As a former rock-&-ice climber + mountaineer as well as a connoisseur of fine literature, this book rocks. It usually takes me a month to consume a book whereas this one took all of 2 days. The author has the gift of drawing the reader deeply into the narrative with his evocative style of writing. Well researched, informative and deeply entertaining – this book will transport you into a magical world that compels us climbers into the hills to appreciate both the beauty and brutality of Nature.

The author has, obviously done his homework and a lot of new and reasonable information is provided to fill in the holes in earlier books. An extraordinary read. The facts and observations tell the story and it is not massaged into something it isn't. Congratulations to the author for a great book!