Minus 148 Degrees, Anniversary Edition: First Winter Ascent of Mount McKinley, Anniversary Edition

By Art Davidson

Book Overview

2024 National Outdoor Book Award Winner

"This finely crafted adventure tale runs on adrenaline but also something else: brutal honesty." --The Wall Street Journal

"I couldn't lay it down until it was all finished (12:40 a.m. )... A fascinating and beautifully-written story." --Bradford Washburn
* One of National Geographic Adventure's "The 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time"
* New edition includes a revised preface, new prologue, and new afterword describing more recent winter attempts on McKinley

In 1967, eight men attempted North America's highest summit: Mount McKinley (now known as Denali) had been climbed before--but never in winter.

Plagued by doubts and cold, group tension and a crevasse tragedy, the expedition tackled McKinley in minimal hours of daylight and fierce storms. They were trapped at three different camps above 14,000 feet during a six-day blizzard and faced the ultimate low temperature of -148 F.

Minus 148 is Art Davidson's stunning personal narrative, supplemented by diary excerpts from team members George Wichman, John Edwards, Dave Johnston, and Greg Blomberg. Davidson retells the team's fears and frictions--and ultimate triumph--with an honesty that has made this gripping survival story a mountaineering classic for over 40 years. Minus 148 is featured among many "best of" reading lists, including National Geographic Adventure's "The 100 Greatest Adventure Books of all Time."
"At twenty-two I came to regard the first expedition to Mt. McKinley in the winter as a journey into an unexplored land. No one had lived on North America's highest ridges in the winter twilight. No one knew how low the temperatures would drop, or how penetrating the cold would be when the wind blew. For thousands of years McKinley's storms had raged by themselves." --Minus 148

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594857555
• ISBN13: 9781594857553
• Release Date: April 2013
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 8 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 3 and higher

Customer Reviews

WOW!

I bought this book because I wanted to get a feel for high altitude climbing though I have no interest in climbing for myself. Geez! I got the picture. I'm still blown away by the story of what happened on the mountain. But, thankfully, blown away, only in a metaphorical sense...I had a friend who was a high altitude climber who told me about a friend climbing in the Himalayas. The guy went out during a blizzard at high altitude to relieve himself and was never seen again. My friend said,"He was blown into the stratosphere". I never understood that kind of language until I read this book.It's an incredible story of survival right up there with the story of the voyage of the crew of the Endurance. The writing is awfully good for a mountain climber!

Gripping read.

Excellent, involving narrative and a fascinating depiction of the dynamics at work among members of a climbing expedition. A must-read for fans of the mountaineering genre, but with broader appeal for anyone who would explore -- from a safe distance -- the limits of human endurance. Read this book.

Worth reading again after 22 years

I first read this book in 1972 while in high school. Could not read it fast enough but did not want it to end. Had all the adventure and suspense of a true Alaskan adventure. On my second trip to Alaska as a state park campground host in 1994 I worked in Denali state park. Not until later did I realize that the six foot five, red head ranger was none other than Dave Johnston. One of the first three men to reach the summit of Mount McKinley in the winter. To know that these men could survive such an ordeal and years later be so down to earth. If you enjoy books about Alaska and not just mountaineering this is a must read.

Inspiring and chilling, an all-around great book

I first read this book when I was 8, and it was the one thing that sparked my interest in mountaineering. It is among the great mountaineering books of all time; Annapurna, Into Thin Air, and The Climb. Once you start reading it, it is impossible to put down. An all-around great book.