The Climb Up to Hell

By: Jack Olsen

Narrated by: David L. Stanley

Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

In the heart of the Swiss Alps stand the three majestic peaks of the Bernese Oberland, Europe's most famous mountain range. The highest, at 13,638 feet, is the Jungfrau. Next is the Mönch at 13,465 feet. But it is the smallest, the Eiger, rising 13,038 feet above sea level, that is by far the deadliest. Called a "living" mountain for its constantly changing conditions--unpredictable weather, disintegrating limestone surfaces, and continuously falling rock and ice--its mile-high north wall is perhaps the most dangerous climb in the world. And that may be just what beckons elite Alpinists to scale the treacherous peak against the odds.

In 1957, nearly 40 years before the well-known Mount Everest tragedy, two teams of confident climbers set out to summit the north wall of Eiger Mountain. Not long into their journey, onlookers could tell the four men were headed for disaster. Soon rescue teams from all over Europe raced toward Eiger--yet only one of the four climbers survived to face unfounded international accusations. In a story as fascinating as any novel, Jack Olsen creates a riveting account of daring adventure, heroic rescue, and one of the most baffling mysteries in the history of mountain climbing.

©2014 Jack Olsen (P)2015 Gregg Olsen

Excellent, listened to it twice

Would you listen to The Climb Up to Hell again? Why?

Yes I would, as the book ends you realize how unlikely the rescue was and it inspires you to go back and revisit the history of the area to better understand the attitude of the locals and the schism between the established guides versus the new genre of international climbers.

Any additional comments?

Unlike the other reviewers, I enjoyed the narration. Stanley's voice inflections helped me to more easily distinguish the characters.

Difficult to listen to

The story itself was excellent, but the narration was rough. The pacing and emphasis were so awkward and distracting that it was tough to get into the story.

Overly...dramatic narrator.

I will read read\listen to anything by Jack Olsen..but the narrator was too dramatic..wonderful and exciting mountaineering..true story..sorry it was so short..good job Jack....

Great story, poor performance.

This was a great story but the performance was terrible! The reader, David Stanley, had either not prepared enough or was trying far too hard to read with effect. His emphasis was often on the wrong words and his stop,start style was really off-putting.

The narrator ...

... probably tries his best. He does not, however, have the range, elocution, or gravitas, necessary to the telling of this story. The Northeast USA accent is just not doing it for the story of treacherous Swiss mountain faces.

Great Story...Horrid Narration

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed the story. However, the odd, uncomfortable speech pattern of the narrator detracted greatly from the intensity and drama that this story should convey.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Climb Up to Hell?

The rash impulses and lack of preparation of some of the climbers certainly sticks in my mind.

Would you be willing to try another one of David L. Stanley’s performances?

NO! I highly recommend his next project is the reading of an EPA manual, or perhaps the phone book. His voice was made for boring, predictable and uneventful material.

Did The Climb Up to Hell inspire you to do anything?

Read more about mountain climbing...also, I don't think I will ever climb anything more than a small mole hill...

Any additional comments?

There is an excellent German movie about the attempt by two Nazi soldiers to climb the Eiger in the 1930s. It makes an excellent supplement to a general understanding of the history of the mountain.

Narrator distracts from story

I love Jack Olsen's books and my favorite narrator is Kevin Pierce. Kevin did not narrate this novel, however. This narrator is awful! His puts emphasis and dramatic pauses in all the wrong places!!! Do me a favor and save your money, because I certainly can't get mine back :(

Tedious

This is not a book about climbing, but a PAINFULLY detailed, overly technical, and slow moving narration of a rescue on the Eiger. The event and rescue should have taken up a chapter, not an entire book.

Worst narration possible!

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Different reader.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Sounded like he was the guy who couldn't make it for the preliminary audtions for the ninth grade play.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment. Jack Olsen is an excellent writer. The narrator ruined it.

Absolutely Horrible Narration

Would you try another book from Jack Olsen and/or David L. Stanley?

I love Jack Olsen books. He was an amazing true crime author that no one has been able to match.

In drastic contrast, David Stanley, the narrator, is horrible. Another reviewer compared his style to reading a children's book and that's exactly what I thought. He reads with these odd peaks of sound that make it feel like he's talking to a toddler. He also stresses the oddest words which throws the whole context of the sentence out of the window.

I'm only 40 minutes into this audiobook and I'm considering turning it off and just buying the book to read to myself. My internal voice narration sounds much better than David's style.

Because of this, I will NEVER, EVER buy another audiobook with David Stanley as the narrator. He did a big disservice to the genius writing style of Jack Olsen.

Whomever hired this narrator should be fired.

What did you like best about this story?

The suspense is great but it was lost to the terrible narration.

Would you be willing to try another one of David L. Stanley’s performances?

Never!

Did The Climb Up to Hell inspire you to do anything?

It's inspiring me to pick up the book version of this title and forget about the audiobook.

Any additional comments?

Please, pay someone else to redo this narration. Jack Olsen's honor deserves it. The late Jack would be horrified if he knew his writing was being watered down to an unlistenable audiobook because of the poor narration.