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Art Davidson

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Minus 148 Degrees: First Winter Ascent of Mount McKinley, Anniversary Edition (Legends and Lore) Kindle Edition

by Art Davidson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.6 363 ratings

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"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"

* Spring 2013 marks the 100th anniversary of the first ascent of Mount McKinley

* 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°

This title is part of our LEGENDS AND LORE series. Click here > to learn more.

Print length

242 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Mountaineers Books
Publication date

April 11, 2013
Grade level

3 and up
File size

7419 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

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

About the Author

Art Davidson's climbing successes in Alaska from 1966 1967 culminated in his epic first winter ascent of Mount
McKinley. His book Minus 148° has been a mountaineering classic since its first publication in 1969. He lives in
Anchorage, Alaska.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00CFQNF36
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mountaineers Books; Anniversary edition (April 11, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 11, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 7419 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 242 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #721,268 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #230 in Mountaineering (Kindle Store)
- #963 in Mountain Climbing
- #966 in Travel Biographies & Memoirs

Customer Reviews:
4.6 363 ratings

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4.6 out of 5

363 global ratings

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ashley torres

Amazing

Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

A fantastic account of an incredible ascent of Denali. Very well written, with journal entries of climbers on the team, which makes for a better overall picture of the ascent. Read this book in under 24 hours, just couldn't put it down!

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2017

Verified Purchase

Stop. Think. How many things do you know that would be frozen solid at -148 degrees? What you'll have trouble naming is anything that wouldn't be frozen solid at that temperature. The stark title leads one to the ebullience of the young men you attempted this winter climb of Mt. Denali. They're cheer, they're comradeship, their determination make the climb seem. from the beginning possible, do-able, there to be done but never is success a guaranteed thing.

Art Davidson puts you on his back and hauls the reader up the mountain through the good and, mostly, grim. His description is both elegant and penetrating in a way that "adventure" books seldom are. You know him not only from the picture at the from but from his thoughts, conversations, desire to convey what is was like. (As we got higher and the temperature dropped, I slapped on heavy duty suntan lotion and sat outside to enjoy the heat.)

This is not a book about a mission, it's a book about an idea that slowly, surely takes shape and then we find ourselves trying to spit into the wind, make camp where even a mountain goat would be leery, build the friendship beyond friendship when the reality of having to rely on others comes to pass. The damages they suffer are made to seem the price of admission, the forfeit for success. This is no book about auteurs who fail because all they had was a notion but backed by....nothing. This is a book about men who are transfixed by an idea and can do nothing but follow it up the mountain and to their personal perception of success.

Mr. Davidson shares his life with us in plainly elegant words that convey what it was like, how it felt, the emotional hook that dragged him on. This is a brilliant book from a man I much admire.

4 people found this helpful

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Colo. Dude

Codition exceeded expectations

Reviewed in the United States on February 29, 2024

used as a gift

One of the best Mountaineering Books

Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2023

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I read this book after a number of mountaineering focused books. This story, to me, knocks them out of the park. It takes a first hand account of harsh winter terrain on Denali and shows how experience doesn't always mean survival.

I have recommended it to people who don't climb, and even they are astounded. If you like fiction and are trying to get into non-fiction, this is a book for you.

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Turtle Trekker

Adventure, Suspense and Triumph

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2014

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This is the perfect book to put our current winter freeze into perspective. I read all the mountaineering books I can find, and this one is up there with Touching the Void and In the Zone for epic survival stories. I read non-stop with dread and suspense--you get to know and like all the climbers and want them all to make it. Then I reread the book to enjoy the writing. Art Davidson's writing is honest, clear, and conveys not only an adventure/survival story, but also the beauty and wonder that motivates climbers--something seldom expressed and never so well. I was not surprised to find he has written a book of poetry.

One person found this helpful

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Arthur Digbee

A mountaineering book that goes beyond the genre

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2014

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In 1967, Art Davidson and seven others decided to try the first winter ascent of Mount McKinley (Denali), North America’s highest peak. Because Denali lies so far north, its elevation of 20,322 feet (6194 meters) gives it nasty conditions comparable to higher Himalayan peaks. In addition, there is less air at higher altitudes because of the effects of the Earth’s rotation, making high-altitude mountaineering more challenging. The peak is also famous for its storms, especially its wind. Remember, they’re trying this in winter.

The team gets off to a bad start, in part because it’s not a team. Skill levels, fitness, acclimation to altitude, and climbing styles vary. Leadership is a problem. People, including the author, make some bad decisions. Then things get bad when three members of the team spend six days in a horrible storm, with temperatures below -40F/C, winds of 100-150 mph (150-200 kph). Did I mention that they have very little food? And no tent? And the storm blows some of their supplies off the mountain?

Mountaineering stories often emphasize the heroism of the protagonists. There’s a little of that here, but more of the story focuses on the psychology of the climbers. Davidson is honest about himself, and honest about others. He blames himself for some decisions. He usually doesn’t blame others for their decisions, but the facts often make you wonder.

The book is a compelling, fast read. If you like mountaineering or adventure stories, you should definitely read it - but it reaches beyond the genre and should be enjoyed by a wider audience.

9 people found this helpful

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M. H.

Amazing but makes you cold reading it.

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2020

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An amazing telling of human endurance and the extremes a body can tolerate. Also an honest, brutal look at humanity. The author did not spare himself in this introspective assessment, making you see and feel his selfishness. Great book.

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2014

Verified Purchase

I was recommended this book by our tour guide when we recently visited Denali, in Alaska. While I kept a safe distance on a tour bus, a group of young men several decades ago decided to attempt the first climb to the summit of Denali/Mount McKindley in winter. This is their story, written in a straightforward and honest way that takes the reader along with them, if only in our imaginations. At first it meandered a bit and the group that they put together seemed a bit motley and unprepared. I didn't know the story so I wondered how many would die on the mountain. As the mountain asserted itself and the weather trapped them, again I wondered how many would survive, and found myself hoping against logic that they would make it down.

I won't spoil the ending for those of you who don't know the outcome. I'm not a mountaineering fan and I still don't understand the motivation of climbers, but this is a good read and I highly recommend it.

5 people found this helpful

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