Reviews for Shattered Air: A True Account of Catastrophe and Courage on Yosemite's Half Dome

The average rating for Shattered Air: A True Account of Catastrophe and Courage on Yosemite's Half Dome based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-06-09 00:00:00 Shawn Barney Since I have climbed Half Dome before, and I have had experiences with lightning on other sierra peaks, I couldn't help but pick up this book. Although I didn't care for the author's style in the first few chapters, and the people he wrote about are not people I would associate with, the actual account of the event on the Dome was intriguing. I couldn't put it down. This is a story about the repercussions of complete stupidity. I understand that people make mistakes sometimes, but this was Russian roulette. This was arrogance and machismo. I can't help but picture a rescuer asking one of the victims, "Why did you do it? Why did you act so recklessly?" And he answered with a smug attitude, "We wanted to dance in the lightning." What an ass! The survivors had to cope with guilt and thoughts of what they could have done different. The co-author, Adrian Esteban, kept saying he felt responsible because he and Rice were "the leaders". But that's ridiculous too. Anybody with half a brain knows that lightning can kill. Walking out onto a granite peak during a storm is suicide. Were these "followers" so enveloped in their leaders that they lost common sense? Could they not think for themselves? I won't even get started about how they pursued a wrongful death lawsuit against the National Park Service for "not closing Half Dome during the storm due to the danger". As if it is an amusement park ride and not "wilderness". Luckily, that was short lived. Unfortunately, many people had to alter their plans, stay up all night, and attend to the survivors of the lightning strikes. Tons of money was spent on helicopter rescue flights, and people risked their lives flying to the Dome in the middle of the night. I admire all of these people. In the face of arrogance and even a lack of remorse in at least one person, they still helped these people that asked for their plight. I probably sound like I am being harsh, but I believe that you hold your own when you are out in the wilderness. Your decisions are not just your own. They affect the world and the people around you. This should be considered before literally jumping into the fire.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-02-12 00:00:00 Sean Ruark [image error]