Freedom Climbers recounts the golden age of Polish mountaineering, the 1980s and 1990s when Polish climbers set the standard in Himalayan expedition climbing despite their desperate financial circumstances. McDonald focuses on a few colorful characters in particular, especially Jerzy Kukuczka and the controversial Wanda Rutkiewicz.
As the title suggests, McDonald is more interested in the politics of climbing than the adventure aspects. She spends more time on how the climbers finance their expeditions and finagle their permits than she does describing the mountains or the climbing challenges. She covers interpersonal politics as well: who chose whom for which expedition and how that person felt about it. All of that could be interesting, but her psychological insights tend to be pedestrian and certainly don't make up for the abbreviated mountaineering action.
As the title suggests, McDonald is more interested in the politics of climbing than the adventure aspects. She spends more time on how the climbers finance their expeditions and finagle their permits than she does describing the mountains or the climbing challenges. She covers interpersonal politics as well: who chose whom for which expedition and how that person felt about it. All of that could be interesting, but her psychological insights tend to be pedestrian and certainly don't make up for the abbreviated mountaineering action.
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