Anatoly Bukreev is a Soviet and Kazakh high-altitude mountaineer—an Honored Master of Sport of the USSR, holder of the title “Snow Leopard,” climber of eleven eight-thousanders, and four-time summiter of Everest. One of the first sky-runners in the CIS, a mountain guide who worked at great heights in the Himalayas, a photographer and writer.
His real life took place in the mountains, where nature rules. Anatoly Bukreev became widely known after the tragic 1996 Everest expedition, when he saved three U.S. citizens and received the David Souls American Alpine Club award, given for rescue in the mountains at the risk of one’s own life. Anatoly could also have died that May night when a storm struck Everest’s slopes—but he crossed his finish line later, on December 25, 1997, in the Annapurna region. His life was cut short by an avalanche.
In his short life, Anatoly Bukreev set many records. By his example he pushed back the boundaries of what human beings consider possible, doing what most people on Earth find incredible, unreachable, and incomprehensible.
This book is devoted to the life of the mountaineer Anatoly Bukreev—or “Buki,” as they called him in the climbing community. It was written by journalist Galina Mulenko, who personally knew Anatoly, the team where Bukreev grew as both an athlete and a person, and representatives of other generations of the legendary coach Ervand Ilyinsky’s staff. The book describes the main stages of Bukreev’s life, his most significant expeditions and ascents. Thanks to unique interviews, the memories of his friends and fellow climbers, you’ll be able to see the hero of this book in a new light.