Product Description

From the rigours and risks of high-altitude climbing on Everest to the challenges of scaling El Captain's 3,000 vertical feet, this collection examines the subject of mountaineering through the eyes of gifted writers with great stories to tell. These stories reveal climbing's allure as well as its terrible risks. Legendary Yosemite veteran John Long recalls the joys of climbing the world's hardest rock routes in the company of friends whose boldness scares even him. Scotsmen Hamish MacInnes, Tom Patey and Andrew Greig all feature, too, in stories from the Eiger's dreaded North Face, Mustagh Tower in the Karakoram aand the Alps. This title spans a century of great literature, from Evelyn Waugh and H.G. Wells to contemporary authors such as Daniel Duane and Maureen O'Neill. All of these writers have something to say about the beauty, the excitement, the ambition and the love that drives men and women to risk everything in the mountains.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #96456 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 246 pages

About the Author
Clint Willis, a climber and an armchair mountaineer since he was ten-years-old, is editor of the Adrenaline series. He has worked on seven anthologies so far, including High, Wild and Ice, all available from Mainstream. He lives with his wife and two sons in Maine, USA.

Customer Reviews

learn a mistake before it happens
This is a book that explores all the extreme sides of climbing mishapes, John long has some very unique storys to tell about rock climbing and there are alot of other personal experiences. There is one story though about a mountaineer that falls in a crevass with a burgan on and dies that makes you feel hurt and sorrow inside for the survivor. I hope these ill falls never happen to me as a climber, better to learn the easy way first

active or armchair climber you will be gripped by this one
Being an armchair climber, I bought this to read on my hols, which I did very quickly. The book can be picked up and put down easily between sessions in the pool or trips to the beach etc. Being an anthology it has a range of flavours between the covers, from blood and guts to love and lament.

The gory bits were a little tough, as I was trying to relax with the kids, if that is not a contradiction in terms. It will make you appreciate what you do have, whatever it is.