Climb: Stories of Survival from Rock, Snow, and Ice (Adrenaline) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1560252502 ISBN 13: 9781560252504

Publisher: Da Capo Press, 1999

Synopsis

Climb focuses on the most exciting descriptions of climbing in the world, from the cliffs of Yosemite to the windswept towers of Patagonia to the high peaks of Alaska and the Himalayas. Stories include Jon Krakauer's first-person look at the risks of climbing Mt. McKinley's West Buttress route, which has killed scores of climbers in recent years; Chris Bonington's classic account of the Annapurna expedition, which introduced technical rock climbing at high altitude; Tom Patey's hilarious profile of the great climber and even greater misanthrope Don Whilans, describing an attempt the two made on the Eiger North Face; and Rob Taylor's experience breaking a leg high on Africa's Mount Kenya.

About this title

About the Author:

Editor Clint Willis has been a climber and an armchair mountaineer since he was ten years old. His writing about technology, finance and the outdoors has appeared in more than 100 publications, including Men's Journal, Outside, Rock & Ice and The New York Times, and he is a contributing editor of Forbes ASAP and Worth magazines. He lives with his wife and two sons in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

From Library Journal:

Willis is the editor of the "Adrenaline" series of adventure and survival-story collections, with titles such as Epic, Ice, and Rough, which encompass actual accounts as well as some fictional representations. Climb features adventures from some of the world's best climbers, e.g., Scotsman Hamish MacInnes and American Jim Wickwire, and exotic locales from Alaska and Yosemite to the Himalayas and Patagonia. Two fictional works are included, one of which is the humorous short story "Little Mother Up the Morderberg" by H.G. Wells, about a mother and son trekking to the top of a mountain. An excerpt from Evelyn Waugh's Remote People rounds out the contributions by noted literary figures. The only entry by a woman is Maureen O'Neill's "Queen of All She Surveys," a moving account of the last climb, and death, of a female climber and friend of the author who died in the way she wanted to live, climbing a mountain. "We Aspired: The Last Innocent Americans" by Pete Sinclair is a harrowing account of a climb that goes wrong with tragic results and the impact this has on those who witnessed death and misadventure up close. This last is by far the strongest story in the collection and one that will haunt listeners long afterward. As compared with other titles in this series, Climb is one of the weakest entries. The fictional selections are not compelling, and some of the factual accounts are rather lackluster, despite the competent readings by Terence Aselford, Graeme Malcolm, Nick Sampson, and others. However, listeners who are drawn to stories about danger, death-defying mountain and rock climbs, and encounters with ice and snow will likely want to hear this. Recommended for larger public libraries. Gloria Maxwell, Penn Valley Community Coll., Kansas City, MO
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 1560252502
• ISBN 13: 9781560252504
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 360
• Editor: Willis Clint