"Finding Jim" describes Susan Oakey-Baker's struggle to confront the realities of life after the death of her husband, renowned mountain guide Jim Haberl, the first Canadian to summit the most difficult mountain in the world: K2. For fifteen years they had spent time adventuring together around the world: skiing the Himalaya, rafting in Nepal and mountaineering in North America. In time, they got married, solidified a home for themselves in Whistler, British Columbia, and planned on starting a family. But the future Susan had imagined was not meant to be, and when Jim was killed in an avalanche in the University Range of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska, she was faced with a loss greater than anything she ever could have expected.After Jim's death, Susan spent time retracing the adventures they took together, in a desperate and obsessive attempt to gather and hold on to as many memories of him as she could. She travelled to the place in Alaska where he lost his life; searched the Queen Charlotte Islands where they had first met; trekked to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro where they had journeyed the year before his death; and scoured the hills around their Whistler home for traces of the man she had expected to spend the rest of her life with.In the spirit of books like Joan Didion's"The Year of Magical Thinking" and Maria Coffey's "Fragile Edge," Susan Oakey-Baker writes eloquently of her efforts to relive and reanalyze her husband's death, to defy the pain that such a loss causes and embrace the healing power of mountains, adventure and wilderness as she reimagines her new life.

'This is the story of how, on 29 May, 1953, two men, both endowed with outstanding stamina and skill, reached the top of Everest and came back unscathed to rejoin their comrades. 'Yet this will not be the whole story, for the ascent of Everest was not the work of one day, nor even of those few anxious, unforgettable weeks in which we prepared and climbed this summer. It is, in fact, a tale of sustained and tenacious endeavour by many, over a long period of time... We of the 1953 Everest Expedition are proud to share the glory with our predecessors.' Sir John Hunt

Conrad Kain is a titan amongst climbers in Canada and is well-known in mountaineering circles all over the world. His letters to Amelie Malek-a life-long friend-offer a candid view into the deepest thoughts of the Austrian mountain guide, and are a perfect complement to his autobiography, Where the Clouds Can Go. The 144 letters provide a unique and personal view of what it meant to immigrate to Canada in the early part of the twentieth century. Kain's letters are ordered chronologically with annotations, keeping the sections in English untouched, while those in German have been carefully translated. Historians and mountain culture enthusiasts worldwide will appreciate Kain's genius for description, his passion for nature, his opinions, and his musings about his life.

The mountain parks are for all Canadians for all time and their value cannot be measured in terms of how many access roads, motels, souvenir shops and golf courses we've provided. -Bob Jordan, 1971 The Alpine Club of Canada imagined the Rockies and neighbouring ranges to the west and the north as a "climber's paradise." Through a century of adventure and advocacy, the ACC led the way to mountain pursuits in spectacular regions. Historian and mountain studies specialist PearlAnn Reichwein's research is informed by her experiences mountaineering and by her interest in mountain culture. She presents a compelling case for understanding wild spaces and human activity within them as parts of a whole. A work of invaluable scholarship in the areas of environmental history, public policy, sport studies, recreation, and tourism, Climber's Paradise will appeal to many non-specialists, mountaineers, environmentalists, and travellers across Canada and beyond.

From skilled weekend warriors to internationally recognized stars of the professional adventure game, Lynn Martel has interviewed dozens of the most dynamic, creative and accomplished self-propelled adventurers of our time. In "Expedition to the Edge: Stories of Worldwide Adventure," Martel has assembled 59 compelling and entertaining stories that uniquely capture the exploits, the hardships, the fears and the personal insights of a virtual who's who of contemporary adventurers as they explore remote mountain landscapes from the Rockies to Pakistan to Antarctica. Through candid and revealing conversations, Martel captures the joys, the motivations and the revelations of top climbers Sonnie Trotter, Sean Isaac, Raphael Slawinski and Steph Davis; Himalayan alpinists Carlos Buhler, Marko Prezelj and Barry Blanchard; record-setting paraglider Will Gadd; Everest skier Kit Deslauriers; the conservationist duo Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison as they follow a caribou herd for five months on foot across the Yukon; and Colin Angus on his two-year quest to become the first person to circumnavigate the world by human power.

'What I've learned from climbing mountains is that we can push ourselves far beyond what we think we are capable of, and it's outside of our comfort zones that the most amazing things happen.' What drives us to go to our limits and beyond? What does it take to make dreams come true over all else? And how can you turn fear into courage? From Everest to K2, The Girl Who Climbed Everest is the story of Bonita Norris' journey undertaking the world's toughest and most dangerous expeditions. Once an anxious teenager with an eating disorder it was the discovery of a passion for climbing that inspired Bonita to change her life. Drawing on her experiences to capture the agonies - both mental and physical - and joys of her incredible feats Bonita also imparts the lessons learned encouraging you to harness greater self-belief. The Girl Who Climbed Everest is an honest exploration of everything Bonita has learnt from climbing. Life lessons about ambition, values, risk, happiness, the courage to fail, and what's ultimately important. An indispensable and important book for anyone who has ever doubted their potential or put limits on themselves - whatever challenge you face or ambitions you want to achieve, The Girl Who Climbed Everest will inspire you to take action and live life more fearlessly.

George Mallory's collected writings on his mountaineering - and his motivations. Famously impelled to climb Mount Everest simply because it was there, Mallory made three attempts to be the first to reach its summit, and perished on the third. His writing reveals the emotional life of the mountaineer. With eloquence, Mallory captures the struggles and the rewards involved, the climber's sense of triumph, and experiences of staggering beauty. The reader is Tim Pigott Smith.

'Like Joe Simpson, Andrew has discovered a latent talent for writing that only a mountaineering epic seems to have allowed him to uncover. And like Touching the Void, Life and Limb is brilliantly written and utterly un-put-down-able. If ever a tale evokes the phrase "life affirming" then this is it.' -On the Edge magazine; 'His courage, determination and sense of humour shine through the words of this remarkable book...Life and Limb is a genuinely life-enhancing read.' -Scottish Mountaineer; Jamie Andrew's survival and rescue after five nights trapped by a ferocious storm in 1999 has passed into Alpine legend. It was a miracle that he survived; but Jamie had to come to terms not only with the death of his close friend, Jamie Fisher, who died beside him - but also with the loss of all his limbs to frostbite. Since the accident, Jamie has struggled painfully and successfully to overcome his disabilities; not only has he learnt to walk (and run) on his prosthetic legs, but also to ski, snowboard, paraglide - and even take up his beloved mountaineering again.

Feeding The Rat is the riveting story of an extraordinary man: climbing legend Mo Anthoine, who found his greatest joy in adventures that that tested the far limits of human endurance.His passion for ‘feeding the rat’ made him the unsung hero of dozens of terrifying, epic expeditions in the mountains, including the famous Ogre expedition that almost killed Doug Scott and Sir Chris Bonington. The book is also the story of the friendship between Mo and his co-adventurer, Al Alvarez — the distinguished poet, critic and journalist. Warm, humorous and insightful, this moving portrait of Alvarez’s anarchic, iconoclastic longtime climbing partner is a classic of adventure literature.

Al Alvarez is a poet, critic, journalist and adrenalin junkie. To find out more, visit www.bloomsbury.com/alalvarez

'The vicarious fear was so powerful that I had to hold on to the arm of the sofa. When it gets to the kind of courage, fortitude and brute strength the poeple in this book display, the head swims ... the writing is as beautiful as it is thrilling' —The Times

'Immensely funny ... subtle, profound and — like its subject — wholly unique' —Climber

'Alvarez has always taken us to places we never wanted to go; the dangerous edge of things #151; heart-stopping, high-stakes poker games, the rarefied air of higher literary criticism, the depths of depression and suicide, and now the epic extremes of mountaineering. He has always challenged timidities with profound courage, mordant humour and an appetite for personal challenge. The Alvarez rat rarely went hungry. The rest of us will beg for more' —The Times

A thrilling chronicle of the tragedy-ridden history of climbing the world's most difficult and unpredictable mountain, by the bestselling authors of "The Mountain" and "No Shortcuts to the Top
"Ed Viesturs, one of the world's premier high-altitude mountaineers, explores the remarkable history of K2 and of those who have attempted to conquer it. At the same time, he probes the mountain's most memorable sagas in order to illustrate lessons about the fundamental questions mountaineering raises--questions of risk, ambition, loyalty to one's teammates, self-sacrifice, and the price of glory. Viesturs knows the mountain firsthand. He and renowned alpinist Scott Fischer climbed it in 1992 and got caught in an avalanche that sent them sliding to almost certain death before Ed managed to get into a self-arrest position with his ice ax and stop both his fall and Scott's.
Focusing on seven of the mountain's most dramatic campaigns, from his own troubled ascent to the 2008 tragedy, Viesturs crafts an edge-of-your-seat narrative that climbers and armchair travelers alike will find unforgettably compelling. With photographs from Viesturs's personal collection and from historical sources, this is the definitive account of the world's ultimate mountain, and of the lessons that can be gleaned from struggling toward its elusive summit.

This volume includes Bachar's best techniques for face and crack climbing, practicing with bouldering and top roping, physical and mental training plans, and Bachar's views of free soloing and ethics.

This continuation of FalconGuides' progressive climbing series invites single pitch climbers to responsibly venture beyond the chains, into the realm of multi-pitch climbing. The farther from the ground a climb leads, the more technical proficiency and careful planning will make the difference between a worthy adventure and miserable epic. Climbing: From Single Pitch to Multi-Pitch complements instruction, ground school, and practice with a procedural approach to planning and preparation, leading anchoring and belaying, transitions, technical descent, and emergency preparedness. Before you get in way way over your head, make sure the essential skills outlined in this book have been reviewed, rehearsed, and individualized.

The only conditioning book a rock climber needs! Rock climbing is one of the most physically challenging sports, testing strength, endurance, flexibility, and stamina. Good climbers have to build and maintain each of these assets. This is revised and updated edition of the classic book, Conditioning for Climbers, provides climbers of all ages and experience with the knowledge and tools to design and follow a comprehensive, personalized exercise program.

A sequel to the award-winning "Touching the Void", in which Simpson described a fall in the Himalayas which crippled and almost broke him. This is a memoir of the signposts that have directed him since childhood to measure fear and embrace the unknown.

Best Climbs Denver & Boulder covers Eldorado Canyon, the Flatirons, Boulder Canyon, Golden Cliffs, Castlewood Canyon, the north section of the South Platte, and some toproping routes at Ironclads

At the age of sixteen, Andy Cave followed in his father's and grandfather's footsteps and became a miner - one of the last recruits into a dying world. Every day he would descend 3,000 feet into Grimethorpe pit. But at weekends Andy escaped from the pithead to a very different world - testing his nerve on the cliffs and mountains around Britain, and forging endearing friendships with his new companions. Enduring the 1984-5 miners' strike - the guilt, the broken friendships, the poverty - Andy continued to indulge his passion. In 1986, after much soul searching, he quit his job as a miner in order to devote himself to mountaineering. At the same time he decided to educate himself, acquiring almost from a standing start academic qualifications including a PhD in socio-linguistics. This extraordinary twin odyssey is graphically recalled in this remarkable book. In the Himalaya in 1997 Andy achieved a courageous first ascent on one of the steepest and most difficult summits in the world - the North Face of Changabang. Seventeen days later, he and only two of his team-mates crawled into base camp, frostbitten, emaciated and traumatised. His account of this terrifying experience provides a dramatic climax to this compelling story.

Rock Climbing provides basic information on belaying, leading and rappelling techniques and offers advice on useful equipment and respect for the environment.Like every climber you will come to the point where you want to leave the climbing gym and exchange plastic handles for real rock beneath your palms. You want to breathe in fresh air, enjoy the sun, wind, and the scenery surrounding you. But in order to do that safely, you first have to train for it.When rock climbing, unlike indoor climbing, you are responsible for protecting yourself. While this promises excitement and a more intense experience, it also requires additional knowledge and both physical and mental strength.This book will cover the right techniques, crucial safety procedures, and essential equipment that allows you to successfully master the first steps in rock climbing. Numerous photos illustrate the challenging and complex sequences and movements in an easy-to-understand way.A brief introduction to indoor climbing is also included

WINNER OF THE 2016 EDWARD STANFORD ADVENTURE TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 'Levison Wood has breathed new life into adventure travel.' Michael Palin 'Levison Wood is a great adventurer and a wonderful storyteller.' Sir Ranulph Fiennes 'Britain's best-loved adventurer... he looks like a man who will stare danger in the face and soak up a lot of pain without complaint.' The Times Following in in the footsteps of the great explorers, WALKING THE HIMALAYAS is Levison Wood's enthralling account of crossing the Himalayas on foot. His journey of discovery along the path of the ancient trade route of the Silk Road to the forgotten kingdom of Bhutan led him beyond the safety of the tourist trail. There lies the real world of the Himalayas, where ex-paratrooper Levison Wood encountered natural disasters, extremists, nomadic goat herders, shamans (and the Dalai Lama) in his 1,700-mile trek across the roof of the world. WALKING THE HIMALAYAS is a tale of courage, stamina and the kindness of strangers that will appeal to the adventurer in us all.

Climbers who court danger in the world's highest places risk far more than just their own skins. When tragedy strikes, what happens to the people who love them? Why would anyone choose to invest in a future with a high-altitude climber? What is life like in the shadow of the mountain? Such questions have long been taboo within the international world of mountaineering. Now Maria Coffey breaks this silence. She recounts climbers' stories of near-death experiences, and gives a voice to the families and loved ones of Chris Bonington, Ed Viesturs, Anatoli Boukreev and Alex Lowe, amongst many other famous names. Her riveting narrative weaves tales of adventure with first-person accounts of the people left behind, highlighting the conflicting beauty, passion and devastation of this alluring obsession.

The early climbing years of Britain's greatest living mountaineer, from his schooldays to his ascent of the Eiger in 1962. I CHOSE TO CLIMB, first published in 1966, was Chris Bonington's first book. He was recognised then, as now, as one of the outstanding members of a brilliant generation of mountaineers, which included such personalities as Hamish MacInnes, Don Whillans and Ian Clough. Here he describes his climbing beginnings as a teenager as well as successful ascents all over the world: the first ascent of the Central Pillar of Freney, the first British ascent of the North Face of the Eiger in 1962, Annapurna II in 1960 and in an unhappy expedition in 1961, Nuptse, the third peak of Everest. The first volume of Chris Bonington's autobiography is written with a warmth and enthusiasm that he has made his own. It tells of his climbing tastes and practice, and of family, friends and partnerships cemented over many years.

Companion to the classic Yosemite in the Sixties, this book uses the words of the climbers of the time and artfully restored photographs to chronicle the historic first ascents of Yosemite's "mile-high" granite walls, the legendary personalities who risked their lives to climb them, and how their endeavors initiated the birth of adventure sports. Better than half a century after the first ascent of El Capitan, the deeds of Yosemite's 1950s-era Iron Age are no longer viewed as climbs or mere adventures. Rather, they are assaults on the human barrier, pushing that much higher. Yosemite in the Fifties gives the stage almost entirely over to the original source material, the first-person narratives, archive photos (artfully restored), and memorabilia particular to the seminal ascents of the era. These words, images, and design, when cast from critical angles, all reach across generations to resurrect vanished worlds. Yosemite in The Fifties is fashioned not so much as a book but as a wormhole back to an enchanted time in the history of exploration, and a classic era of Americana now lost in time.

As humans we have evolved over millions of years to live with uncertainty and danger. Indeed, it has been our ability to change and adapt to differing circumstances that has made us so successful. In the past most people's lives were hazardous; it was an adventure to survive. Then, as wealth increased, European adventurers set out to explore the world. It was this exploration, and the trade that resulted from it, which started the rapid economic development we continue to enjoy to this day. In this sense, the very foundations of our modern society were laid by adventurers. In the developed world we are wealthier than ever. This wealth allows us to do many amazing things and gives us increasing control of our own lives and the environment around us. Yet often people feel their lives lack real excitement. Having grown accustomed to the comfort and security our increased wealth provides, have we lost some of our identity in the process? Are we now neglecting our ability to change and adapt, our ability as adventurers?

Simon Yates explores these and other questions in an autobiographical narrative following numerous mountaineering expeditions and looks at the role adventure plays in our lives and the effect it has on them. Mountaineer Simon Yates is very familiar with the subject of this, his second book. He has devoted much of his adult life to pursuing adventures through mountaineering and travel, living at times on the margins of physical and material existence. These experiences have provided what he hopes is a unique view of adventure and the role it plays in all our lives.

Devil's Lake State Park in Wisconsin is the most popular rock-climbing area in the Midwest. It features spectacular cliffs and other rock formations where the Ice Age glacier's terminal moraine meets an ancient landscape of rock.This third edition of the popular ""Climber's Guide to Devil's Lake"" has been thoroughly updated for twenty-first-century climbers and hikers and includes information for use with GPS receivers. It provides information for climbers of all abilities and preferences, offering precise directions to help them navigate and climb within the park.The features include: an updated introduction by George J. Pokorny and new photographs by Eric Andre; a summary of the geologic and natural history of the Baraboo hills by Patricia K. Armstrong; locations and updated descriptions of nearly 1,800 climbs; landmark photographs from most major climbing areas; GPS waypoints, map coordinates, altimeter readings, and approach information; detailed diagrams locating climbing routes at most major climbing areas; and, 6 new diagrams, 5 new climbing areas, and 120 new routes.

Simon Yates is 'the one who cut the rope' in Joe Simpson's award- winning account of their epic struggle for survival in TOUCHING THE VOID. Afterwards, Yates continued mountaineering on the hardest routes. Perhaps the most testing of all was one of the world's largest vertical rock-faces, the 4,000-foot Central Tower of Paine in Chile. Battered by fercious storms, Yates and his three companions should have turned back. Instead they struggle on, living in hammocks suspended over the yawning chasm below. Their greatest difficulties, however, come not from the elements but from within themselves. Almost crippled with fear just below the summit, the disillusioned team is forced into a nightmare retreat. After resting in a nearby town, they return to complete the climb, but Yates knows he still has to face one of life's greatest challenges.

In STORMS OF SILENCE Joe Simpson recalls the severe snowstorm which put an end to an attempt with four others on Gangchempo and the infection which forced him to abandon the climb on Cho Oyu in tibet. During that expedition he has a disturbing encounter with a party of political refugees and a 4-year-old boy fleeing across the Tibetan border. He becomes obsessed with stories of Chinese brutality in the old world Tibet they overran by force 40 years ago. He also begins to question the ethic of playing rich men's games in Third World countries, contributing little to the local people who endure a fearful struggle to survive.

Oppression abroad makes him see mindless violence in his home town of Sheffield in a new light. The books ends with his first trip to the Andes in Peru since TOUCHING THE VOID.