This book offers the first in depth study of this one particular extreme sport, rock climbing, and uses it as a case study to examine at how men "do" masculinity in a sporting environment. The book offers a fresh and innovative perspective on issues surrounding masculine identity, and challenges traditional approaches to sport studies. It also presents new ways of conceptualizing the relationship between the everyday and the pursuit of the extraordinary through sport. Drawing on insights from sociology, gender, masculinity studies and sports studies, this book will be of interest to a broad range of students and researchers in these areas.

An inspirational read that will take you to one of the last great frontiers, the mighty Mt McKinley, and an expedition that not only challenged a team of British Mountaineers both physically, mentally and morally, but a trip that nearly cost them their lives. This book takes you on a journey through life changing decisions, both on the Mountain, and on Nigel's long road to recovery after sustaining severe frostbite. His steely determination to battle through the aftermath of what can only be described as an epic expedition, put his life back together and go on to enjoy such fantastic Adventures despite his disability is an inspiration to us all. Rob Edmonds - Mountain Spirit Once Bitten is not just another 'climber gets stuck on mountain but survives to tell the tale' book. The gripping accounts of the summit attempt, realisation that something is going horribly wrong and the rescue are all there, but the other half of the book is all about the journey Nigel has made since those events in 1999 - the other mountains he has climbed and his refusal to disappear into the crevasses of self pity and helplessness that appeared along the way. By sharing his experiences he provides food for thought and hopes he can help others. As he says dramatic events may mean expectations have to be moved but they don't have to be lowered. We should all remember that life is for living. Carolyn Budding - Terra Nova Equipment Nigel's story was filmed as part of the 'Alive' series by Darlow Smithson Productions for Channel 4 / Discovery Channel.

Modern Mountaineering on Alpine Rock, Snow, and Ice.

If your experience as a backpacker or rock climber is drawing you higher; if the cold, remote alpine environment calls you nearer, this book is for you. "The Mountaineering Handbook" will teach you the skills that will take you to the top. Even if youre already an experienced mountaineer, youll find detailed descriptions of the newest and most effective techniques to refine and organize your methods and equipment. "The Mountaineering Handbook" isn't mired in outdated traditionalism; its new-school techniques are safer, more effective, and more fun for mountaineers at every level. With constant emphasis on light, fast, and efficient mountaineering, Craig Connally shows you how to: . . Move quickly up and down rock, snow, and ice with appropriate safety systems. Manage mountain hazards, including rockfall, avalanche, lightning, and high-altitude illness. Select the best equipment for your personal style and objectives. Maintain sound nutrition and training according to the most up-to-date science. Understand the human factors of mountaineering--the social and psychological forces that influence critical decisions. .

Connallys passion for mountaineering is evident in his writing--"The Mountaineering Handbook" is clever, insightful, and entertaining. He intends to move mountaineering into the twenty-first century, but hes also determined to turn the traditional how-to book on its ear by injecting personality, humor, and thoughtfulness into every page..

"Backpackers venture into the wilderness to see a little farther, but mountaineers describe their adventures as means of looking more closely into their own selves--to see alittle deeper. Climbing mountains compels introspection because every detail--from the smallest to the most ominous--must be constantly attended to. Thats both exhausting and exhilarating. Exhilarating, because the criteria for success are absolute and absolutely objective--they are chosen by the mountain, not by the mountaineer, and every person is equal when judged by mountains. Success requires mountaineers to appraise their own physical and mental capacities and to know, or discover, the extent of their reserves of competence, commitment, and courage. Mountaineering does not build character so much as it reveals it.""--from "The Mountaineering Handbook,"

Craig Connally puts many years of mountaineering, ski mountaineering, and climbing rock and ice into his engaging writing. More importantly, he has applied his advanced degrees in science and his career as an engineering manager to sort out and explain what works and what doesnt in the mountains..

‘I went on cutting. We seemed to have been going for a very long time and my confidence was fast evaporating. Bump followed bump with maddening regularity. A patch of shingle barred our way, and I climbed dully up it and started cutting steps around another bump. And then I realised that this was the last bump, for ahead of me the ridge dropped steeply away in a great corniced curve, and out in the distance I could see teh pastel shades and fleecy clouds of the highlands of Tibet.’

Everest: forbidding, exhilarating, unconquerable. All courageous attempts by man to reach its summit by heading up the northern side from Tibet had failed. The southern approach through Nepal had never before been climbed, due to its impossibly steep ice-covered slopes and the country’s policies. But in 1951 Edmund Hillary joined an expedition to find a new route up Everest from the south, which led to a new chapter in mountaineering history.

The climbers’ determination, endurance and battle against the elements culminated with their famous climb in 1953 as they finally reached the summit of this formidable mountain. Hillary’s own account of the historic climb is a classic adventurer’s memoir, originally published in 1955. It is illustrated with sketches by George Djurkovic, maps by A. Spark, and a 16-page plate section of 24 photographs from the Royal Geographical Society.

Click here to read an extract.

Now in paperback, the book Lynn Hill called "the first and only book to look at American climbing as a whole." American Rock is a celebration of the diversity of American rock climbing and an authoritative history of how the sport evolved at dozens of climbing hotspots around the country. The United States offers rock climbers a greater variety of geologic environments than any other country in the world. In recent years the sport has exploded and American climbers, once isolated from each other, now cross the country in search of new rock, sharing techniques, equipment, and information. In this thoughtful history and overview, veteran climber Mellor celebrates a dazzling mosaic of American geologic regions and the distinct climbing styles they have engendered. The rock, regions, and styles he explores include: Adirondack and White Mountain granite; Shawangunk conglomerate; the fragile red sandstone in the desert Southwest; western big-wall climbing on stark white walls of Sierra granite; steep walls and overhanging sandstone in the Southeast; and high-altitude mountaineering in the Rockies, Tetons, and Cascades. Mellor also chronicles the rich history and vibrant personalities of the climbing scene, and explores the meaning behind ongoing debates over access, techniques, and equipment.

In March 1985, Mal Duff led a new expedition to conquer Everest by the unclimbed north-east ridge. The last attempt by a Chris Bonington team had ended in failure and the tragic deaths of two great climbers, Joe Tasker and Pete Boardman. In this book, shortlisted for the Boardman-Tasker Awards, Greig chronicles not only the assault on the peak, but also the complex inter-relationships of 19 very different individuals living together, yet each of them very much alone.

Adventurist Jim Wickwire, an eyewitness to glory and terror above 20,000 feet, has braved bitter cold, blinding storms, and avalanches to become what the Los Angeles Times calls "one of America's most extraordinary and accomplished high-altitude mountaineers." Although his incredible exploits have inspired a feature on 60 Minutes and a full-length film, he hasn't told his remarkable story in his own words -- until now.

Among the world's most fearless climbers, Jim Wickwire has traveled the globe in search of fresh challenges. He was one of the first two Americans to reach the summit of K2, the world's second highest peak, the toughest and most dangerous to climb. But with the triumphs came tragedies that haunt him still. During several difficult climbs, he was forced to look on helplessly as four of his climbing companions lost their lives. A successful Seattle attorney, Wickwire climbed his first mountain in 1960. Deeply compelled by the thrill of risk, he pushed himself to the limits of physical and mental endurance for thirty-five years, before facing a turning point that threatened his faith in himself and his hope in the future. How he reassessed his priorities and rededicated his life -- to his family and his community -- completes a unique and moving portrait of one man's courage and commitment. Addicted To Danger is a tale of adventure in its truest sense.

A bona fide classic, originally published in 1872, Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada is still exciting reading. It describes the perils and pleasures experienced by Clarence King (1842-1901) while conducting the first geological survey of California in the 1860s. His language was equal to the marvels he found, and here with unfading brilliance are his accounts of scaling such mountains as Tyndall, Shasta, and Whitney. The chapters on the Yosemite Valley and surrounding High Sierras were written while he was surveying the boundaries of a newly designated national park. There are also delightful vignettes of western characters, including a Sierra artist and a family of Pike County hog farmers. Clarence King, who in 1879 became the first director of the United States Geological Survey, will always be remembered for Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, which was praised by Wallace Stegner, Van Wyck Brooks, and Henry Seidel Canby as a watermark of frontier literature.This 1935 edition was introduced and edited by Francis P. Farquhar, editor of the Sierra Club Bulletin from 1926 to 1946.

Contemporary evidence sheds new light on the story of the 1939 American K2 expedition, which was marred by mystery and death.

On the night of 10-11 May 1996, eight climbers perished in what remains the worst disaster in Everest's history. Following the tragedy, numerous accounts were published, with Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air becoming an international bestseller. But has the whole story been told? A Day to Die For reveals the full, startling facts that led to the tragedy. Graham Ratcliffe, the first British climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest twice, was a first-hand witness, having spent the night on Everest's South Col at 26,000 ft, sheltering from the deadly storm. For years, he has shouldered a burden of guilt, feeling that he and his teammates could have saved lives that fateful night. His quest for answers has led to discoveries so important to an understanding of the disaster that he now questions why these facts were not made public sooner. History is dotted with high-profile disasters that both horrify and capture the attention of the public, but very rarely is our view of them revised to such devastating effect.

Follow along in the footsteps of renowned climbers Fred Beckey, Jim Bridwell, Riccardo Cassin, Art Davidson, Royal Robbins, David Roberts, Bradford Washburn, Jon Waterman, and others as they scale Alaska's great peaks in Alaska Ascents by Bill Sherwonit. This collection of seventeen riveting first-person accounts reveals the stories of mountains, among the most inaccessible and difficult to climb in all of North America, and the remarkable individuals who have climbed them. In their stories, we learn about people who are drawn to scale such alien peaks, and who experience triumph of the spirit and sometimes tragedy and loss. Editor Bill Sherwonit, who lives in Anchorage, is also the author of several books, including To the Top of Denali: Climbing Adventures on North America's Highest Peak, Alaska's Accessible Wilderness: A Traveler's Guide to Alaska's State Parks, and Denali: The Complete Guide. "A riveting anthology . . . Each piece effectively captures the intensity of the undertaking and the emotions and challenges relating to each climb . . . A fine compendium of mountain literature highlights." -Library Journal "A terrific read." -Small Press "Alaska Ascents is packed with tales of -148 degrees F temperatures, 150-mile-per-hour winds, and all those splendid privations associated with making first ascents in the Great Land." -ROCK & ICE "Captivating." -Climbing Magazine "Climbers, would-be climbers, and nonclimbers alike will find this book good reading." -Alaska magazine WINNER: Special Jury Mention, Banff Mountain Festival: "an important book . . . one that climbers around the world will want to own." Fred Beckey, Jim Bridwell, Riccardo Cassin, Art Davidson, Royal Robbins, David Roberts, Bradford Washburn, Jon Waterman, and more have made highly acclaimed ascents in Alaska and have written enthralling accounts of their adventures. This anthology of Alaska climbing stories gives voice to Alaska's great peaks and to the people who have climbed them. Alaska Ascents takes readers to all of Alaska's major mountain systems-the St. Elias, Wrangell, Coast, Chugach, Alaska, and Brooks Ranges-and to many of its grandest peaks-Denali, St. Elias, Fairweather, Foraker, Hunter, Moose's Tooth, Devil's Thumb, and the Kichatna Spires. The storytellers in this collection reveal the challenges of Alaska's mountains, among the most inaccessible and difficult to climb in all of North America. These mountaineers have pushed the limits of what's possible in the sport of climbing, surmounting long, dangerous approaches, incredible cold, severe subarctic snowstorms, huge ice fields, and heavily crevassed glaciers. In their stories, we learn about people who are drawn to scale such alien peaks, and who experience triumph of the spirit and sometimes tragedy and loss.

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.

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.

Best Climbs Santa Barbara and Ventura narrows down the thousands of climbing routes across the Santa Barbara and Ventura counties to the absolute best 300 routes. These are the routes that display the hidden beauty and deep rooted climbing history of Santa Barbara and Ventura. Each section comes with its own unique history, description, climbing style, and a list of gear needed. Also included are detailed driving directions, maps and trailhead information along with the best time of day and year to climb. This guide covers routes from beginner to advanced in order to give climbers of every background a chance to sample the best that Santa Barbara and Ventura has to offer. Featuring full-color images of all the cliffs and boulders with easy to follow descriptions and grades for each route.

Acclaimed hillwalking writers Ian R Mitchell and George Rodway tell the fascinating story of Aberdeen-born Alexander Kellas, and his contribution to mountaineering from the 20th century to the present day. Now a largely neglected figure, Kellas is the pioneer of high altitude physiology, his climbing routes still in evidence today. Follow Kellas' journey, which takes him from the Scottish Cairngorms to the Himalaya, and discover how his struggles and explorations have impacted upon mountaineering today.

Inherited eczema and allergies made Barbara James different from her classmates, something she did not like. She was lucky. The severity of her eczema had lessened when her teacher introduced her to the Snowdonia hills. In 1964 she became a full time mountaineering instructor and mountain rescue first aider in Capel Curig at a time when there were few females instructing or leading difficult rock routes. Divorced in 1976 and with a mortgage to pay, Barbara needed a job, and became the first and possibly the only woman civilian to be employed by MOD to train soldiers. At the Infantry Junior Leaders Battalion in Folkestone she learned another language, new codes of behaviour, and to lead expeditions. After early retirement, Barbara took her first holiday in 11 years. She was probably the second person to go, unaccompanied, to the magical Falkland Islands soon after the conflict. Alone she walked up Tumbledown, communed with wild life and was told that "Anyone can learn to fly". So on return, her 50th birthday present to herself was to get a Private Pilot's Licence. A year later she flew a Cessna 40 hours solo around Florida. But nothing Barbara had done was as challenging as surviving, alone, the furiously tourist evenings in Tenerife's Playa de Las Americas. Only the magical El Teide National Park and the genuine, spontaneous kindness of the Canarians ensured her return. She rented an apartment in Adeje village and the locals' initial suspicious looks soon disappeared. Itching to Climb tells the story of one woman's undaunting spirit in the face of adversities, of a life spent facing challenges head on, with a singleminded determination to achieve despite the difficulties that life had laid in her way. This is a story of encouragement and hope for anyone who suffers with eczema, or any similar debilitating condition.

Lincoln Hall's breathtaking account of surviving a night in Everest's "death zone."
Lincoln Hall likes to say that on the evening of May 25, 2006, he died on Everest. Indeed, Hall attempted to climb the mountain during a deadly season in which eleven people perished. And he was, in fact, pronounced dead, after collapsing from altitude sickness. Two Sherpas spent hours trying to revive him, but as darkness fell, word came via radio from the expedition's leader that they should descend in order to save themselves. The news of Hall's death traveled rapidly from mountaineering websites to news media around the world, and ultimately to his family back in Australia. Early the next morning, however, an American guide, climbing with two clients and a Sherpa, was startled to find Hall sitting cross-legged on a sharp crest of the summit ridge.
In this page-turning account of survival against all odds, Hall chronicles in fascinating detail the days and nights that led up to his fateful night in Mount Everest's "death zone." His story is all the more miraculous given his climbing history. Hall had been part of Australia's first attempt to reach the top of Everest in 1984 but had not done any major climbing for many years, having set aside his passion in order to support his family. While others in the team achieved their dream during this 1984 expedition, Hall was forced to turn back due to illness. Thus, his triumph in reaching the summit at the age of fifty is a story unto itself. So, too, is Hall's description of his family's experience back in Australia, as sudden grief turned to relief and joy in a matter of hours. Rarely has there been such a thrilling narrative of one man's encounter with the world's tallest mountain.

In Thin White Line, Andy Cave charts a journey into not only the wild landscapes through which he travels, but also into the mind of an extreme mountaineer.
Thin White Line is the sequel to Learning to Breathe, Andy Cave's bestselling debut book and winner of both the Boardman Tasker Prize and the Adventure Travel Award at the Banff International Festival.
In 1997, Andy Cave returned from the Himalayas, having climbed the stupendous north face of Changabang, but losing his friend and climbing partner in the process. Traumatized by the savage ordeal, he must examine his relationship with the mountains that have defined his life so far. Will he have the courage to undertake such a challenge again? Does he want to? Thin White Line charts his struggle towards finding an answer. It is as much a journey into the mind of an extreme mountaineer as it is into the wild landscapes through which he travels.
In a nail-biting narrative set in Patagonia, Norway and Alaska, Cave tackles the severest challenges modern alpinism can pose. Juxtaposed with the stark beauty of the environment are the colourful characters populating his stories, from the adventurers around him, past and present, to the pioneer aviators who get him and his kind to those impossibly remote places. He vividly recreates the joy and despair of climbing, building the book to a desperate finale that lays bare the fragility of our carefully constructed convictions.

This comprehensive guide describes more than 50 of the best day and overnight hikes across the state of Washington. The author has organized the book by region and has handpicked hikes from the shores of the Olympic Peninsula to the Columbia Basin of eastern Washington that highlight the varied terrain, ecosystems, and flora and fauna Washington has to offer. He also includes interesting insights into the geography and history of each place that only 15-plus years of firsthand experience can provide. Hike to a high mountain pass in the Northern Cascades or trace the landscape of a volcano at Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument; discover why they call it the Evergreen State as you roam through fabled groves of mammoth Douglas firs and wildflower-filled fields in Mount Rainier National Park. Let this book be your guide to experiencing all the beauty and breathtaking imagery of Washington State.

Everything changed for Sophie Cairns when she was thirty and a party-loving journalist in China. Her father died so suddenly that she arrived at his bedside two hours too late. In her grief, she defied her chronic asthma and climbed the world's seven highest volcanoes to raise funds for charity in his memory. This is a story of redemption through mountain climbing, from Papua New Guinea to Russia by way of Antarctica. As an amateur climber the author does not gloss over her limitations and (sometimes hilarious) mistakes. She encounters the snobbery of the professional climbing world. 'I was smothered in a purple goose down onesie as thick as a duvet. Under the plush expedition suit, I wore two pairs of climbing pants, a soft-shell jacket, a fleece top, a pair of inner gloves, a pair of outer gloves, and plastic boots. Not to mention thermal underwear. My plastic climbing boots barely closed around my ankles, which were adorned with three layers of socks.' Only to be told by those lounging around in T-shirts and shorts: 'You don't need to wear your Antarctica clothes yet. Everyone changes on the plane.' She suffers altitude sickness - so much more dangerous for an asthmatic - but she makes it. Sophie somehow finally said goodbye to her father in that enormous ring of fire.

"The authors bring extreme climbing to life. . . . Perhaps no author can rationalize why some choose to risk their lives . . . for the thrill of conquering a mountain. "The Ledge" comes perilously close and tells a ripping true story at the same time."--"The Denver Post"
In June 1992, best friends Jim Davidson and Mike Price stood atop Washington's Mount Rainier, celebrating what they hoped would be the first of many milestones in their lives as passionate mountaineers. Then their triumph turned tragic when a cave-in plunged them deep inside a glacial crevasse--the pitch-black, ice-walled hell of every climber's nightmares.
An avid adventurer since youth, Davidson was a seasoned climber at the time of the Rainier ascent. But the harrowing free fall left him challenged by nature's grandeur at its most unforgiving. Trapped on a narrow frozen shelf, deep below daylight, he desperately battled crumbling ice, snow that threatened to bury him alive, and crippling fear of the inescapable chasm below--all the while struggling to save his fatally injured friend. Finally, alone, with little equipment and rapidly dwindling hope, he confronted a fateful choice: the certainty of a slow, lonely death or the near impossibility of an agonizing climb for life. A story of heart-stopping adventure, heartfelt friendship, fleeting mortality, and implacable nature, "The Ledge" chronicles the elation and grief, dizzying heights and punishing depths, of a journey to hard-won wisdom.
"Plunges readers into a dark, icy chasm from which escape seems impossible. Then it reveals the strength it takes to look up, and to start climbing."--Jim Sheeler, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and author of the National Book Award finalist "Final Salute"
"How Davidson] rescued himself is the core of "The Ledge, "and its most gripping part. The physical effort and will involved are astonishing.""--The Plain Dealer"
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"A moving portrait of friendship and loss.""--The Wall Street Journal"

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.

Climber Andy Kirkpatrick's book is, by turns, gut-wrenching, entertaining and challenging. It will appeal to the adventurer in all of us.
WINNER OF THE BOARDMAN TASKER PRIZE 2008
Metro magazine recently wrote that Andy Kirk-patrick makes Ray Mears look like Paris Hilton. Words like boldness, adventure and risk were surely coined especially for him. As one of the world's most accomplished mountaineers and big-wall climbers, he goes vertically where other climbers fear to tread.
For the first time, this cult hero of vertical rock has written a book, in which his thirteen-day ascent of Reticent Wall on El Capitan in California -- the hardest big-wall climb ever soloed by a Briton -- frames a challenging autobiography.
From childhood on a grim inner-city housing estate in Hull, the story moves through horrific encounters and unique athletic achievements at the extremes of the earth. As he writes, "Climbs like this make no sense . . . the chances of dying on the route are high." Yet Andy, in his thirties with young children, has everything to live for. This is the paradox at the heart of the story.

In 1989, while attempting a new route on a difficult overhanging rock face, climber Dan Osman fell. Again and again, protected by the rope, he fell. He decided then that it would not be in climbing but in falling that he would embrace his fear--bathe in it, as he says, and move beyond it.

A captivating exploration of the daredevil world of rock climbing, as well as a thoughtful meditation on the role of risk and fear in the author's own life.

In the tradition of the wildly popular man-versus-nature genre that has launched several bestsellers, Andrew Todhunter follows the lives of world-class climber Dan Osman and his coterie of friends as he explores the extremes of risk on the unyielding surface of the rock.

Climbing sheer rock faces of hundreds or thousands of feet is more a religion than a sport, demanding dedication, patience, mental and physical strength, grace, and a kind of obsession with detail that is crucial just to survive. Its artists are modern-day ascetics who often sacrifice nine-to-five jobs, material goods, and the safety of everyday life to pit themselves and their moral resoluteness against an utterly unforgiving opponent.

In the course of the two years chronicled in Fall of the Phantom Lord, the author also undertakes a journey of his own as he begins to weigh the relative value of extreme sports and the risk of sudden death. By the end of the book, as he ponders joining Osman on a dangerous fall from a high bridge to feel what Osman experiences, Todhunter comes to a new understanding of risk taking and the role it has in his life, and in the lives of these climbers.

Beautifully written, Fall of the Phantom Lord offers a fascinating look at a world few people know. It will surely take its place alongside Into Thin Air and The Perfect Storm as a classic of adventure literature.


From the Hardcover edition.