There is a myth: that travel and exploration are the privileged pastimes of youth. Adventure has an age restriction, and the extraordinary an expiry date. Vicky Jack’s inspiring tale of courage, perseverance and strong-headedness reveals the falsity behind this myth as she becomes the oldest British woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The Sky’s the Limit is the account of Vicky’s journey from the Munros of her native Scotland to the summit of the world’s highest peak. Her pilgrimage is full of trials as she battles through Antarctic storms, falls off Mt McKinley in Alaska, is shot at in Indonesia, and runs out of oxygen on Mt Everest; yet Vicky’s characteristic determination is never diluted as she strives towards her goal. Anna Magnusson brilliantly captures Vicky’s sense of ambition, faithfully retelling this tale of inspiration, challenge and success. This story is both a reminder to all that it is never too late to chase a childhood ambition, and an encouragement to never give up on your dreams – no matter how out of reach they may seem.

The Uncrowned King of Mont Blanc by Peter Foster is the biography of scientist and mountaineer Thomas Graham Brown, whose encyclopaedic knowledge of the mountain earned him the soubriquet, and whose achievements in the Alps and Greater Ranges place him at the forefront of British mountaineering between the two world wars. Born in Edinburgh in 1882, Graham Brown first pursued a career in the sciences as a physiologist - his exacting father demanding the highest standards - and the results of his research, largely unrecognised at the time, now underpin current understanding of the nervous control of movement in animals and man. His mountaineering career began in earnest after the First World War. From rock climbing in the Lake District he progressed to guided climbs in the Alps, where in 1927 he was fatefully introduced to Frank Smythe with whom he made the groundbreaking first ascents of the Sentinelle Rouge and the Route Major on the Brenva Face of Mont Blanc. This resulted in an obsession with the mountain and a feud between the pair that smouldered and flared for twenty years. Ambitious, determined and uncompromising in his views, he never left others feeling neutral: Geoffrey Winthrop Young thought him `a vicious lunatic', yet Charles Houston felt closer to Graham Brown `than almost anyone else I know'. Graham Brown's life was one of turbulence in his career, relationships and in the mountains, whether on expeditions to Mount Foraker, Nanda Devi and Masherbrum, or most frequently, the Alps. Peter Foster has drawn upon diaries, letters and extensive archival research that illuminate the highs and lows of Graham Brown's scientific and climbing careers, and explores the imbalance between the significance of his achievements and the lack of recognition he received. But, above all, The Uncrowned King of Mont Blanc allows one to hear Graham Brown's voice: querulous, opinionated and, to the discomfort of his many adversaries, almost always right.

Long overdue anthology highlights women in Yosemite climbing history. - Climbing Magazine Contributors include Lynn Hill, Steph Davis, Liz Robbins, Beth Rodden, Kate Rutherford, Katie Brown and more Introduction by Mari Gingery Author is deeply connected with the Valley community through her work with Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) Though long overlooked, women have always been at the center of Yosemite--climbing, crafting equipment, and establishing new routes. In Valley of Giants, editor and climber Lauren DeLaunay Miller pulls together journal excerpts, original essays, interviews, archival materials, and memorable firsts that span the past century of climbing in the Valley. This first-ever collection of both famed and untold stories from women at the heart of Yosemite climbing gathers almost 40 contributors, from Bea Vogel who forged her own pitons to Molly Higgins who participated in the first all-female ascent of the Nose on El Capitan to Liz Robbins who established routes in Yosemite Valley during the Golden Age. Astonishing Stonemasters like Lynn Hill, as well as many other notable climbers, including Steph Davis, Kate Rutherford, Beth Rodden, Chelsea Griffie, Libby Sauter, and more share their recollections of the exhilaration they felt up on the wall and the determination it took to get there. As Mari Gingery, one of the first women to climb the Shield on El Cap, writes in the foreword, the stories feature a medley of intrepid female characters who offer fresh perspectives. Organized into five distinct eras in Yosemite climbing history, this groundbreaking anthology captures a range of stories from heartbreaking losses to soaring joys, trip reports of significant ascents to moments that convey the larger essence of the Valley--and what it means to call this iconic place home.

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.

In 1938 Anderl Heckmair made the first ascent of the North Face of the Eiger, a monumental climb that cemented his place in history. In My Life he tells the story of how he turned from a fragile child wrapped 'quite literally, in cotton bindings,' into one of the most important mountaineers in the world. Leaving school in 1920, Heckmair dedicated himself to climbing, becoming a full-time 'mountain vagabond'. Penniless, he lived in Alpine huts and cycled from climb to climb, even riding from Germany to the High Atlas mountains of Morocco. He rapidly developed as a mountaineer, making an ascent of the Walker Spur in awful weather, and a solo ascent of the Matterhorn in walking shoes, a feat that nobody believed. But his crowning achievement, climbed in full media glare, would always be his Eiger ascent. Events did not always run smoothly - arrested after a quarrel with a farmer, he escaped through a window ('never imprison mountain climbers in towers'). When arrested again, his ice axes mistaken for deadly weapons while he slept on a park bench, Heckmair chose to stay put, preferring the cell bunk to his bench. At times, the book ventures into darker territory. As one of the great German climbers of the 1930s, Heckmair inevitably attracted the attention of the Nazi party, he found his Eiger triumph twisted to suit their ends, and he himself seated next to Hitler at a party. At its heart this climbing tale is a celebration of adventure. Told in joyful, engaging and relaxed style, it is as full of life and passion for the mountains as Anderl Heckmair himself.

At a time when the greatest mountains in the greatest ranges had been climbed by numerous routes, collected like stamps and written about extensively, Victor Saunders and his friends relished the exploration of the slightly lower, slightly humbler, but often more aesthetically satisfying and no less testing summits in the 6,000- and 7,000-metre range. With thousands of unclimbed peaks in the Karakoram and Himalaya to choose from, these were ripe fruit for the committed mountaineers of the day. In his Boardman-Tasker-winning Elusive Summits, Victor Saunders describes four expeditions to the Karakoram, to Uzum Brakk, Bojohaghur Duanasir, Rimo and the stunning Spantik. Battling crevasses and violent weather, injured climbers and dropped rucksacks, Saunders and his friends make a string of exciting and difficult ascents. Saunders communicates the highs and lows of expedition life with relish, good humour, and a keen eye for the idiosyncratic among his companions. His first book, Elusive Summits, is a wonderful celebration of the sheer exhilaration that comes from the hardest level of alpine-style exploration in the Karakoram.

James Kingston loves to climb. Whether he's scaling a tree at his local park or ascending to the very top of a crane, looking down always brings about the best kind of rush. And yet it wasn't always this way. Afraid of heights as a child, James vowed to confront an almost crippling phobia. He was transformed, and became one of the most daring and unique free climbers on the planet. Today, James is the go-to man for everything HIGH. Think Wembley Stadium or the Eiffel Tower - James has conquered some of the most iconic locations in the world. Packed with death-defying POV pictures, Never Look Down tells how James faces down danger, where his favourite free climbing locations are, and takes you to the top of the world.

More than just a travel guide, The Call of the Mountains is a lyrical testament to the power of the Scottish mountains to offer anyone of reasonable fitness either simple enjoyment or a deeper journey of transformation. From the pinnacles of Skye to the rolling plateau of the Cairngorms; from the flanks of Ben Lomond to the Pass of Glencoe; from the summit of Ben Nevis to far away Ben Hope - these lands can be your gymnasiums, your art galleries and your sacred spaces all in one. Based on 1,000 miles of trekking across these mountains, this book shows you: * Where to find the best views * How geology, history, culture, flora and fauna have shaped these mountainscapes * How engagement with these lands can nurture your spirit, as well as your body and mind

Utah is a magnificent landscape of startling diversity and beauty, manifested for climbers in more cliff miles of exposed rock than any other state. Fragile sandstone towers pierce the sky amid endless miles of vertical cliffs sometimes more than a half mile high; wondrous canyon walls of cobblestone and limestone overhang at dizzying angles; and granite domes and slabs recline on sunny mountain slopes. Rock Climbing Utah is the only guide available that covers all the major climbing areas in the state. Traditional and sport climbers from the beginner to expert will find a superb sampling of hundreds of routes in the 25 areas covered--including 300 new routes that were not in the first edition. This fully revised and expanded guidebook offers first-hand information for climbers, including area overviews and climbing histories, route betas and topos, color maps and photos, equipment recommendations, approach and descent information, and listings for shops, gyms, and guide services. Stunning action photos round out the package to make Rock Climbing Utah an essential source for visitng and local climbers alike.

THE GRIPPING, TERRIFYING STORY OF A BRUTAL STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL ON THE UPPER SLOPES OF THE HIMALAYAN K2, THE WORLD'S MOST HOSTILE TERRAIN. 'Unputdownable. A portrait of extreme courage, folly and loss, leavened by a small dose of survival' Financial Times ________________ K2, August 1st, 2008. Thirty climbers are attempting the summit of the most savage mountain on Earth. They make it. But before they start their descent an ice shelf collapses, sweeping away their ropes. It is dark. Their lines are gone. They are low on oxygen. And it is getting very, very cold. How many will make it down alive? ________________ 'A gripping hour-by-hour dissection of events in the Western Himalayas over three deadly days. A fitting shelfmate to the modern classic Into Thin Air. A cracking read' Sunday Times 'The best mountain-disaster memoir since Into Thin Air' Mail on Sunday 'Stories of heroism, sadness and extraordinary endurance against all the odds [are] woven into a thrilling drama' Daily Mail

A New York Times and Wall Street Journal Nonfiction Bestseller! - What happened that night on Dead Mountain?The mystery of Dead Mountain: In February 1959, a group of nine experienced hikers in the Russian Ural Mountains died mysteriously on an elevation known as Dead Mountain. Eerie aspects of the mountain climbing incident-unexplained violent injuries, signs that they cut open and fled the tent without proper clothing or shoes, a strange final photograph taken by one of the hikers, and elevated levels of radiation found on some of their clothes-have led to decades of speculation over the true stories and what really happened. As gripping and bizarre as Hunt for the Skin Walker: This New York Times bestseller, Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident, is a gripping work of literary nonfiction that delves into the untold story of Dead Mountain through unprecedented access to the hikers' own journals and photographs, rarely seen government records, dozens of interviews, and the author's retracing of the hikers' fateful journey in the Russian winter. You'll love this real-life tale: Dead Mountain is a fascinating portrait of young adventurers in the Soviet era, and a skillful interweaving of the hikers' narrative, the investigators' efforts, and the author's investigations. Here for the first time is a historical nonfiction bestseller with the real story of what happened that night on Dead Mountain.

Published by the Swiss Alpine Club, Outdoor and Mountain Medicine is a detailed reference work for everybody travelling in the mountains and keen to know more about medicine and health in the outdoors.In addition to first aid and makeshift rescue, topics like training and nutrition, women and children in high altitude, health problems on treks and expeditions, medical issues in rock climbing, canyoning, mountain biking and so on are explained by experienced mountain doctors. Countless practical tips are presented in an easy to understand format, supported with colour photos, illustrations and tables.

My eyes lifted to the horizon and the unmistakable snowy outline of Everest. Everest, the mountain of my childhood dreams. A mountain that has haunted me my whole life. A mountain I have seen hundreds of times in photographs and films but never in real life. In April 2018, seasoned adventurer Ben Fogle and Olympic cycling gold medallist Victoria Pendleton, along with mountaineer Kenton Cool, took on their most exhausting challenge yet - climbing Everest for the British Red Cross to highlight the environmental challenges mountains face. It would be harrowing and exhilarating in equal measure as they walked the fine line between life and death 8,000 metres above sea level. For Ben, the seven-week expedition into the death zone was to become the adventure of a lifetime, as well as a humbling and enlightening journey. For his wife Marina, holding the family together at home, it was an agonising wait for news. Together, they dedicated the experience to their son, Willem Fogle, stillborn at eight months. Cradling little Willem to say goodbye, Ben and Marina made a promise to live brightly. To embrace every day. To always smile. To be positive and to inspire. And from the depths of their grief and dedication, Ben's Everest dream was born. Up, from here the only way was Up. Part memoir, part thrilling adventure, Ben and Marina's account of his ascent to the roof of the world is told with their signature humour and warmth, as well as with profound compassion.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 'The best Everest book I've read since Into Thin Air. Synnott's climbing skills take you places few will ever dare to tread, but it's his writing that will keep you turning pages well past bedtime.' - Mark Adams Veteran climber Mark Synnott never planned on climbing Mount Everest. But a hundred-year mystery lured him into an expedition where a history of passionate adventure, chilling tragedy, and human aspiration unfolded. George Mallory and Sandy Irvine were last seen in 1924, eight hundred feet shy of Everest's summit. A century later, we still don't know whether they achieved their goal of being first to reach the top, decades before Hillary and Norgay in 1953. Irvine carried a camera with him to record their attempt, but it, along with his body, had never been found. Did Mallory and Irvine reach the summit and take a photograph before they fell to their deaths? Mark Synnott made his own ascent up the infamous North Face to try and find Irvine's body and the camera. But during a season described as 'the one that broke Everest', an awful traffic jam of climbers at the summit resulted in tragic deaths. Synnott's quest became something bigger than the original mystery that drew him there - an attempt to understand the madness of the mountain and why it continues to have a magnetic draw on explorers. Exploring how science, business and politics have changed who climbs Everest, The Third Pole is a thrilling portrait of the mountain spanning a century.

No one writes about mountaineering and its attendant hardships and victories more brilliantly than critically acclaimed author Jon Krakauer. In this collection of his finest work from such magazines as Outside and Smithsonian, he explores the subject from the unique and memorable perspective of one who has battled peaks like K2, Denali, Everest, and, of course, the Eiger. Always with a keen eye, an open heart, and a hunger for the ultimate experience, he gives us unerring portraits of the mountaineering experience. Yet Eiger Dreams is more about people than about rock and ice-people with that odd, sometimes maniacal obsession with mountain summits that sets them apart from other men and women. Here we meet Adrian the Romanian, determined to be the first of his countrymen to solo Denali; John Gill, climber not of great mountains but of house-sized boulders so difficult to surmount that even demanding alpine climbs seem easy; and many more compelling and colorful characters. In the most intimate piece, "The Devils Thumb," Krakauer recounts his own near-fatal, ultimately triumphant struggle with solo-madness as he scales Alaska's Devils Thumb. Eiger Dreams is stirring, vivid writing about one of the most compelling and dangerous of all human pursuits.

The Rocky Mountains have inspired travelers for centuries. The vast majority of those who visit this vast area might write to their friends, "Having a great time! Wish you were here!" Meanwhile, a few every year invariably find themselves shouting, "Help! I'm in trouble!" And trouble never comes at a convenient time. Search and Rescue: Rocky Mountains gathers the most heart-racing accounts from 1847 to the age of modern rescue technology showcasing the heroism of park rangers, first responders, pilots, and others (some canine) who go out of their way to save people from falling rocks, lightning, boiling hot springs, frigid water, slick ice, wildlife, sudden storms, falls from precipices, or just getting lost.

'Jenny Tough writes with the same talent, imagination, and sheer courage that she displays in her athletic endeavours. This book will broaden the horizons of all who venture between its covers.' - Emily Chappell, author of Where There's a Will 'I love that SOLO is part-self help and part adventure story. Jenny shows us all that the journey to self-belief comes with just as many ups and downs as the mountains she traverses and that, with a little trust in ourselves (and a few good cups of coffee) the next seemingly insurmountable pass is never beyond our reach.' - Anna McNuff, author of Bedtime Adventure Stories for Grown Ups Jenny Tough is an endurance athlete who's best known for running and cycling in some of world's most challenging events - achieving accolades that are an inspiration to outdoor adventurers everywhere. But SOLO tells the story of a much more personal project: Jenny's quest to come to terms with feelings and emotions that were holding her back. Like runners at any level, she knew already that running made her feel better, and like so many of us, she knew that completing goals independently was empowering, too. So she set herself an audacious objective: to run - solo, unsupported, on her own - across mountain ranges on six continents, starting with one of the most remote locations on Earth in Kyrgystan. SOLO chronicles Jenny's journey every step of the way across the Tien Shan (Asia), the High Atlas (Africa), the Bolivian Andes (South America), the Southern Alps (Oceania), the Canadian Rockies (North America) and the Transylvanian Alps (Europe), as she learns lessons in self-esteem, resilience, bravery and so much more. What Jenny's story tells us most of all is that setting out to do things solo - whether the ambitious or the everyday - can be invigorating, encouraging and joyful. And her call to action to find strength, confidence and self-belief in everything we do will inspire and motivate.

This is the inspirational, motivational story of climber Nick Allen, who went from wheelchair-bound with multiple sclerosis to life in the mountains through sheer determination and grit. This book follows Nicks first faltering steps back into the back country and his decision to set up a trust so other MS sufferers can have outdoor experiences. And it follows his astounding adventure: trekking to base camp at Everest, and at considerable risk to his health conquering the Himalayan peak, Imja Tse.

For nearly 50 years, Climbing Magazine's goal has been to inspire and entertain with compelling coverage of climbing in all its forms, from bouldering to the big walls, trad rock to sport climbing, ice climbing to mountaineering. Vantage Point offers a collection of the most inspiring, thought-provoking, and humorous stories featured in Climbing over the past five decades-an anthology that will move you to grab your chalkbag, rope, and harness.