"A dramatic story, ably and convincingly told . . . A chilling look at the precarious line between success and tragedy."--"Kirkus Reviews"

On May 15, 2006, a young British climber named David Sharp lay dying near the top of Mount Everest while forty other climbers walked past him on their way to the summit. A week later, Lincoln Hall, a seasoned Australian climber, was left for dead near the same spot. Hall's death was reported around the world, but the next day he was found alive after spending the night on the upper mountain with no food and no shelter.

If David Sharp's death was shocking, it was hardly singular: ten others died attempting to reach the summit that year. In this meticulous inquiry into what went wrong, Nick Heil tells the full story of the deadliest year on Everest since the infamous season of 1996. As more climbers attempt the summit each year, Heil shows how increasingly risky expeditions and unscrupulous outfitters threaten to turn Everest into a deadly circus.

Written by an experienced climber, "Dark Summit" is both a riveting account of a notorious climbing season and a troubling investigation into whether the pursuit of the ultimate mountaineering prize has spiraled out of control.

Named one of the "Five Adventure Books You Need to Read This Summer" by Backpacker Magazine For readers of Into Thin Air, riveting high-altitude drama and the passion and drive that inspire outsized mountaineering achievements. Master of Thin Air opens with a fall that the author very nearly could not stop down an almost vertical rock ramp leading to a three-thousand-foot drop. The qualities that saved him then on K2 in addition to his mountaineering know-how and sheer good luck drove his sixteen-year journey to summit all of the world's eight-thousanders, the fourteen peaks that exceed 8,000 meters (26,000-plus feet) and take climbers into the death zone. Incredibly, he accomplished that feat without the aid of bottled oxygen for every mountain but one. By preference, he climbed solo or in small teams, without Sherpas. During twenty-three expeditions, he spent a total of three years clinging to the sides of dangerous mountains. He lost more than twenty climbing friends and, in April 2014, witnessed Everest's deadliest avalanche. His book is a riveting, often thrilling account of what it takes to challenge the Earth's highest peaks and survive. It tells of death-defying ascents and even riskier descents, the gut-dropping consequences of the smallest mistakes or even just bad luck, the camaraderie and human drama of expeditions, the exhilaration of altitude. It is also the inspiring story of what motivates a person to achieve an extraordinary dream, a story of passion, resourcefulness, self-motivation, and hope even in the most dire moments. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. In addition to books on popular team sports, we also publish books for a wide variety of athletes and sports enthusiasts, including books on running, cycling, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, martial arts, golf, camping, hiking, aviation, boating, and so much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

K2 is almost 800ft shorter than Everest, yet it's a far harder climb. Many great mountaineers became obsessed with reaching its summit, not all of them lived to tell of their adventures. Capturing the depth of their obsession, the heart-stopping tension of the climb and delving into the controversy that still surrounds the first ascent, Mick Conefrey delivers the definitive account of the 'Savage Mountain'. From drug-addicted occultist Aleister Crowley to the brilliant but tortured expedition leader Charlie Houston and, later, the Italian duo who finally made it to the top, Conefrey resurrects the tragic heroes, eccentric dreamers and uncompromising rivalries forever instilled in K2's legacy. This is the riveting, groundbreaking story of the world's deadliest mountain.

The White Cliff is a collection of writings about the best sea cliff in the world: Gogarth. This book has a historical narrative into which are embedded essays by various protagonists. The book is not just about the place, though. The climbers who have been drawn to touch the stone of Gogarth have often been the best of their generation and have pioneered amazing routes elsewhere. The book is also about their personal stories of life and death. It details the history of the exploration of the cliff in the context of the time period, climbing standards and the development of equipment and techniques. In the process, it touches on a myriad of related issues. The chapters are structured by area. Most of the essays and images are previously unpublished but some have appeared before in books, magazines, or journals. Grant Farquhar has been climbing for over 35 years. Currently resident (and climbing) in Bermuda, he was highly active on Gogarth in the 90s and despite living faraway has retained his affection for the place. The book includes contributions from over 100 Gogarth pioneers including Martin Boysen, Joe Brown, Pete Crew, Henry Barber, Arnis Strapcans, Dave Durkan, Geoff Birtles, John Cleare, Leo Dickinson, Ed Drummond, Richard McHardy, Doug Scott, Smiler Cuthbertson, Mick Fowler, Pat Littlejohn, Ron Fawcett, Geoff Milburn, Jim Moran, John Redhead, Dave Towse, Glenda Huxter, Johnny Dawes, Paul Pritchard, Stevie Haston, Andy Pollitt, Steve Andrews, Twid Turner, Adam Wainwright, George Smith, Glenn Robbins, Tim Emmett, Neil Dickson, Jules Lines, Nick Bullock, Alex Mason, Emma Twyford, James McHaffie and Tom Livingstone.

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.

The popular climbing areas around Glossop and the north-west Peak District have been written about in many guidebooks. Moorland Grit by Paul Durkin features those lost and hidden crags often overlooked by previous explorers and scribes. Quality rock does abound and there are many ticks that are tucked away in secluded areas and high on moor edges for those who want to get away from it all. Featuring 340 routes from Mod to E3 and 425 boulder problems with full colour action photography.

This book is the second volume of a planned three - volume treatment of the history of mountaineering in Scotland, and covers the period from 1914 to 1971. It was a period when there were many changes in the equipment and practice of climbing in summer and winter, and there was a significant rise in the general difficulty of routes being climbed. Many new clubs were formed, and the number of participants increased dramatically.

WINNER OF THE GUARDIAN FIRST BOOK AWARD Once we thought monsters lived there. In the Enlightenment we scaled them to commune with the sublime. Soon, we were racing to conquer their summits in the name of national pride. In this ground-breaking, classic work, Robert Macfarlane takes us up into the mountains: to experience their shattering beauty, the fear and risk of adventure, and to explore the strange impulses that have for centuries lead us to the world's highest places.

In 1874 George Seatree and Stanley Martin made the first ascent of North Climb, which was the first time the main face of Scafell had been ascended outside of the obvious gully lines. It was the start of great things on the crags of Scafell. Upon hearing their report of this new route, Will Ritson, landlord of the Huntsman's Inn, looked at them incredulously, and declared in his usual broad Cumbrian dialect..."Nowt but a fleein' thing could git up't crags on't Wasdale Head side".This book covers the full 200 year history of climbing on the crags of Scafell in both summer and winter conditions, in an extensive and comprehensive manner. Every route on the crag has been noted with the significant ascents being described in detail, and the entire book has been comprehensively illustrated by photographs from archive and newly commissioned work. A significant proportion of the source material has come from recordings made of the pioneers of these climbs that has never been published before.There is also an intricate explanation of the geological features which go to make up these crags as well as new maps and crag diagrams together with notes on conditions, biographies of past climbers and a comprehensive first ascent list that combines both summer and winter climbing for the first time. This book has been produced by members of the Fell and Rock Climbing Club and it is one of the most detailed compilations of rock climbing history to a single mountain crag in Britain.The Fell & Rock Climbing Club is the premier rock climbing and mountaineering club in the English Lake District. The Club was founded in 1906-07 and has been publishing a definitive series of climbing guidebooks to the Lakes since 1922.

How to Rock Climb!, now in its fifth edition, is the most thorough instructional rock climbing book in the world. All the fundamentals-from ethics to getting up the rock-are presented in John Long's classic style. Thoroughly revised and updated to reflect the modern standards of equipment, technique, and training methods, this guide includes sections on face climbing; crack climbing; ropes, anchors, and belays; getting off the rock; sport climbing; and much more. It is the essential how-to book for rock climbers everywhere. Now with more than 300 color photographs and illustrations, this is the most thorough and complete upgrade this best-selling title has seen since first publishing more than a decade ago.

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

Few things suggest rugged individualism as powerfully as the solitary mountaineer testing his or her mettle in the rough country. Yet the long history of wilderness sport complicates this image. In this surprising story of the premier rock-climbing venue in the United States, "Pilgrims of the Vertical" offers insight into the nature of wilderness adventure.

From the founding era of mountain climbing in Victorian Europe to present-day climbing gyms, Pilgrims of the Vertical shows how ever-changing alignments of nature, technology, gender, sport, and consumer culture have shaped climbers relations to nature and to each other. Even in Yosemite Valley, a premier site for sporting and environmental culture since the 1800s, elite athletes cannot be entirely disentangled from the many men and women seeking recreation and camaraderie.

Following these climbers through time, Joseph Taylor uncovers lessons about the relationship of individuals to groups, sport to society, and nature to culture. He also shows how social and historical contexts influenced adventurers choices and experiences, and why some became leading environmental activists including John Muir, David Brower, and Yvon Chouinard. In a world in which wild nature is increasingly associated with play, and virtuous play with environmental values, Pilgrims of the Vertical explains when and how these ideas developed, and why they became intimately linked to consumerism.

It had happened again. On July 12 2012, nine climbers were killed on Mont Maudit, one of the mountains that make up the Mont Blanc range in Chamonix, France. Freelance writer Jon Miller and his wife, Ana, travel on assignment to cover the disaster and write about those who dare to ascend the highest peak in Western Europe. Grieving the recent loss of their son in a freak accident, Jon begins to notice profound changes in Ana soon after they arrive in Chamonix. As he studies the accounts of the early mountaineers, Jon discovers that they encountered supernatural forces, altered states and strange desires while attempting to ascend the peak. Will Jon succumb to those same irresistible forces or can he resist surrendering to the greatest power he has ever encountered? Mountain Lust: The Allure of Mont Blanc contains written accounts by the early climbers, discoverers and writers of the mountain: Jules Michelet, Jacques Balmat, Ed Whympher, John Auldjo, Edmund Clark, Capt. Markham Sherwill, Martin Barry, Paul Verne and have been edited, adapted or altered for the purposes of this book. "The most sensual tale about mountain climbing ever written."- Dundee Press

Is it not better to take risks than die within from rot? Is it not better to change one's life completely than to wait for the brain to set firmly and irreversibly in a way of life and one environment? I think it is ... taking risks, not for the sake of danger alone, but for the sake of growth, is more important than any security one can buy or inherit. - Charles Houston It was the failed summit attempt and a failed rescue in the Himalaya that brought Charles Houston MD fame and adulation in the mountaineering world. His leadership of the American K2 expedition of 1953 is still celebrated as the embodiment of all that is right and good in the mountains. Houston, a doctor from New England, became a leading authority in high altitude ailments and artificial heart research, advising the US government, military and academia. He made an unparalleled contribution to mountain medicine, building some of the first artificial heart prototypes in his garage and playing a key part in Kennedy's 1960s Peace Corps initiatives in India. In Brotherhood of the Rope, Boardman Tasker Prize winning author Bernadette McDonald traces the development of an American hero. This is the biography of a well-heeled New England medical man who excelled at expedition leadership and whose experience in the mountains helped his research into high altitude medical matters during his long and varied career as a doctor. Houstons's mountain adventures, the ups and downs of his varied medical career and the associated challenges of family life are related in a candid biography that touches on many aspects of twentieth-century affairs.

Climbing and mountaineering attracts millions of people around the world each year, but produces a unique set of challenges. The threat of danger is ever present, and professional medical help is often far away. Vertical Medicine Resources is a renowned climbing company providing medical training and consultation. In Vertical Aid, they have produced the most complete guide available for managing both emergencies and chronic injuries sustained during climbs. Researched and developed by professional healthcare providers and alpinists, the book includes helpful illustrations of common procedures and best practices, making it a practical and indispensable companion on any climbing, trekking, or alpine trip. It is replete with real-world-tested strategies, evidence-based medicine, and proven techniques. The diverse author team combines an EMS and emergency physician, a nurse, a physician assistant, and a nurse-trainer, who together have a profound depth of climbing, educational, and medical experience. With its unique combination of authoritative medical information and specific attention to the climbing environment, Vertical Aid is poised to become an authoritative resource for every climber, on every climb.

Written by world renowned rock climbers and veteran Falcon authors John Long and Bob Gaines, this slim volume will be the go-to resource for the necessities of rock climbing safety. By getting back to basics, it will be a great resource for both beginners and experienced climbers looking to brush up on their skills.

1:10,000 scale. At this scale over 200 short and longer paths were depicted covering the northern and central section of this much visited Athenian mountain. On the reverse side of the map is an outline of the network of footpaths with brief comments and icons providing additional information on the existance of waymarkers, the condition of the paths and possible difficulties one may encounter on route.

'Moonwalker' is a unique story - the memoir of a man whose love for Scotland's mountains would override his body-clock and all conventional notions of health and safety. It is funny and touching; at once a depply personal memoir and a riotous travelogue.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING AND THE BOARDMAN TASKER AWARD FOR MOUNTAIN LITERATURE In Time on Rock Anna Fleming charts two parallel journeys: learning the craft of traditional rock climbing, and the new developing appreciation of the natural world it brings her. Through the story of her progress from terrified beginner to confident lead climber, she shows us how placing hand and foot on rock becomes a profound new way into the landscape. Anna takes us from the gritstone rocks of the Peak District and Yorkshire to the gabbro pinnacles of the Cuillin, the slate of North Wales and the high plateau of the Cairngorms. Each landscape, and each type of rock, brings its own challenges and unique pleasures. She also shows us how climbing invites us into the history of a place: geologically, of course, but also culturally. This book is Anna's journey of self-discovery, but it is also a guide to losing oneself in the greater majesty of the natural world. With great lyricism she explores how it feels to climb as a woman, the pleasures of the physical demands of climbing, fear and challenge, but more than anything, it is about a joyful connection to the mountains.

A man and his son find unexpected challenge, adventure and reward, along with an amazing venue for bonding in an environment many never experience.

The brilliant, inspirational next book by the author of the incredible No. 1 bestseller FIRST MAN IN. Without fear, there's no challenge. Without challenge, there's no growth. Without growth, there's no life. Ant Middleton is no stranger to fear: as a point man in the Special Forces, he confronted fear on a daily basis, never knowing what lay behind the next corner, or the next closed door. In prison, he was thrust into the unknown, cut off from friends and family, isolated with thoughts of failure and dread for his future. And at the top of Everest, in desperate, life-threatening conditions, he was forced to face up to his greatest fear, of leaving his wife and children without a husband and father. But fear is not his enemy. It is the energy that propels him. Thanks to the revolutionary concept of the Fear Bubble, Ant has learned to harness the power of fear and understands the positive force that it can become. Fear gives Ant his edge, allowing him to seek out life's challenges, whether that is at home, pushing himself every day to be the best father he can be, or stuck in the death zone on top of the world in a 90mph blizzard. In his groundbreaking new book, Ant Middleton thrillingly retells the story of his death-defying climb of Everest and reveals the concept of the Fear Bubble, showing how it can be used in our lives to help us break through our limits. Powerful, unflinching and an inspirational call to action, The Fear Bubble is essential reading for anyone who wants to push themselves further, harness their fears and conquer their own personal Everests.

The prestigious Alpine Journal is the oldest mountaineering journal in the world. This 116th volume features some of the boldest exploratory alpinism of the last year or so. An international cast including Mick Fowler, Pat Deavoll (NZ), Freddie Wilkinson (US), Bruce Normand (Scotland) describe first ascents in Nepal, Afghanistan, India and China, while Italian Simone Moro reflects on the ordeal of making the first ascent of a Karakoram 8000er in winter. To mark the London Olympics there is a thoughtful essay by Phil Bartlett on 'Is Mountaineering Sport?', and also a long-overdue French admission that Bonington and Whillans were indeed the first to the top of the Central Pillar of Freney on Mont Blanc. The above are only a selection of what is to be found in this richly illustrated volume. Details of new routes around the world in an authoritative Area Notes section, scientific research on glaciers and on carbon monoxide poisoning from camp stoves, paintings in watercolour and oil, and lively book reviews all contribute to the variety of this latest Alpine Journal.