Thirty-two of the world's finest mountaineers offer essays on the art of mountain climbing, covering topics ranging from Himalayan adventures and the ethics of adventuring to ice and rock climbing.
Very insightful essays by the leading men and women of climbing and alpinism. Beautifully illustrated, the book delves into the mindset and experience of several generations of some of the most resilient climbers of our time. Highly recommended.
This is a large format picture book with photographs and essays. It was compiled lovingly and presented among friends and enthusiasts at the Banff Mountain Film Festival. And for years it has been the book I return to most often on my alpine shelves.
Personal remarks accompany portraits of great mountaineers of the second half of the 20th century who were alive at the time of publication. Each pairing is unforgettably beautiful. Having achieved greatness in some aspect of wilderness climbing, each subject is asked what horizons remain, what limits have yet to be explored. You will linger over every portrait, reading the essays over and over, scanning the photographs for every last bit of information. But you will only get the full effect when you've read them all. It's a powerful effect that endures. For me, it's haunting. In a quiet way, this is an inspiring and challenging book.
These accounts, reflections, musings and manifestos take you into the mountains in the minds of those who have dedicated their lives to them. Voices from the Summit spans the full range of emotion and encompasses every philosophical enquiry I have ever made as an alpinist. And many I have not yet had the courage--or the bad luck--to make.
An interesting anthology of climbing stories. Focussed more on mountaineering (esp. Himalayan mountaineering) but rock and ice climbing are also represented. It's a big book with a ton of excellent B&W photography in it - has a bit of a "coffee table" feel to it as a result, but still a very good read.