What do you think?
Rate this book
Bone Games: Extreme Sports, Shamanism, Zen, and the Search for Transcendence
An inquiry into how ultra-endurance sports can induce preternatural states in athletes.
181 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
11 people are currently reading
898 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 19, 2025
I have a lot of incoherent thoughts about this and I will need some time to smooth them all out. very interesting food for thought
January 30, 2013
A new job, a new year, a new life. It’s been a stressful month, to say the least. Thankfully, Bone Games was a blissful escape from it all. Not only was it very well written and a joy to read, but it reminded me that the meaning of life is truly much simpler than we’ve all come to believe.
We’re trained to spend our lives building careers, wasting money, and keeping up with all sorts of complex and superficial relationships when, really, ultimate happiness may actually be found in the meticulous stripping away of these many pointless exercises.
Bone Games shows us the way to a different kind of existence— one that is informed by a painful sort of peace, simplicity, and truth.
We’re trained to spend our lives building careers, wasting money, and keeping up with all sorts of complex and superficial relationships when, really, ultimate happiness may actually be found in the meticulous stripping away of these many pointless exercises.
Bone Games shows us the way to a different kind of existence— one that is informed by a painful sort of peace, simplicity, and truth.
January 6, 2016
After a near-fatal climbing accident, author Rob Schultheis found himself doing seemingly impossible things as he down-climbed to safety, then spent years trying to figure out exactly what had happened to him. Bone Games is the result of his investigations into the "state of grace" sometimes experienced in extreme athletic performance, ranging from historical and anthropological research to cutting-edge sports psychology and science.
Extremely well-written and packed with fascinating information.
Extremely well-written and packed with fascinating information.
February 22, 2023
İdman mərc bukmeykerini seçərkən nələrə diqqət etməlisiniz
ndiki vaxtda insanın bukkerin köməyi olmadan idman mərcləri etməsi mümkün deyil.
Bu, bir tərəfdən, rəsmi idman mərclərini etmək üçün lazım olan lisenziyaya görə, digər tərəfdən, Azərbaycanda qanunvericiliyə görədir. Buna görə də təsadüfi deyil ki, idman mərcləri edən insanların 99%-i mümkün olan ən yaxşı bukmeker kontorunu tapmaq istəyir. Sizi azərbaycanlı oyunçular üçün ən yaxşı bukmeker kontorlarına aparacaq bu saytda bələdçimizi nəzərdən keçirin. Bu mətnin mövzusu bukmeker kontorlarını seçərkən nələrə diqqət etməli olduğunuzu əhatə edəcək.
Lisenziyası var
Yeni bukkeriniz üçün məcburi tələblər siyahısında ən vacib şey, onların qumar və idman lisenziyasına sahib olmalarıdır.
Azərbaycanda hər hansı bir təşkilatın qumar lisenziyası əldə etməsi üçün kifayət qədər uzun və ixtisaslaşmış prosesdən keçməlidir.
Bu proses mərc edənlərin yalan və ya yanıltmamasını təmin edən təhlükəsiz oyun mühiti yaratmağa xidmət edir - hər şey ağ və qara rəngdə olmalıdır.
Hesab yaratmaqdan başqa hər şey üçün bonuslar təklif edin
Bir çox idman mərc platformaları və onlayn kazinolar hər yeni müştəri üçün bonuslar təklif edir, lakin onların çox azı öz hesablarına çoxlu pul yatırmasalar, müştərilərini həvəsləndirməyə davam edirlər.
Həm böyük oyunçulara, həm də kiçiklərə xidmət edən platforma lazımdır. Bu, kiçik oyunçuların əslində ən çox pul qazanan və mərclərinə ən çox səy göstərənlərin olduğunu başa düşür.
Bukmeker kontoru təkcə profil yaratmaq üçün deyil, həm də uzunmüddətli oyun və ya dövri promosyonlar üçün bonuslar təklif edirsə, onda siz kifayət qədər yaxşı peşəkarlar komandası tapmısınız.
Müştərilərinizə qarşı ədalətli olun
Bukmeker kontorunun düzgünlüyü onun ümumi mentalitetini, onu idarə edən prinsipləri və gələcəkdə nə gözləyə biləcəyinizi göstərir.
Müəyyən bir bukmeker kontoru ilə pis təcrübəsi olan insanların tez-tez şikayətləri ilə qarşılaşırsınızsa, onların xidmətlərindən qaçınmaq daha yaxşıdır.
Mütləq düzgün olması lazım olan vacib xidmətlər mərclərin çıxarılması, hesabdan vəsaitin çıxarılması və komisyon olmadan hesabı dayandırmaq imkanıdır.
Xüsusilə internet üzərindən bahis edirsinizsə, ildırım sürəti ilə texniki dəstəyə çıxış əldə etmək də vacibdir.
Ən çox baxılan bölmələrdən biri bonuslar və mövcud promosyonlar olan bölmədir. Oyun fondları tələb olunandan daha çoxdur, xüsusən də onlarla uduş toplamaq üçün açıq bir seçim olduğu üçün. Bununla belə, burada yadda saxlamalıyıq ki, bonus almaq üçün siz depozit qoymalısınız. Bu, hər bir bukmeker kontorunun özü üçün müəyyən etdiyi bir neçə variantdan seçilən metod vasitəsilə həyata keçirilir. Ancaq adətən bunlar bank depozitləri, debet kartları və PayPal və Skrill kimi elektron pul kisələridir. Oynamaq üçün platforma seçiminizdən asılı olaraq, müxtəlif depozit və pul çıxarma seçimləriniz ola bilər.
Bəzi platformalar internet bağlantısından və ya istifadə etdikləri smart cihazdan asılı olmayaraq, bütün müştərilərinə hamar və problemsiz oyun təmin etmək üçün çox səy göstərir.
Yanlış zamanda, məsələn, pul çıxararkən və ya vaxta həssas mərc edərkən texniki məsələlərdə sizə kömək etməkdə gecikmə sizin üçün fəlakətli ola bilər.
İdman mərclərinin sürətli çıxarılması və nağd pul çıxarılması
Bukmeker kontorunun platformasında hesabınızın hərəkəti pul qoymağınızdan və ya pul çıxarmağınızdan asılı olmayaraq tamamilə pulsuz olmalıdır.
Bir platformanın pul yatırmaqda problemlərinin olması qeyri-adi haldır, lakin pulu çıxararkən ciddi gecikmələr və problemlərlə bağlı kifayət qədər az hal var.
Buna görə də, gələcəkdə xoşagəlməz bir şəkildə təəccüblənməmək üçün idman və futbol mərc platformasını qaydalar və geri çəkilmə tələbləri üçün yoxlamaq yaxşı fikirdir.
Bəzi platformalar müştərilərinə lazımsız gecikmələr və problemlər olmadan öz platformalarında yerləşən hesablardan pulların tez açılmasına, investisiya edilməsinə və çıxarılmasına zəmanət verir.
ndiki vaxtda insanın bukkerin köməyi olmadan idman mərcləri etməsi mümkün deyil.
Bu, bir tərəfdən, rəsmi idman mərclərini etmək üçün lazım olan lisenziyaya görə, digər tərəfdən, Azərbaycanda qanunvericiliyə görədir. Buna görə də təsadüfi deyil ki, idman mərcləri edən insanların 99%-i mümkün olan ən yaxşı bukmeker kontorunu tapmaq istəyir. Sizi azərbaycanlı oyunçular üçün ən yaxşı bukmeker kontorlarına aparacaq bu saytda bələdçimizi nəzərdən keçirin. Bu mətnin mövzusu bukmeker kontorlarını seçərkən nələrə diqqət etməli olduğunuzu əhatə edəcək.
Lisenziyası var
Yeni bukkeriniz üçün məcburi tələblər siyahısında ən vacib şey, onların qumar və idman lisenziyasına sahib olmalarıdır.
Azərbaycanda hər hansı bir təşkilatın qumar lisenziyası əldə etməsi üçün kifayət qədər uzun və ixtisaslaşmış prosesdən keçməlidir.
Bu proses mərc edənlərin yalan və ya yanıltmamasını təmin edən təhlükəsiz oyun mühiti yaratmağa xidmət edir - hər şey ağ və qara rəngdə olmalıdır.
Hesab yaratmaqdan başqa hər şey üçün bonuslar təklif edin
Bir çox idman mərc platformaları və onlayn kazinolar hər yeni müştəri üçün bonuslar təklif edir, lakin onların çox azı öz hesablarına çoxlu pul yatırmasalar, müştərilərini həvəsləndirməyə davam edirlər.
Həm böyük oyunçulara, həm də kiçiklərə xidmət edən platforma lazımdır. Bu, kiçik oyunçuların əslində ən çox pul qazanan və mərclərinə ən çox səy göstərənlərin olduğunu başa düşür.
Bukmeker kontoru təkcə profil yaratmaq üçün deyil, həm də uzunmüddətli oyun və ya dövri promosyonlar üçün bonuslar təklif edirsə, onda siz kifayət qədər yaxşı peşəkarlar komandası tapmısınız.
Müştərilərinizə qarşı ədalətli olun
Bukmeker kontorunun düzgünlüyü onun ümumi mentalitetini, onu idarə edən prinsipləri və gələcəkdə nə gözləyə biləcəyinizi göstərir.
Müəyyən bir bukmeker kontoru ilə pis təcrübəsi olan insanların tez-tez şikayətləri ilə qarşılaşırsınızsa, onların xidmətlərindən qaçınmaq daha yaxşıdır.
Mütləq düzgün olması lazım olan vacib xidmətlər mərclərin çıxarılması, hesabdan vəsaitin çıxarılması və komisyon olmadan hesabı dayandırmaq imkanıdır.
Xüsusilə internet üzərindən bahis edirsinizsə, ildırım sürəti ilə texniki dəstəyə çıxış əldə etmək də vacibdir.
Ən çox baxılan bölmələrdən biri bonuslar və mövcud promosyonlar olan bölmədir. Oyun fondları tələb olunandan daha çoxdur, xüsusən də onlarla uduş toplamaq üçün açıq bir seçim olduğu üçün. Bununla belə, burada yadda saxlamalıyıq ki, bonus almaq üçün siz depozit qoymalısınız. Bu, hər bir bukmeker kontorunun özü üçün müəyyən etdiyi bir neçə variantdan seçilən metod vasitəsilə həyata keçirilir. Ancaq adətən bunlar bank depozitləri, debet kartları və PayPal və Skrill kimi elektron pul kisələridir. Oynamaq üçün platforma seçiminizdən asılı olaraq, müxtəlif depozit və pul çıxarma seçimləriniz ola bilər.
Bəzi platformalar internet bağlantısından və ya istifadə etdikləri smart cihazdan asılı olmayaraq, bütün müştərilərinə hamar və problemsiz oyun təmin etmək üçün çox səy göstərir.
Yanlış zamanda, məsələn, pul çıxararkən və ya vaxta həssas mərc edərkən texniki məsələlərdə sizə kömək etməkdə gecikmə sizin üçün fəlakətli ola bilər.
İdman mərclərinin sürətli çıxarılması və nağd pul çıxarılması
Bukmeker kontorunun platformasında hesabınızın hərəkəti pul qoymağınızdan və ya pul çıxarmağınızdan asılı olmayaraq tamamilə pulsuz olmalıdır.
Bir platformanın pul yatırmaqda problemlərinin olması qeyri-adi haldır, lakin pulu çıxararkən ciddi gecikmələr və problemlərlə bağlı kifayət qədər az hal var.
Buna görə də, gələcəkdə xoşagəlməz bir şəkildə təəccüblənməmək üçün idman və futbol mərc platformasını qaydalar və geri çəkilmə tələbləri üçün yoxlamaq yaxşı fikirdir.
Bəzi platformalar müştərilərinə lazımsız gecikmələr və problemlər olmadan öz platformalarında yerləşən hesablardan pulların tez açılmasına, investisiya edilməsinə və çıxarılmasına zəmanət verir.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2025
Real noble-madness adventures ... are just about extinct today, thanks to an overorganized, overmechanized world where long-distance solo rambling is just plain hard to do. Adventuring as an extreme sport has fallen on hard times; everything really good, big, and authentic has already been done.
Bone Games explores the transcendent experiences that come from extreme exertion, risk taking, and living at the limits of performance. It's the runner's euphoric high taken to the next level.
Schultheis found his transcendence when he nearly died on a Mount Neva in Colorado. He tells the story in the opening chapter, and proceeds to spend the rest of the book searching for that same high. His belief is that you can find these mystical experiences by pushing your body to the limits. So he proceeds to do just that - taking on things like climbing mountains and ultra running.
As an endurance athlete myself (Ironman, climbing mountains, hiking for tons of miles, that sort of thing), I totally understand what Schultheis is getting at. There is a type of high - an altered mental and physical state - that you sometimes get when you're 20 hours deep into the shit and you're out of your mind. I remember my first triathlon - getting off the bike and attempting to run, only to find that my legs didn't work at all. I've tried to replicate that over and over with bigger and harder triathlons, hikes, and runs, but I've never run into that kind of pain again. And Schultheis has the very same issue.
I think that the main message of this book (doing hard things while connecting with nature) is a good one, but it suffers from poor writing and scattered ideas that just don't fit together into anything coherent. It's as if Schultheis wrote half of this while hypoxic, and the other half while doing some Zen Buddhist pain study. Many other books do this better - The Doorstep Mile, The Rise of the Ultrarunners, Born to Run, and Endure are just a few. If you are really interested in the limits of the human body, check those out first.
Bone Games explores the transcendent experiences that come from extreme exertion, risk taking, and living at the limits of performance. It's the runner's euphoric high taken to the next level.
Schultheis found his transcendence when he nearly died on a Mount Neva in Colorado. He tells the story in the opening chapter, and proceeds to spend the rest of the book searching for that same high. His belief is that you can find these mystical experiences by pushing your body to the limits. So he proceeds to do just that - taking on things like climbing mountains and ultra running.
As an endurance athlete myself (Ironman, climbing mountains, hiking for tons of miles, that sort of thing), I totally understand what Schultheis is getting at. There is a type of high - an altered mental and physical state - that you sometimes get when you're 20 hours deep into the shit and you're out of your mind. I remember my first triathlon - getting off the bike and attempting to run, only to find that my legs didn't work at all. I've tried to replicate that over and over with bigger and harder triathlons, hikes, and runs, but I've never run into that kind of pain again. And Schultheis has the very same issue.
I think that the main message of this book (doing hard things while connecting with nature) is a good one, but it suffers from poor writing and scattered ideas that just don't fit together into anything coherent. It's as if Schultheis wrote half of this while hypoxic, and the other half while doing some Zen Buddhist pain study. Many other books do this better - The Doorstep Mile, The Rise of the Ultrarunners, Born to Run, and Endure are just a few. If you are really interested in the limits of the human body, check those out first.
January 5, 2019
“You are out on the edge of the human world; even as you long for the warmth, the noise, the comfort and reassurance of that world, something else draws you farther out, into the unknown. The cash and credit cards in your pocket will not help you. All the old bets are off…”
A great read but hard to describe other than a book about extreme sports, and living on the edge, almost dying several times in pursuit of “bone games”, the ultimate physical challenges. Doing things like hiking from Nepal to Mt. Everest, alone, during monsoon season. Running for 50 miles not on trails, but straight through the wilderness.
It’s not just about the extreme sports, it’s about his internal experiences and the journey, while managing a career and family.
“It’s hard to take the petty realities, the gossip, the fads neuroses, squabbles, half so seriously when you’ve been soaring with the hawks, diving with the dolphins, running with the elk.”
If you’re looking for a fitness or running book, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a story about the pursuit of physical extremes, this is a great one. The author’s the type who one whim drove to the Pikes Peak marathon, got a couple of hours of sleep, grabbed a cup of coffee and a donut, then ran the race. My kind of guy.
“Play the game by your lonesome. On short rations, as hard as you can, and if you keep your mind on the search and your eyes open, you will eventually find it. And after you’ve found it once, twice, and again, it will begin to stick-the power and the bliss will work itself into the grain of your life, changing everything.”
A great read but hard to describe other than a book about extreme sports, and living on the edge, almost dying several times in pursuit of “bone games”, the ultimate physical challenges. Doing things like hiking from Nepal to Mt. Everest, alone, during monsoon season. Running for 50 miles not on trails, but straight through the wilderness.
It’s not just about the extreme sports, it’s about his internal experiences and the journey, while managing a career and family.
“It’s hard to take the petty realities, the gossip, the fads neuroses, squabbles, half so seriously when you’ve been soaring with the hawks, diving with the dolphins, running with the elk.”
If you’re looking for a fitness or running book, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a story about the pursuit of physical extremes, this is a great one. The author’s the type who one whim drove to the Pikes Peak marathon, got a couple of hours of sleep, grabbed a cup of coffee and a donut, then ran the race. My kind of guy.
“Play the game by your lonesome. On short rations, as hard as you can, and if you keep your mind on the search and your eyes open, you will eventually find it. And after you’ve found it once, twice, and again, it will begin to stick-the power and the bliss will work itself into the grain of your life, changing everything.”
February 6, 2018
Overall, I enjoyed this read. There were times that I got a little bored with the book, to be honest, but the last few chapters reeled me back in. The author has a lot of great information about other cultures and various searches for transcendence that the different cultures/people embark on. The author's own stories are great as well, but at times, seemed like he was trying too hard to find the magic he once stumbled upon. I guess I've always thought that life is an adventure and you can find that magic in every day life, you don't necessarily have to go and try to kill yourself on Everest to do so, which is kind of where he gets back to at the end of the story. It did remind me of my friends, John and Prigg, and our ambition to create adventures, something that many people don't do anymore. Our adventures weren't anything necessarily death defying, but it put you outside of the norm, and made you connect with a raw sense of nature. I still feel this way during many of the ultras that I do, but that is more about finding power within myself, pushing myself past my known limits and comfort, while still connecting and communing with nature. The body and mind are wonderous things that weren't meant to be caged up inside an office in front of a computer day in and day out. If nothing else, this book urges you to get outside, try something different, and breathe a little. You never know what magic you'll find.
July 9, 2020
This was recommended to me by my running coach. Reads as one mans journal as he searches for transcendence. His writing reminded me of Abbey’s in Desert Solitaire. His disdain for tourism (you won’t find nirvana on a crowded trail), his use of used, old equipment and how modern conveniences have made humans soft and disconnected from the natural world.
“Playing games to win has very little if anything to do with the mad and holy act that lies at the heart of the matter. It’s all right if that’s what you want to do, but it’s not where the real magic is.”
This quote resonates as I train for upcoming races. Winning isn’t the point nor is even posting on Instagram. The journey is the point.
If you’re into extreme sports and pushing your body to its physical limits, read this book.
“Playing games to win has very little if anything to do with the mad and holy act that lies at the heart of the matter. It’s all right if that’s what you want to do, but it’s not where the real magic is.”
This quote resonates as I train for upcoming races. Winning isn’t the point nor is even posting on Instagram. The journey is the point.
If you’re into extreme sports and pushing your body to its physical limits, read this book.
August 23, 2017
Being sort of an adventurer, this book interested me on a couple of levels. First, because of the author's telling of his personal adventures, and those of people he's met. Second, because of his study into why some people can transcend stressful situations and turn them into moments of bliss or physical prowess. Schultheis doesn't make any solid conclusions, but his investigation is interesting and personal.
February 27, 2021
While there were lots of great ideas and experiences relayed in this book, it really felt disjointed and more like a draft for what could have been a longer, more in-depth story. As it is, it was very jumpy from one location to another, and from scientific exploration to faith-based experiences.
May 30, 2022
An enjoyable read yet strangely organized. The anecdotal style wasn’t my favorite and the odd injections of science threw off the flow—nonetheless, there is some wild stuff in this book. It’s short and worth a quick burn through if you’re into adventures.
December 28, 2021
Great, quick read about extreme sports and their ability to unlock higher states of consciousness
February 2, 2022
Interesting engagement with the intersection of extreme mountaineering and running with states of deep mindfulness.
June 27, 2024
More like 3.8 - whole lotta philosophizing & not as much science. But dude was for sure onto something
August 7, 2024
It is an incomplete book. Its subject is fascinating. It could have been longer and with more details. A good read overall.
September 30, 2024
Okay, but doesn't nearly cover ground like living life in a community.
December 27, 2024
Enjoyable
August 3, 2016
Updating my review for this, as I just reread it and had a very different impression of it than when I first read it. (I'll leave my original review below, though.) Namely, I enjoyed it. Perhaps because I'm in a different place now with my own running/adventuring than I was four years ago, I found a lot more to identify with.
Again, the concept is great. The writing is original and often captivating. And this time around, I found Schulteis to be a more likable narrator--no doubt obsessive in his quest, but somehow this time I read his obsession as more authentic, being driven by genuine curiosity rather than ego. And perhaps some of his cynicism about the tamed, often sterile character of our modern lives take on is warranted after all. :)
--
Original review from July 8-14, 2012:
"The idea of isolation, loneliness, for instance: shamans used it explicitly to break down the everyday consensual reality most of us never escape. We constantly reinforce a kind of group-hallucination world when we are around other human beings, bending and shaping what we see, hear, and feel with grammar, belief, custom. Solo vision quests and games take us out into a nascent, analphabetic space, a sort of intellectual free-fire zone, where reality is in effect up for grabs, and the possibilities well-nigh endless."
Bah. I wanted to love this book so much. Had it recommended to me by a close friend with many similar interests, and being an outdoorsy gal with a spiritual side, I found the ideas behind this book extremely compelling. There are some beautifully wrought passages about communing with nature. Many of the anecdotes stirred something deep inside of me - a mix of fascination, imagination, adrenaline, and faith, all wrapped into one curious package. The ideas in this book can reawaken the child in you, wanting to believe in the magic of the natural world around you, thinking that if you only look hard enough for it, if you only believe in its existence fully enough, it just might appear to you.
Unfortunately, all this potential was squashed for me by Schultheis' lack of humility. I found him extremely judging at several points, and I grew irritated with his holier-than-thou commentary on others for living what he implies to be more superficial, less "enlightened" lives. He is obsessed with chasing an adrenaline high (as a means to a greater end of nirvana/enlightenment/superhuman abilities) at the cost of nearly everything else. There's a strange sense throughout the book that everything he does out in nature - the games, as he calls them - is solely in the pursuit of this elusive high, rather than appreciation or enjoyment of being out in nature. Be that as it may, I found it his scathing criticism of, for example, the marathon runners on Pike's Peak, to be deeply irritating...I also didn't relate to his disappointment that, as he writes, "Adventuring as an extreme sport has fallen on hard times; everything really good, big, and authentic has already been done, leaving nothing but screwy stunts..." I understand what he's saying, and even agree with it generally, but Schultheis was a little too grumpy/cynical of a narrator for me to be able to spend an entire book with. I felt as disappointed at the end of this book as he did at the top of Pike's Peak. Bummer!
Again, the concept is great. The writing is original and often captivating. And this time around, I found Schulteis to be a more likable narrator--no doubt obsessive in his quest, but somehow this time I read his obsession as more authentic, being driven by genuine curiosity rather than ego. And perhaps some of his cynicism about the tamed, often sterile character of our modern lives take on is warranted after all. :)
--
Original review from July 8-14, 2012:
"The idea of isolation, loneliness, for instance: shamans used it explicitly to break down the everyday consensual reality most of us never escape. We constantly reinforce a kind of group-hallucination world when we are around other human beings, bending and shaping what we see, hear, and feel with grammar, belief, custom. Solo vision quests and games take us out into a nascent, analphabetic space, a sort of intellectual free-fire zone, where reality is in effect up for grabs, and the possibilities well-nigh endless."
Bah. I wanted to love this book so much. Had it recommended to me by a close friend with many similar interests, and being an outdoorsy gal with a spiritual side, I found the ideas behind this book extremely compelling. There are some beautifully wrought passages about communing with nature. Many of the anecdotes stirred something deep inside of me - a mix of fascination, imagination, adrenaline, and faith, all wrapped into one curious package. The ideas in this book can reawaken the child in you, wanting to believe in the magic of the natural world around you, thinking that if you only look hard enough for it, if you only believe in its existence fully enough, it just might appear to you.
Unfortunately, all this potential was squashed for me by Schultheis' lack of humility. I found him extremely judging at several points, and I grew irritated with his holier-than-thou commentary on others for living what he implies to be more superficial, less "enlightened" lives. He is obsessed with chasing an adrenaline high (as a means to a greater end of nirvana/enlightenment/superhuman abilities) at the cost of nearly everything else. There's a strange sense throughout the book that everything he does out in nature - the games, as he calls them - is solely in the pursuit of this elusive high, rather than appreciation or enjoyment of being out in nature. Be that as it may, I found it his scathing criticism of, for example, the marathon runners on Pike's Peak, to be deeply irritating...I also didn't relate to his disappointment that, as he writes, "Adventuring as an extreme sport has fallen on hard times; everything really good, big, and authentic has already been done, leaving nothing but screwy stunts..." I understand what he's saying, and even agree with it generally, but Schultheis was a little too grumpy/cynical of a narrator for me to be able to spend an entire book with. I felt as disappointed at the end of this book as he did at the top of Pike's Peak. Bummer!
March 10, 2009
i think this is a good book for anyone who loves being outside, loves the feelings that accompany intense physical activity and adventures, and yearns for that freshness and intensity in day-to-day life. Schultheis does a nice job of bringing together his own direct experience, the observations of modern science, and the wisdom of Eastern traditions and masters--all in an effort to better understand (both experientally and intellectually) the intense presence and aliveness that comes through extreme activities, or less commonly through just being alive.
November 29, 2008
Interesting subject with plenty of muscular writing. My favorite chapter was the one with Dr. Andrew Weil, and the discussion about the necessity of faith. I couldn't relate to all the extreme sports talk, but the writing was good enough to draw me in.
January 12, 2014
The guy is a good writer. Very descriptive. But I was thinking, "duh, what he's searching for is adrenaline", from the get-go, and he only figured that out at the end. Still, an entertaining book.
March 29, 2010
A fun tale of true spiritual experience athletic daring.
Read
April 15, 2009A macho guy very into his own head and seeking the thrill from going too far over the edge. Not a very bright bulb, in my opinion.
January 22, 2013
I will read this again and again!!
October 17, 2013
A nice collection of short stories about how to find the "zone" more often. It is an enjoyable read for anyone who likes being outside and exploring
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews