Beyond Risk: Conversations With Climbers

by Nicholas O'Connell

In-depth interviews with 17 renowned climbers reveal the ethics, motivations, and future direction of mountaineering.

Genres: Climbing

256 pages, Paperback

First published December 2, 1993

Reviews

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great find. Even though this was a little dated for my age range, it was a great insight into some of the debates and history of the climbing movement in the United States and beyond. The author interviewed many famous climbers from across the disciplines (free climbing, high altitude alpinism, ice climbing, etc.) and their conversations flowed in an easy to read and captivating narrative. Some of these names (Hillary, Harding) have been household names growing up, others (Messner, Bonnington, Bonati, Ćesen) are names that I keep running into now that I have them on my radar. These men and women are known for their first acents, establishing routes, and impacting the climbing and mountaineering communities that exist today. Their interviews cover the nuances of how they pioneered routes, what got them into climbing, overall philosophies on pursuing a potentially dangerous passion, how they have survived in bad situations and behind. Even though the time of these legends has passed, getting to know them through their own words and hearing their commentary on such pivotal accounts has made me wish I could meet each and every one of them out in the mountains and feel closer to the mountaineering community.