Will to Climb: Obsession and Commitment and the Quest to Climb Annapurna--The World's Deadliest Peak

Will to Climb: Obsession and Commitment and the Quest to Climb Annapurna--The World's Deadliest Peak [Hardcover]

  • Foreword by Goodell, Roger
  • Author by Viesturs, Ed
  • With by Roberts, David

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Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Viesturs (No Shortcuts to the Top), with an assist from writer Roberts, conveys the almost manic dedication and preparation of the accomplished mountaineers mastering such dangerous peaks as the perilous Annapurna. Quoting from Soviet climber Anatoli Boukreev, Viesturs, Americas most skilled high-altitude mountaineer, lays out the problems of humans scaling unforgiving terrain in the bitter cold without a margin for error: High-altitude mountaineering is the most dangerous kind of sport; it has the highest rate of fatal consequence. He knew the worlds killer peak, Annapurna, could be bested, for the French climber Maurice Herzog did it in 1950. Learning techniques from veteran achievers, he still failed twice to successfully plant a flag on the crest of the mountain, but he managed a triumphant climb of it in 2005. This is a detailed, nicely told account of a mans endurance and perseverance in achieving a singular goal. (Oct.) Copyright 2011 Reed Business Information.
From Booklist
One of the few to bestride every mountain taller than 8,000 meters, Viesturs here recounts attempts on the fourteenth and final peak he conquered, Annapurna, in Nepal. Displaying an experienced alpinist's appreciation for climbing technique, Viesturs critiques expeditions with unfeigned awe for climbers' courage, audacity, and achievement. Noting that reading Annapurna (1952), by pioneering summiteer Maurice Herzog, inspired him to become a mountaineer, Viesturs describes how his subsequent study of less famous ascenders deepened his respect for them and his wariness for perils posed by the mountain he would have to confront to attain his personal goal of climbing 14 8,000-meter peaks. That the accounts of Louis Lachenal, Jean-Christophe Lafaille, and Erhard Loretan aren't available in English renders Viesturs' translated excerpts new and singularly interesting to the mountaineering readership, while his excursion through the Annapurna bibliography overall ponders the ineffable question of why mountain climbers court lethal risk. Concluding with his arrival at the apex of Annapurna, Viesturs combines acuity and fairness in a riveting presentation of the pure drama of high-altitude adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)
Product Detail
ISBN: 030772042X
EAN: 9780307720429
Media: Book
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Publication Date: 10-2011
Language: English
Pages: 281
Dimensions: 9.30 x 6.30 x 1.20
Weight: 1.30
Categories:
Illustrated
Leading Article