Книги. Художественная литература. Учебники и пособия.

Ed Viesturs, Peter Potterfield

A seasoned American guide much sought by organizers of commercial expeditions in the Himalayan Mountains, Viesturs has, when work permits, pursued a personal goal of ascending every 8,000-meter-plus peak in the range without using bottled oxygen. He will be the second mountaineer to do so if he succeeds in surmounting the only 2 on the list of 14 titans that have defeated him: Annapurna and Nanga Parbat. In the meantime, Viesturs offers this superb photographic record of his ascents since 1987 of Everest, K2, and the rest. Although he modestly disclaims being particularly skillful with the camera, Viesturs possesses an intuitive compositional appreciation for the grandeur of the scenery, for the play of sunrise especially. Moreover, his images viscerally show the vertiginous drop-offs at the summits. Viesturs' picture of Makalu shows his mates straddling its knife-edge top--standing would court an abyssal plummet. Admiring lowlanders will appreciate Viesturs' vistas. Gilbert Taylor

Matt Dickinson

YA-Dickinson, who was hired by a high-adventure company to produce a movie about an ascent of Everest by a major British film star, is not a professional high-altitude climber. However, he is a fine writer with a style somewhere between the tight and intense passages of Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air (Villard) and the ponderous, technical treatment in Anatoli Boukreev's much longer The Climb (St. Martin's, both 1997). He writes of actually making it to the summit up the North Face with a simplicity and wonder lacking in Everest accounts written by those who spend their lives climbing the world's highest peaks. As a filmmaker, he gives the book visual power. This title will hold readers in its icy grip from beginning to end.

Joe Simpson

On the heels of a swirl of controversy surrounding mountaineering, Joe Simpson wonders if the essence of the sport has been completely lost. From a gripping introduction detailing one climber's dying moments, witnessed by other climbers who offered no help, Simpson moves on to question the May 10, 1996, events on Everest, offering an objective, well-researched, and insightful analysis. Weaving the thread of the larger question through discussions of other issues, he also examines guided climbing, the media spin on climbing accidents, and incidents involving poor treatment of Sherpas. He takes as many risks in his writing as he does in climbing, and Simpson's latest work is certain to challenge readers and inspire debate.

Joe Simpson

"Concise and yet packed with detail, Touching the Void, Joe Simpson's harrowing account of near-death in the Peruvian Andes, is a compact tour de force that wrestles with issues of bravery, friendship, physical endurance, the code of the mountains, and the will to live. Simpson dedicates the book to his climbing partner, Simon Yates, and to "those friends who have gone to the mountains and have not returned". What is it that compels certain individuals to willingly seek out the most inhospitable climate on earth? To risk their lives in an attempt to leave footprints where few or none have gone before? Simpson's vivid narrative of a dangerous climbing expedition will convince even the most die-hard couch potato that such pursuits fall within the realm of the sane. As the author struggles ever higher, readers learn of the mountain's awesome power, the beautiful - and sometimes deadly - sheets of blue glacial ice, and the accomplishment of a successful ascent. And then catastrophe:...

Peter Potterfield

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary, The Mountaineers Books presents highlights of the most dramatic moments in the climbing history of this perilous peak, from some of the best-known names in mountaineering: George Mallory and Sandy Irvine setting off for their final climb in 1924 Edmund Hillary's own account of the first historic ascent in 1953 Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Everest, on the 1963 climb Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld's first traverse of Everest via the West Ridge and South Col routes Reinhold Messner's revolutionary climbs in 1978 (the first ascent without supplemental oxygen) and 1980 (the first solo ascent) The official expedition account of the discovery of George Mallory's body in 1999 Bonus selection: MountainZone.com columnist Dave Hahn's riveting first-person account of the epic 2001 high-altitude rescue ...and much, much more

Anatoli Boukreev

Born in Mayak, Russia, in 1958, Boukreev became one of the world's greatest mountain climbers. But while his accomplishments included 21 ascents of 11 of the world's 14 highest mountains, Boukreev became known to the general public only after his work as a guide on a disastrous Mt. Everest climb was described in less than glowing terms in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. Boukreev's coauthored bestselling account of the tragedy, The Climb, was an attempt to set the record straight. This new posthumous collection is a series of narratives Boukreev wrote between 1987 and his death climbing Annapurna in 1997; it stands as an excellent addition to The Climb and as one of the most revealing and tough-minded descriptions of the life of a mountain climber. Three themes dominate the essays: the spiritual beauty and power of the mountains, the increasing commercialization of mountain climbing and the necessity for rigorous training by people (pros and newcomers alike) who want to climb the big...

Roberto Mantovani, Kurt Diemberger

The mighty, inaccessible peaks of Mt. Everest have always posed an irresistible challenge to those motivated to test their mettle against the harsh conditions. Packed with spectacular archival and specially commissioned photographs, this book examines the history of Everest mountaineering through thrilling journey reports. The authors describe in detail the planning required for such a monumental climb and the technical means used in the Everest climbing adventures of modern mountaineering. The narrative recounts the various chapters in the mountaineering history of Everest, from the first reconnaissance in 1921 to the first victorious climb and the accomplishments-and failures-of recent decades. We meet the ambitious adventurers, revel in their triumphs, and experience the tragedies as well. Throughout the book the lively text and vivid photographs transport readers on a journey they will never forget.

Reinhold Messner

World-famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner's account of his first ascent on Everest, made without supplemental oxygen, and considered to be an impossible feat at the time. Reinhold Messner with his partner Peter Habeler was the first to climb Everest without the aid of supplemental oxygen. In this riveting retelling of his climb, Messner says, "Everest by fair means-that is the human dimension, and that is what interests me . . . In reaching for an oxygen cylinder, a climber degrades Everest. . . . A climber who doesn't rely on his own strength and skills, but on apparatus and drugs, deceives himself." In this mountaineering classic, Messner recounts the thoughts of a mountaineer during the climb of his life. Messner's compelling climbing chronicle conveys the exhaustion, despair and exhilaration of mountaineering in the death zone; interleafed with spectacular color photographs. A must-have for any reader of adventure narratives.

Craig Connally

Modern Mountaineering on Alpine Rock, Snow, and Ice If your experience as a backpacker or rock climber is drawing you higher; if the cold, remote alpine environment calls you nearer, this book is for you. The Mountaineering Handbook will teach you the skills that will take you to the top. Even if you're already an experienced mountaineer, you'll find detailed descriptions of the newest and most effective techniques to refine and organize your methods and equipment. The Mountaineering Handbook isn't mired in outdated traditionalism; its new-school techniques are safer, more effective, and more fun for mountaineers at every level. With constant emphasis on light, fast, and efficient mountaineering, Craig Connally shows you how to: Move quickly up and down rock, snow, and ice with appropriate safety systems Manage mountain hazards, including rockfall, avalanche, lightning, and high-altitude illness Select the best ...

James A. Wilkerson

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