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No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks
by Ed Viesturs

No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

This gripping and triumphant memoir follows a living legend of extreme mountaineering as he makes his assault on history, one 8,000-meter summit at a time.

For eighteen years Ed Viesturs pursued climbing's holy grail: to stand atop the world's fourteen 8,000-meter peaks, without the aid of bottled oxygen. But No Shortcuts to the Top is as much about the man who would become the first American to achieve that goal as it is about his stunning quest. As Viesturs recounts the stories of his most harrowing climbs, he reveals a man torn between the flat, safe world he and his loved ones share and the majestic and deadly places where only he can go.

A preternaturally cautious climber who once turned back 300 feet from the top of Everest but who would not shrink from a peak (Annapurna) known to claim the life of one climber for every two who reached its summit, Viesturs lives by an unyielding motto, "Reaching the summit is optional. Getting down is mandatory." It is with this philosophy that he vividly describes fatal errors in judgment made by his fellow climbers as well as a few of his own close calls and gallant rescues. And, for the first time, he details his own pivotal and heroic role in the 1996 Everest disaster made famous in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air.

In addition to the raw excitement of Viesturs's odyssey, No Shortcuts to the Top is leavened with many funny moments revealing the camaraderie between climbers. It is more than the first full account of one of the staggering accomplishments of our time; it is a portrait of a brave and devoted family man and his beliefs that shaped this most perilous and magnificent pursuit.

Review:

"In the opening scene of Viesturs's memoir of his quest to become the first American to climb the 14 mountains in the world higher than 8,000 meters, he and a friend nearly get thrown off the face of K2 when they're caught in an avalanche. It's one of the few moments in the story when his life genuinely seems at risk, as his intense focus on safety is generally successful. 'Getting to the top is optional,' he warns. 'Getting down is mandatory.' That lesson comes through most forcefully when Viesturs recounts how he almost attempted to reach the summit at Everest the day before the group Jon Krakauer wrote about in Into Thin Air, but backed out because it just didn't feel right. His expertise adds a compelling eyewitness perspective to those tragic events, but the main focus is clearly on Viesturs and his self-imposed 'Endeavor 8000.' From his earliest climbs on the peaks of the Pacific Northwest to his final climb up the Himalayan mountain of Annapurna, Viesturs offers testimony to the sacrifices (personal and professional) in giving your life over to a dream, as well as the thrill of seeing it through." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"[A] compelling story of dedication, desperation, danger, derring-do, and devotion (physical and spiritual)." Booklist

Review:

"Viesturs chronicles his climbing career, starting with his summers guiding for Rainier Mountaineering Inc. and concluding with his success (after several attempts) on Annapurna, a series of peaks in the Himalayas." Library Journal

Review:

"Ed Viesturs is not merely one of our strongest mountaineers; he's also one of the most remarkable. He's demonstrated that it's possible to climb the world's highest peaks without taking reckless chances, and without sacrificing one's honor or integrity. He has never hesitated to help other climbers in need, even when it meant putting himself in danger or sacrificing his own opportunity to achieve a summit. Ed, simply put, is a genuine American hero." Jon Krakauer

Synopsis:

For 18 years, Viesturs pursued climbing's holy grail: to stand atop the world's fourteen 8,000-meter peaks, without the aid of bottled oxygen. However, "No Shortcuts to the Top" is as much about the man who would become the first American to achieve that goal as it is about his stunning quest.
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About the Author

Ed Viesturs is poised to become the first American climber to reach the summit of all the world's 8,000-meter peaks, having climbed thirteen of the fourteen without supplemental oxygen by spring 2001.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Carole, January 28, 2007 (view all comments by Carole)
You might think that after Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air", there's no need to read another mountaineering memoir. If so, think again. Ed Viesturs is possibly the world's greatest living climber, who has climbed Mount Everest multiple times without supplemental oxygen. This book tells, for the first time, of his role in rescuing injured climbers in the infamous 1996 Everest disaster ... and that is not even the most exciting part of this book. Viesturs shares his failures and successes as he attempts the highest peaks on all seven continents on a shoestring, while trying to stay married to a woman who is halfway around the world and frankly half out of her mind with stress. His love of the wild and the peaks is contagious, and you may be motivated to schedule a trip to the Himalayas or, at the least, to your local climbing gym.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780767924702
Author:
Viesturs, Ed
Publisher:
Random House
With:
Roberts, David
Author:
Ed Viesturs with David Roberts
Author:
Ed Viesturs with David Roberts
Subject:
Biography
Subject:
Mountaineering
Subject:
Parental Memoirs
Subject:
Mountaineers
Subject:
Sports - General
Publication Date:
October 2006
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
368
Dimensions:
9.14x6.34x1.17 in. 1.37 lbs.
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