Favorite Read?

What mountaineering or climbing novel has inspired you the most?

My favorite so far has been This Game of Ghosts by Joe Simpson (famous for Touching the Viod). Liked it so much that I've read it twice! Right now I'm working on Doug Scott: Himalayen Climber, has some pretty amazing photos to go along with his auto-biography.

It all got started when I read Galen Rowells ascent of Half Dome.

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The moment I read that article I knew I wanted to climb...

The White Spider by Hienrich Harrer(SP?) all about the first party to succeed on the Eiger, amazing to think after reading that Hienrich went on to be best buds with the Dali Lama. (Seven Years in Tibet). By far and away one of my fav's.

Check out Psychovertical, very inspiring...

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Others include...

The Shining Mountain, by Pete Boardman

The Totem Pole, by Paul Pritchard

Murder of the Impossible by Messner

etc, etc, etc...

Any random section of Sherman's "Stone Crusade." It's just a cool view to the older days of bouldering when it was relatively unknown locals boldly messing around on rocks, back before the vee hard prAna beanie techno video crowds of today.

Gorilla Monsoon by John Long

camhead wrote:Any random section of Sherman's "Stone Crusade." It's just a cool view to the older days of bouldering when it was relatively unknown locals boldly messing around on rocks, back before the vee hard prAna beanie techno video crowds of today.

+1

I second Gorilla Monsoon by John Long. Crazy stuff in there.

Ian F. wrote:The White Spider by Hienrich Harrer(SP?) all about the first party to succeed on the Eiger, amazing to think after reading that Hienrich went on to be best buds with the Dali Lama. (Seven Years in Tibet). By far and away one of my fav's.

+1. reading it right now.

How about Sherman Exposed: Slightly Censored Climbing Stories. Pretty amusing short stories and profiles of interesting climbers. Or John Long's Long on Adventure- a compilation of some of his best work.

E

No Picnic on Mount Kenya...

There have been tons of them through the years, but the one that got me hooked was - Starlight and Storm: Six North Faces of the Alps by Gaston Rebuffat.

How many guys have a climbing move named after them?

I haven't read it yet, but I've heard good things about Jerry Moffat's book Revelations... Maybe I'll buy it for myself as a Christmas present!

It just won the grand prize at the Banff festival the other day.

White Spider, Heinrich Harrer

I have to agree with Hank and Tradster in that my favorite short story
collection is Largos' "Gorilla Monsoon" although it's more of unique adventure compilation than pure climbing.
For a true climbing novel I am going to have to choose Jeff Longs' "Angles Of Light" followed by James Salters' "Solo Faces".

I came across On Top of the World: An Illustrated History, by Showell Styles at my school library while doing research for something totally unrelated. Great read. Covers the FA stories of major peaks all over the world and has tons of historic photographs.

#1: Camp 4 - I haven't been up a Grade V or VI wall yet, but I will soon and I know for a fact that I will love it. I couldn't put the book down.

#2: it's a tie between No Shortcuts To the Top (Ed Viesturs-first American to summit all the 8,000 meter peaks without oxygen ) and Seven Summits (about Dick Bass, the first person to climb the highest summit on each continent)

#3: Annapurna - Story about Maurice Herzog (and team), the first person to summit an 8,000 meter peak)

All of these books were phenominal in their own way. Camp 4 truely inspired me. It's amazing what those guys did back in the Golden Years of climbing.

Erik W wrote:White Spider, Heinrich Harrer

+1

Annapurna is a nice glimpse into the unknown realm of 8000m, though the writing is shabby. A good alternative is Herman Buhls "A Lonely Challenge"

After White Spider, Messner's Crystal Horizon is wonderful. It includes unedited journal entries of the Nurse, the only one to accompany him on the entire expedition. Included also is the mass public disapproval of his endeavor, more so for holding no societal merit than for being the first solo ascent of Chomolungma, and without oxygen.

It's tough to narrow that down...kinda like what's your fav CD, but:

Yankee Rock and Ice - Guy Waterman A must read if you're from the East

This Game of Ghosts & Beckoning Silience - Joe Simpson - Joe is just generally a fantastic writer who's books read well from cover to cover

I'll have to add more later!

i guess i havent read many or any novels about climbing but i enjoy historical books like
-Yankee Rock and Ice, by Guy Waterman
-A History of Free Climbing in North America, by Pat Ament
Watermans book is much more readable where as Aments is basicly like 100+ years of climbing magazine hot flashes, but i love that sort of thing...

Ive also read autobiographical books by Lynn Hill and Steph Davis... neither were increadible but have some fun stories and offer a window in to other climbers minds... I like Steph's better...

Euan Cameron wrote:It all got started when I read Galen Rowells ascent of Half Dome. farm1.static.flickr.com/66/… The moment I read that article I knew I wanted to climb...

This came out right around the time I started climbing, I remember reading this and thinking WOW! I started planning my 1st trip to the valley that very day........ still have that issue of National Geographic.