Five Big Mountains

What does it take for a regular guy to climb some of the highest mountains in the world? Five Big Mountains takes you there, instantly placing the reader and the author on a steep glacier on Pico de Orizaba with equipment trouble and the tough decision any high altitude climber inevitably faces-should he turn back or keep going to the summit? The central theme of the book is that with proper preparation, careful planning, persistent training, and the best guides, even an amateur with little mountaineering experience can climb and reach the summits of some of the most famous mountains in the world, though there are risks involved that need to be minimized. Written in the first person, Five Big Mountains takes the reader into the mind of a regular guy trying to reach the summit of four of the famous Seven Summits, as well as his first high-altitude climb of a steep, glaciated Mexican volcano. The book tells what climbing is really like, the struggles and the triumphs, the emotions and the dangers, moment by moment. The reader is taken to Russia, Africa, Antarctica, South America, and Mexico. Along the way, the reader is able to travel with and discover the local flavor of each exotic or not so exotic venue. Color photos help the reader to visualize the glorious majesty of the peaks, but the narrative provides the nitty-gritty of the author's daily challenges on the mountains.

What does it take for a regular guy to climb some of the highest mountains in the world? Five Big Mountains takes you there, instantly placing the reader and the author on a steep glacier on Pico de Orizaba with equipment trouble and the tough decision any high altitude climber inevitably faces-should he turn back or keep going to the summit? The central theme of the book is that with proper preparation, careful planning, persistent training, and the best guides, even an amateur with little mountaineering experience can climb and reach the summits of some of the most famous mountains in the world, though there are risks involved that need to be minimized. Written in the first person, Five Big Mountains takes the reader into the mind of a regular guy trying to reach the summit of four of the famous Seven Summits, as well as his first high-altitude climb of a steep, glaciated Mexican volcano. The book tells what climbing is really like, the struggles and the triumphs, the emotions and the dangers, moment by moment. The reader travels to Russia, Africa, Antarctica, South America, and Mexico, and along the way discovers the local flavor of each exotic or not so exotic venue. The narrative provides the nitty-gritty of the author's daily challenges on the mountains.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • This gripping and triumphant memoir from the author of The Mountain follows a living legend of extreme mountaineering as he makes his assault on history, one 8,000-meter summit at a time. “From the drama of the peaks, to the struggle of making a living as a professional climber, to the basic how-tos of life at 26,000 feet, No Shortcuts to the Top is fascinating reading.”—Aron Ralston, author of Between a Rock and a Hard Place and subject of the film 127 Hours 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.

Tour the globe and witness spectacular feats of human determination, endurance, and strength. Travel with dedicated mountaineers as they climb the "Seven Summits"—the highest peak of each of the seven continents. Stunning full-color photographs capture the breathtaking scenery and courageous athleticism of the climbers. Essays and diaries of mountaineers, along with striking photos, capture these harrowing adventures and take readers to each of the Seven Summits: McKinley (North America), Aconcagua (South America), Vinson (Antarctica), Kilmanjaro (Africa), Elbrus (Europe), Kosciuszko (Australia), and Everest (Asia).

Another Five Big Mountains and Treks provides a first-hand, intimate account of the trials and tribulations of climbing five well-known mountains or trails, all from the perspective of a middle-aged, "regular guy" who has survived cancer and has kept on climbing. David Schaeffer recounts the everyday challenges of training, traveling, and attempting to stay up with younger climbers and professional guides, in his attempt to reach the summits of Mount Rainier in Washington State, Mount Fuji in Japan, and Cho Oyu in Western China (the sixth highest mountain in the world), and to complete the strenuous treks to Everest Base Camp and Machu Picchu via the Inca Trail. Along the way, the author discusses the frustrations of climbs interrupted by snowstorms and avalanches, the glories of reaching the summits, and ultimately his decision to turn around on Cho Oyu when blood pressure and heart rate issues increased the risk beyond acceptable levels. As in his first book, Five Big Mountains, Schaeffer's recounting of his experiences is both wonderfully written and inspiring. Book jacket.

"In the 1930s, as official government expeditions set their sights on conquering Mount Everest, a little-known World War I veteran named Maurice Wilson conceives his own crazy, beautiful plan: he will fly a plane from England to Everest, crash-land on its lower slopes, then become the first person to reach its summit--all utterly alone. Wilson doesn't know how to climb. He barely knows how to fly. But he has the right plane, the right equipment, and a deep yearning to achieve his goal. In 1933, he takes off from London in a Gipsy Moth biplane with his course set for the highest mountain on earth. Wilson's eleven-month journey to Everest is wild: full of twists, turns, and daring. Eventually, in disguise, he sneaks into Tibet. His icy ordeal is just beginning."--Provided by publisher.