As of late, I’ve been enthralled by mountaineering. No, I’m not climbing mountains LOL. I’m living vicariously through the men and women who climb the world’s highest peaks in the coldest weather possible. So today, I’m reviewing my latest read, No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World’s Highest Peaks by Ed Viesturs.
Title: No Shortcuts to the Top
Series: N/A
Author(s): Ed Viesturs and David Roberts
Genre: Memoir, Autobiography, Mountaineering
Length: 368 pages
Release Date: October 17, 2006
Blurb: 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.
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First off, it’s a long read. On my Kobo, it clocked in at over 1,000 pages LOL. But it’s worth every read. The author gives a detailed account of his life, which I really enjoyed. The writing came in a friendly, easy-to-read serving, as if he were a guest speaker, telling an audience about his feats. I always enjoy it when an author uses a nice, easy style.
Don’t expect deep details of mountains or the other settings. The author is the type of person who sticks to the story. Because of his easy style of writing, I was reading 150 pages a night. Sometimes even more!
I’d say my favourite story was on K2. There were many moments of tenseness, wondering what would happen next.
If you don’t know that much about mountaineering (as I do), you will have to look up some of the terms used. The same for the mountains. I don’t live near any mountains, so I had to learn that, too. And it was a great educational experience.
The author even gives you a peek into his personal life. I always wondered how a partner handles the stress when their other half is up on a dangerous mountain. There are also other stories about various climbers that I enjoyed reading about. The author really knows his mountaineering history and lists his fave heroes.
There are spots I sort of skimmed, such as sponsorship, etc., that I wasn’t interested in reading, but to those who enjoy the detailed aspects of how they make their living, I’m sure they will find this very interesting.
It’s a great read, giving a detailed account of how one man became a mountaineer and what pushed him to climb the 8,000s. Safety first is what I took away. Always be safe and worry more about getting down alive than making it to the top so you can live to climb another day.
It’s an entertaining read, and since it’s a NY Times bestselling book, I’m guessing I’m not the only one who enjoyed what the author had to say. Do yourself a favour and get a copy. It’s more than just about climbing mountains. It’s about a man’s goal to reach his 8,000er goal, and what he did to achieve his dream.
Maggie Blackbird 