Beyond Risk: Conversations with Climbers

by Nicholas O'Connell

Book Overview

In this collection of interviews with 16 of the world's leading climbers, the climbers talk about their motivations and preoccupations as well as discussing some of the more controversial... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898862965
• ISBN13: 9780898862966
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books
• Length: 300 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Cool like a summit.

This book is a sweet insight into the minds of the guys that rock on rock. Reinhold Messner, Royal Robbins, Doug Scott, Chris Bonington... man they are all here. I originally rented this for a project on Messner, but I couldn't stop reading there.

Good, solid read on "what makes climbers tick"

The seventeen people interviewed by author O'Connell have one thing in common: climbing. For most it's the love of their life. Yet as I read through each segment, beginning with a short but comprehensive biography (never more than a few pages of text) and continuing with the actual interview, I was struck by how many of these climbers strive to make it plain to O'Connell and all who read his book that climbing by itself isn't what matters most. It's what climbing does for the person - what the person brings to the climb - or both. Perhaps above all others, this is a "sport" that's about individualism. Although the forming of close friendships and the intimacy of depending on team mates for one's very life get plenty of attention, the place most of these climbers come back to is the same: It's about self-reliance. Self-discipline, and reaching one's own goals instead of goals set by others. There are some moving tales of survival and sacrifice, tragedy and triumph, contained in these pages. Each segment, though, is not a condensed "life of XXXX XXXXXX who first summited such-and-such a peak." Each is a genuine conversation, talking about the mundane aspects of life and of climbing just as often as about the events that made these people famous. A good, solid read for anyone who's interested in what makes climbers tick; but a bit of a slog, for readers expecting something in the "true adventure" genre.

Very interesting but incomplete book

The book is fantastic but there are at least the lack of two great names: 1) Loretan 2) Maurizio Zanolla ( called Manolo),wha has the following incredible curriculum: a) 1980: "supermatita", 1200 mt with minimum 6c+ by using only 7(!!) protection. b) 1981: 7c+ rotkpunt, 40 mt with 6 protections. c) 1985: 8a, 20 mt with 3 protections d) 1986: 8b, 25 mt with 4 protections and many others exploits, long path ( up to 1000 mt) always using a very little protections. some climbers says to have seen him climbing 8a already before 1981.

Why do we climb?

The best collection of interviews of climbers I have ever read. If you want to understand why climbers climb, read this book. Whenever a non-climber asks why I climb, I've never felt like I gave an adequate answer. Now I can. These climbers each in their own way described why they climb. I found my answers about myself in that book. A must read for any climber and a good read for anyone interested in a climber's mindset.