Himalayan Quest: Ed Viesturs on the 8,000-Meter Giants [Paperback]

Ed Viesturs (Author), Peter Potterfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003

Now updated to include the triumphant culmination of a monumental quest—to stand on the summits of all fourteen of the world’s highest mountains—Himalayan Quest offers an unforgettable glimpse into the remarkable world of Ed Viesturs, America’s best-known high altitude climber, and the breathtaking landscape in which he works. It is an unparalleled showcase of both the heartbreaking tragedy and the ineffable joy Viesturs has experienced while striving at the limits of human endurance.

At the center of this extraordinary account of his mountaineering adventures are Viesturs’s own awe-inspiring photographs from the top of the world. This collection of images will show readers the deadly beauty and haunting menace of the Himalaya. A unique, inspiring, and spine-tingling glimpse into the rarified world of the extreme climber, Himalayan Quest will appeal not only to Viesturs’s significant fan base (fondly known as Edophiles or Edheads), but also to outdoor aficionados and armchair adventurers everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For mountaineers, the 14 peaks above 8,000 meters-all located in the Himalayan range near the border between China and India-have a special status. In 1986, Austrian Reinhold Messner became the first person to scale all of them without the use of supplemental oxygen. Viesturs is currently on a quest to become the first American to reproduce this astonishing feat. This book presents photographs from his expeditions on the 12 tallest mountains in the world. A world-class climber, Viesturs is blessed with an "unusual physiology"; his body's ability to process oxygen extraordinarily well allows him to remain unusually alert and vigorous even at oxygen-scarce altitudes. That clarity of mind is amply demonstrated in these stunning photographs. Viesturs emphasizes the difficulty of taking pictures at such heights and even charmingly includes imperfect shots (from a technical perspective) that have special meaning to him. Standout images include the vast, ridged, snowy valley framed by Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse; the "maze of crevasses" of the Khumbu Glacier in the Western Cwm; and the carpet of clouds draped across the several peaks of Makalu, Lhotse, Everest and Cho Oyu taken from the vantage point of Kanchenjunga. Replete with helpful maps, this book almost doubles as a travel guide; the lack of hotels doesn't make it any less informative for the tiny number of people eager to see these staggering vistas for themselves. No book consisting solely of prose could ever produce gasps like the pictures contained herein.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

A seasoned American guide much sought by organizers of commercial expeditions in the Himalayan Mountains, Viesturs has, when work permits, pursued a personal goal of ascending every 8,000-meter-plus peak in the range without using bottled oxygen. He will be the second mountaineer to do so if he succeeds in surmounting the only 2 on the list of 14 titans that have defeated him: Annapurna and Nanga Parbat. In the meantime, Viesturs offers this superb photographic record of his ascents since 1987 of Everest, K2, and the rest. Although he modestly disclaims being particularly skillful with the camera, Viesturs possesses an intuitive compositional appreciation for the grandeur of the scenery, for the play of sunrise especially. Moreover, his images viscerally show the vertiginous drop-offs at the summits. Viesturs' picture of Makalu shows his mates straddling its knife-edge top--standing would court an abyssal plummet. Admiring lowlanders will appreciate Viesturs' vistas. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792268849
• ISBN-13: 978-0792268840
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #661,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #88 in Books > Travel > Asia > Nepal

More About the Author

More info at www.edviesturs.com
Biography:
Washington resident Ed Viesturs is widely regarded as this country's foremost high-altitude mountaineer. He is familiar to many from the 1996 IMAX Everest Expedition documentary and in 2002, he was awarded the historic Lowell Thomas Award by the Explorer's Club for outstanding achievement in the field of mountaineering. In winning the award, he joined an elite group of climbers including Sir Edmund Hillary. In 1992 he was awarded the American Alpine Club Sowles Awards for his participation in two rescues on K-2.

Viesturs is a professional mountaineer and works as a design consultant for several prominent outdoor equipment manufacturers such as Eddie Bauer and Timberland. He also represents companies such as Rolex and the Seattle Seahawks. He does corporate motivational speeches as well, touching on subjects such as Team Work, Overcoming Major Obstacles, and Planning and Preparation.

Viesturs has successfully reached the summits of all of the world's fourteen 8000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen, an 18 year project he christened Endeavor 8000. His goal was completed on May 12, 2005 with his ascent of Annapurna one of the world's most treacherous peaks. He is one of only a handful of climbers in history (and the only American) to accomplish this. That year Viesturs was awarded National Geographic's Adventurer of the Year.

During the 18 year span to climb the world's highest peaks he went on 29 Himalayan expeditions and reached the summit on 20 of these occasions and stood on the top of Everest seven times. He climbs without benefit of an oxygen tank, which can be burdensome and potentially troublesome. Only a superior conditioned athlete can scale heights of 25,000 feet without artificial oxygen - a fact Viesturs has turned into an important metaphor for his audiences (i.e., that the key to the journey is in the time and energy invested in the preparation).

Viesturs motto has always been that climbing has to be a round trip. All of his planning and focus during his climbs maintains this ethic and he is not shy about turning back from a climb if conditions are too severe. In spite of his conservative attitude Viesturs has been one of the most successful Himalayan climbers in American history. His story is about risk management as well as being patient enough for conditions to allow an ascent. Ultimately, in his words, "The mountain decides whether you climb or not. The art of mountaineering is knowing when to go, when to stay, and when to retreat."

At the start of their 2005 season the Seattle Seahawks football team brought in Viesturs to speak to them about teamwork. The team and coaches incorporated some of his messages and ideas into their practices and games and went on to play in the Super Bowl that season. According to Viesturs, regardless of the industry, teamwork is the same: "It is an implicit trust in, and recognition that the person next to you is No. 1," he explains. "If we're climbing a mountain together and you slip and fall, I'm there to save your life" - which is the ultimate definition of teamwork. Another lesson Viesturs espouses is the importance of perseverance, or going step by step and not getting discouraged when working toward your goal. Viesturs recalls once being just 300 feet away from the top of Mount Everest when he had to turn back.

In October 2005 Viesturs best selling autobiography "No Shortcuts To The Top" was published and released by Random House Books. The book covers in detail Ed Viesturs' career as a mountaineer, how he prepared for his expeditions and his philosophy about how he managed the inherent risks.


Viesturs was born in 1959 and now lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington with his wife of 13 years, Paula, and their children. He continues to go on adventures. On May 19th 2009 he made his 7th ascent of Everest. Most recently on July 8th 2009 made his 203rd ascent of 14,410' Mt. Rainier while guiding Seahawks Coach Jim Mora and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!! ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!, August 28, 2005

By 

Amirah - See all my reviews

This review is from: Himalayan Quest: Ed Viesturs on the 8,000-Meter Giants (Paperback)

This is an incredible book. I finished reading it in 24hrs..I couldn't put it down. Its about Ed Viesturs journey climbing the worlds 14 highest summits..in his own words. Just incredible! The way the book is written its like Ed's right there sitting next to you ..telling you about his adventures. (very personable)The photography is just unbelievable..The way these climbers pack camera equipment and climb is beyond my comprehension. The photo of the climber "riding the ridge" Shishapangma..(pg 143) is jaw dropping!
I recommend reading this book!! Its a keeper!!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not as detailed as I would hope, August 9, 2007

By 

A. E. Vincent (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Himalayan Quest: Ed Viesturs on the 8,000-Meter Giants (Paperback)

This is a gorgeously produced book, and the photos are phenomenal. That said, it was not as detailed as I hoped for it to be. The official Amazon writeup describes this as "replete with detailed maps" -- there are small drawings of a few routes to the top, but they go no more in-depth than pointing out each base camp. Each individual summit mentioned gets three or four paragraphs of copy at most (sometimes less), and this copy is more likely to focus on how Viesturs got the specific photographs shown than on anything else. Discussion of specific challenges on each climb, landmarks on the way, etc., is extremely minimal.

Don't get me wrong -- if outdoor photography is your passion, this is a treasure trove, and the book is beautifully done on its own merits. But I don't think those merits are accurately summed up in the Amazon review, and as such, potential buyers may be misled into believing that this is a more detailed climbing book than it is.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top of the world, January 18, 2007

By 

David Pruette "Rancors Love to Read" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Himalayan Quest: Ed Viesturs on the 8,000-Meter Giants (Paperback)

Ed Viesturs has packed this book with magnificent photos of Himalayan mountains, particularly the peaks over 8,000 meters. His goal is to climb all of those peaks and to do it without auxiliary oxygen. Since the publication of this book, he has accomplished his goal. Mr. Viesturs is clearly a magnificent climber and Himalayan Quest gives you an extremely good idea of the ground he covered and the types of obstacles he had to overcome. Only a very few people in the world could have done what he has done. If you like spectacular mountain pictures, this is a book for you. If you are more interested in detailed descriptions of his climbs, read this book and move on to his new book No Shortcuts to the Top.