Vertical World: Conversations with Today's Masters of Rock [Paperback]

Katie Brown (Author), Pete Takeda (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2007

Vertical World details the lives and accomplishments of the most influential climbers of this generation, sharing through casual conversation an intimate portrait of each climber, revealing their personalities and drive with great frankness and intimacy. All athletes included are under thirty-five and have broken a major barrier or made a significant accomplishment within the sport - in all cases, something that will stand the test of time. The athletes represent all areas of climbing, from bouldering and sport climbing to mountaineering and big wall climbing.

 

Vertical World® is a registered trademark of Vertical World, Inc., America's first climbing gym, www.verticalworld.com. Used by permission.

 

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Get psyched to get vertical!

Each rock generation brings new vision and new focus to ultimate climbing challenges. In Vertical World, Katie Brown, herself one of the world’s greatest climbers, introduces nine of America’s best and brightest masters of rock climbing. Through engaging interviews and stunning action photographs taken by top climbing photographers, the most gifted climbers of this generation bring style, grace, skill, and strength to the hardest and most beautiful rock climbs on planet Earth. They talk about their successes and failures, their training secrets, their favorite crags, their climbing partners, their wildest dreams, and their craziest adventures. These are today’s cutting-edge climbers touching the vertical dream and climbing without limits.

 

Dave Graham - climbed more 5.14 routes than anyone else in the world
Chris Sharma - the first climber in the world to send 5.15a
Beth Rodden - the world’s best all-around female rock climber
Dean Potter - America’s leading soloist, climbed Yosemite’s Half Dome and El Capitan in a day
Jason Kehl - America’s premier high-ball bouldering ace
Josh Wharton - climbed the world’s longest route up Great Trango Tower in Pakistan
Steph Davis - the second woman to free climb El Capitan in a day
Lisa Rands - one of the world’s best woman boulderers
Tommy Caldwell - the world’s best all-around male rock climber

 

Vertical World® is a registered trademark of Vertical World, Inc., America's first climbing gym, www.verticalworld.com. Used by permission.

About the Author

As the first woman to onsight 5.13d (Omaha Beach, Red River Gorge, Kentucky) and flash 5.14a (Hydrophobia, Mont Sant, Spain) Katie Brown has been an influential and groundbreaking climber. She began climbing at age 13 and quickly dominated competition at the national and international level. Now in her young 20s, she is a freelance writer and continues to travel the world as a professional climber.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 1st edition (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762740086
• ISBN-13: 978-0762740086
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,636,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, June 8, 2009

By 

W. Bock (Chicago, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vertical World: Conversations with Today's Masters of Rock (Paperback)

As an elite climber, Katie Brown knows the current world of climbing and was able to, through her personal interviews, successfully delve into what makes different climbers "tick"...a refreshing change from some of the more "shed the best light of me" interviews that usually give to the mags...

4.0 out of 5 stars Review of Vertical World, February 2, 2011

By 

Dennis - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vertical World: Conversations with Today's Masters of Rock (Paperback)

Interesting interviews and pictures that get you into the mind of some of the world's best climbers. Great value for the price.

3.0 out of 5 stars Vertical World, February 2, 2011

By 

Spider Monkey (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Vertical World: Conversations with Today's Masters of Rock (Paperback)

As a previous reviewer has noted, this is a very American centric look at climbing. The author is an American climber, as are the climbers being interviewed. Granted there are some top climbers here, but there are also some excellent world climbers not given due acknowledgment in this book. Saying that, this is another well produced and inspirational book from Falcon guides. The interviews are informal and touch on many aspects, from the various climbers childhoods and first forays into climbing, hobbies and of course their climbing careers and goals. The photography is pretty stunning, with some amazing shots that bring this book up a notch in quality and content. The climbers interviewed are Dave Graham, Chris Sharma, Beth Rodden, Dean Potter, Jason Kehl, Josh Wharton, Steph Davis, Lisa Rands and Tommy Caldwell, so a fair few of America's rising and current climbing stars. If you're interested in climbing then this is a fairly good book. Light weight, but inspirational. If you have only a passing interest then the images enclosed more than make up the purchase price and make this an excellent coffee table book if nothing else. A good, but not great, read.

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