Voices from the Summit: The World's Great Mountaineers on the Future of Climbing [Hardcover]

John Amatt (Editor), Bernadette McDonald (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2000

Thirty-two of the world's finest mountaineers offer essays on the art of mountain climbing, covering topics ranging from Himalayan adventures and the ethics of adventuring to ice and rock climbing.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This large-format anthology showcases 32 important contemporary mountaineers--men and women from every continent, from teenagers to ninetysomethings, from the venerable Sir Edmund Hillary to the eponymously named rock climber Lynn Hill. Complemented by vivid black-and-white photographs, the autobiographical essays offer the mountaineers' observations on their careers as well as offering tidbits of mountaineering history and reflections on the future of the sport in the wake of the recent disaster on Everest (chronicled in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air ). Some of the essays contain a bit too much mountaineering jargon for those not close to the sport, but in general, this volume not only serves as a useful introduction to the superstars of mountaineering, but also offers considerable insight into just what climbers mean when they say they climbed a mountain "because it was there." The volume was published in conjunction with the Banff Centre for Mountain Culture to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Banff Mountain Film Festival. John Rowen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792279581
• ISBN-13: 978-0792279587
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,963,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > Travel > Canada > Cities > Banff

More About the Author

Bernadette McDonald is the author of eight books on mountaineering and mountain culture. She has won numerous awards, including Grand Prize at the Banff Mountain Book Festival and the Boardman Tasker Prize for her most recent title, Freedom Climbers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Voices from the Summit, February 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Voices from the Summit: The World's Great Mountaineers on the Future of Climbing (Hardcover)

Description: The World's Great Mountaineers on the Future of Climbing, celebrating 25 years of the Banff Film Festival. Size is 251 pages w/ contributor bio and many mountain photos, measures 9" by 12", softbound, published by National Geographic in association with The Banff Centre for Mountain Culture. From the back cover: "An extraordinary tribute to the art of mountaineering with many of the worlds greatest climbers, a book both unique in scope and unprecedented in authority. Looking back at the climbers milestone's and forward to new challenges, these founding fathers, contemporary superstars, and their chroniclers explore every aspect of the sport and offer thoughtful, personal, and often provocative vision of what mountaineering truly means to the men and women who test their spirits and hazard their lives in the risky but rewarding world of high adventure."

Contributors include Reihold Messner, Ed Viesturs, Wade Davis, Sir Chris Bonington, Catherine Destivelle, David Breashears, Greg Childs, Leo Houlding, Sir Edmund Hillary, Lynn Hill, Yvon Chouinard, Jeff Lowe, Todd Skinner, Kitty Calhoun, Will Gadd, Thomas Hornbein, Royal Robbins and 15 others weighing in on 11 topics crucial to the future of mountaineering, from Himalayan climbing and the ethics of adventuring to ice climbing and rock climbing, plus a history of the Banff Mountain Film Festival.

Personal opinion: Interesting read with the individual bios and mountaineering history, great information on philosophical approach to the climbers world. Easy to read sections without losing focus, each climber stands alone, can move around rather front to back. A good reinforcement to belief, you can do anything you want.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, June 8, 2007

By 

Randy Kurtz "I read too much, and when I am f... (Colorado) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Voices from the Summit: The World's Great Mountaineers on the Future of Climbing (Hardcover)

With honest to goodness, (up?)down to earth, interviews of people that have really earned their place in the book. A Fantastic read.