Just finished Into Thin Air and I absolutely loved it. Currently reading Into the Wild and I’m a huge fan of this mountaineering/adventure biography style. Does anyone have any recommendations for similar books? Would also be cool to read about rock climbing.
by 0lliejenkins
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*Touching the Void* by Joe Simpson is an absolute cracker. Based on the true story of two mountaineers who summited a peak in the Peruvian Andes. They turned homewards … At which point one of them broke his leg.
Dark Summit by Nick Heil. Absolutely gripping tell of the 2006 season, and especially focussed on Himex and Russell Brice. Very very good read and I liked it better than Into Thin Air.
Edit to add: the 2006 EVEREST season. Sorry about that.
*Touching the Void* by Simpson. It’s a classic mountaineering book recounting a crazy true survival story. Also, if you have a book or a few books you love, and you’re looking for similar vibes, check out [BriefCandleBooks.com](http://BriefCandleBooks.com) – it’ll give you a few recommendations based on a book you love.
Not mountaineering, but Endurance by Alfred Lansing would probably be up your alley as well.
Maybe The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston also.
Buried in the Sky was really good, and you get to hear things from a sherpa’s perspective
*The Climb* tells the same Everest ’96 story from a different perspective. Might also make you like Krakauer much less.
I quite liked The View From the Summit by Edmund Hillary, but only about a third or even less is actually about mountaineering.
Art of Freedom. Bernadette Mcdonald
Tommy Caldwell is a rock climber, not an amazing writer, but his story portrayed in The Push was fascinating. He’s been through some crazy ish!
I’ve also enjoyed reading about the survival of the rugby team plane crash in books like Alive by Piers Paul Reid or Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado (one of the survivors).
I’ll also pile on with the others recommending Endurance. It’s a pretty awesome story.
A Woman’s Place by Arlene Blum. It’s been a while since I read it but it’s about the first female expedition to summit Annapurna. I remember loving Blum’s writing style and the story is pretty incredible. This book left a mark on me for sure!
I remember really liking Ed Viesturs’ A Life on the Edge.
Eta – I’m sorry, I remember this one being by Ed Viesturs but he actually just wrote the forward for it! It’s by Jim Whittaker 🙂
David Breashears has an excellent memoir covering his career as a filmmaker and outdoor adventurer—including taking an imax camera up Everest.
No Shortcuts to the Top – Ed Viesturs
Kiss or Kill – Mark Twight
The Last Season – Eric Blehm