Download or read book Nanga Parbat 1970 written by Richard Sale and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1970 a German-Austrian-Italian (South Tyrolean) team succeeded in climbing the Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat, a climb which heralded a new era in mountaineering on the worlds highest peaks. But with success cam controversy as the first climbers to reach the summit, two young South Tyrolean brothers, did not return to the top face camp but descended the other side, the Diamir side, of the mountain. Only one brother survived the ordeal: he was Reinhold Messner who went on to become the greatest, and best known, high-altitude climber in the world. His brother Gunther was lost on the mountain. Before descending the Diamir side Reinhold Messner held a shouted conversation with the members of the second pair of climbers heading for the summit. That conversation, the decision to descend the Diamir side, and the circumstances of Gunther Messers death were to lead to controversy, claim and counter claim, and court cases. They were also to lead to bitterness between former team mates which continues to this day. This book explores the events of 1970, drawing on contemporary diaries and other records, on later interviews given by, and books written by, the team members, and on private conversations with some of the surviving team members. It draws heavily on the writings of Reinhold Messner who has published several accounts of the summit climb and the decisions which led to the descent of the Diamir side, accounts which have varied over the years, variations that suggest a story behind the story.
Download or read book Solo Nanga Parbat written by Reinhold Messner and published by . This book was released on 1980 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Naked Mountain written by Reinhold Messner and published by Crowood Press (UK). This book was released on 2005 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ascent of Nanga Parbat in 1970 marked the beginning of Reinhold Messner's remarkable career in Himalayan climbing. But this expedition has always been shrouded in controversy and mystery; his brother Günther, who accompanied him, met his death In The Naked Mountain Messner gives his side of the story in full for the first time. This most personal account is a story of death and survival .... and for those who want to understand what is the force that drives Messner on, this book is the key. 'Nothing if not passionate, Messner writes of the Himalyan experience with a nearly mystical fervour. His description of catastrophe at high altitude is page-turning.' Rock & Ice 'A gripping piece of writing .... The translation reads like a good thriller, drawing the reader back through historical epics; treading the footsteps of climbers right on the edge of things...' Scottish Mountaineer AUTHOR: Legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner has written many books including All 14 Eight-Thousanders for Crowood. 152 illustrations
Download or read book Naked Mountain Nanga Parbat Brother Death Solitude written by Reinhold Messner and published by Crowood. This book was released on 2016-03-31 with total page 357 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ascent of Nanga Parbat in 1970 marked the beginning of Reinhold Messner's remarkable career in Himalayan climbing. But this expedition has always been shrouded in controversy and mystery; his brother Gunther, who accompanied him, met his death on the mountain. In The Naked Mountain Messner gives his side of the story in full for the first time. This most personal account is a story of death and survival and for those who want to understand what is the force that drives Messner on, this book is the key. 'Nothing if not passionate, Messner writes of the Himalyan experience with a nearly mystical fervour. His description of catastrophe at high altitude is page-turning' Rock & Ice. 'A gripping piece of writing ...the translation reads like a good thriller, drawing the reader back through historical epics; treading the footsteps of climbers right on the edge of things' Scottish Mountaineer.
Download or read book Nanga Parbat written by Herman Buhl and published by . This book was released on 2019-12-21 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nanga Parbat, The Killer Mountain, is the ninth highest mountain in the world and second highest peak in Pakistan. The Sanskrit word parvata means mountain rocks and nanga means bare, in reference to the exposed rock buttresses of the south face.The north face is equally intimidating but in contrast to the south face's steep rock and ice, the snowy north face is guarded by a broad barrier of seracs that extend the width of the mountain.
Download or read book The Naked Mountain written by Reinhold Messner and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ascent of Nanga Parbat in 1970 marked the beginning of Reinhold Messner's remarkable career in Himalayan climbing. But this expedition has always been shrouded in controversy and mystery; his brother Gunther, who accompanied him, met his death on the mountain. Over 30 years later, a bitter quarrel broke out between Messner and the other participants in the Himalayan expedition. Is Messner to blame for his brother's death? Or was it the team that let the two of them down? This personal account is a story of death and survival, and for those who want to understand what is the force that drives Messner on, this book aims to provide a key.
Download or read book Free Spirit written by Reinhold Messner and published by Mountaineers Books. This book was released on 2014-07-17 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: * A mountaineering classic re-released in the Legends and Lore series * Two new chapters In Free Spirit Reinhold Messner describes the forces and events that have shaped him as a climber as famous for his discipline as for his innovative spirit. Messner evolved his philosophy of the single free-climbing line with its uncompromising purity of style in the Dolomites and, as equipment and technique developed, he was in the forefront of the transference of fast lightweight alpine methods to the great ranges. Here, he takes us from the days of his first climb (at the age of five) with his father to his brother’s tragic death on Nanga Parbat in 1970 to his later move away from the overcrowded Alps and 8000-meter peaks. He sought fulfillment, instead, in new challenges in lesser known parts of the world, such as crossing the expanse of Antarctica. Free Spirit is an exciting account of the career of a mountain pioneer.
Download or read book True Summit written by David Roberts and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-06-11 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a startling look at the classic Annapurna—the most famous book about mountaineering—David Roberts discloses what really happened on the legendary expedition to the Himalayan peak. In June 1950, a team of mountaineers was the first to conquer an 8,000-meter peak. Maurice Herzog, the leader of the expedition, became a national hero in France, and Annapurna, his account of the historic ascent, has long been regarded as the ultimate tale of courage and cooperation under the harshest of conditions. In True Summit, David Roberts presents a fascinating revision of this classic tale. Using newly available documents and information gleaned from a rare interview with Herzog (the only climber on the team still living), Roberts shows that the expedition was torn by dissent. As he re-creates the actual events, Roberts lays bare Herzog's self-serving determination and bestows long-delayed credit to the most accomplished and unsung heroes. These new revelations will inspire young adventurers and change forever the way we think about this victory in the mountains and the climbers who achieved it.
Download or read book No Shortcuts to the Top written by Ed Viesturs and published by Crown. This book was released on 2006-10-17 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • This gripping and triumphant memoir from the author of The Mountain follows a living legend of extreme mountaineering as he makes his assault on history, one 8,000-meter summit at a time. “From the drama of the peaks, to the struggle of making a living as a professional climber, to the basic how-tos of life at 26,000 feet, No Shortcuts to the Top is fascinating reading.”—Aron Ralston, author of Between a Rock and a Hard Place and subject of the film 127 Hours For eighteen years Ed Viesturs pursued climbing’s holy grail: to stand atop the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter peaks, without the aid of bottled oxygen. But No Shortcuts to the Top is as much about the man who would become the first American to achieve that goal as it is about his stunning quest. As Viesturs recounts the stories of his most harrowing climbs, he reveals a man torn between the flat, safe world he and his loved ones share and the majestic and deadly places where only he can go. A preternaturally cautious climber who once turned back 300 feet from the top of Everest but who would not shrink from a peak (Annapurna) known to claim the life of one climber for every two who reached its summit, Viesturs lives by an unyielding motto, “Reaching the summit is optional. Getting down is mandatory.” It is with this philosophy that he vividly describes fatal errors in judgment made by his fellow climbers as well as a few of his own close calls and gallant rescues. And, for the first time, he details his own pivotal and heroic role in the 1996 Everest disaster made famous in Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air. In addition to the raw excitement of Viesturs’s odyssey, No Shortcuts to the Top is leavened with many funny moments revealing the camaraderie between climbers. It is more than the first full account of one of the staggering accomplishments of our time; it is a portrait of a brave and devoted family man and his beliefs that shaped this most perilous and magnificent pursuit.
Download or read book Reinhold Messner written by Reinhold Messner and published by Mountaineers Books. This book was released on 2014-09-19 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: •*Reveals the long view from an icon who, with age, has added wisdom to his list of accomplishments •*Messner climbing firsts: the world’s fourteen peaks taller than 8000 meters; Everest solo; Everest without supplemental oxygen •*Author of more than 60 books Reinhold Messner: My Life at the Limit, the newest book by the famed mountaineer, is a conversation between Messner and interviewer Thomas Hüetlin, an award-winning German journalist. It reveals a more thoughtful and conversational Messner than one finds in his previous books, with the “talk” between Messner and Hüetlin covering not only the highlights of Messner’s climbing career, but also his treks across Tibet, the Gobi, and Antarctica; his five-year-stint as a member of the European Parliament; his encounter with and study of the yeti; his thoughts on traditional male/female roles; and much more. Readers learn about Messner’s childhood, his thoughts about eating ice cream with girls (against), politics (mostly liberal), and his technique for killing chickens (sharp scissors). Messner is known as one of history’s greatest Himalayan mountaineers, a man who pushed back the frontiers of the possible for a whole generation of climbers. While the interest in My Life at the Limit is that it exposes much more of the man than his climbing career, that career is still utterly remarkable——and Mountaineers Books is proud to present this book, which is core to our mission, to audiences across North America. ***For a limited time, donors to our Legends and Lore series will receive a signed copy of My Life at the Limit. Click here > to learn more.***
Download or read book My Vertical World written by Jerzy Kukuczka and published by Mountaineers Books. This book was released on 1992 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My Vertical World is the story of a quiet family man from Silesia who was also a single-minded schemer, sailing close to the bureaucratic wind in Poland as well as Pakistan and Nepal, painting factory chimneys and thinking of Lhotse, juggling for most of the time with meagre hard currency, scarce food and indifferent gear to achieve the starting point western climbers took for granted. Slow to acclimatise, once he had done, Kukuczka's stamina and drive were formidable. Preferring where possible to climb alpine-style with one companion, among his more remarkable achievements are his solo ascent of a new route on Makalu; a first traverse of the North and Middle Summits of Broad Peak; climbing two 8000-metre peaks over 3000 kilometres apart in winter within twenty-five days; and making a new route up the middle of the South Face of K2 as a two-man team. His narrative takes the reader behind the catalogue of achievements to discover a diffident man, anxious for his good name, sobered by loss of friends, who can still view the antics of the international climbing circus with good humour, and climbed because his passion for his vertical world was an enveloping as it was infectious.
Download or read book Beyond Zero and One written by Andrew Smart and published by OR Books. This book was released on 2015-12-03 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Andrew Smart deftly shows why it’s time for us to think deeply about thinking machines before they begin thinking deeply about us.” —Douglas Rushkoff, author, Escaping the Growth Trap,Present Shock, and Program or Be Programmed “Provocative and cool.” —Cory Doctorow “Forget the Turing test—will the supersmart AIs that we hear so much about these days pass the acid test? In this playful, informative, and prescient book, Andrew Smart brings psychedelics into dialogue with neuroscience in order to challenge the whiz-bang computational views of human and machine sentience that dominate the headlines. Giving robots LSD sounds like a joke, but Smart is dead serious in his critique of the hidden and sometimes dangerous biases that underlie both popular and scientific fantasies of digital minds.” —Erik Davis, host of “Expanding Mind” and author, Techgnosis: Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Age of Information “Philosophy, psychedelics, robots, and the future; consciousness and intelligence, what else do you desire? Here you will see why those machines that reach singularity will be smarter than us and take over the world—and shall need to be conscious…and maybe they can only be conscious if they are human enough. The thesis of the book, and the path shown us by Smart, leads to a great trip, of imagination and philosophy, of maths and neuroscience.” —Dr. Tristan Bekinschtein, Lecturer, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge Can we build a robot that trips on acid? This is not a frivolous question, according to neuroscientist Andrew Smart. If we can’t, he argues, we haven’t really created artificial intelligence. In an exposition reminiscent of crossover works such as Gödel, Escher, Bach and Fermat’s Last Theorem, Andrew Smart weaves together Mangarevan binary numbers, the discovery of LSD, Leibniz, computer programming, and much more to connect the vast but largely forgotten world of psychedelic research with the resurgent field of AI and the attempt to build conscious robots. A book that draws on the history of mathematics, philosophy, and digital technology, Beyond Zero and One challenges fundamental assumptions underlying artificial intelligence. Is the human brain based on computation? Can information alone explain human consciousness and intelligence? Smart convincingly makes the case that true intelligence, and artificial intelligence, requires an appreciation of what is beyond the computational.
Download or read book The Climbers written by Chris Bonington and published by Bbc Publications. This book was released on 1992 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mountaineering has always demanded a fine balancing act between the adrenalin thrust of calculated risk-taking & the basic instinct for survival. The mountaineers of the Victorial golden age which opened up the Alps were men like Whymper & Mummery who tested this balance constantly as they pushed themselves further & further, first in the Alps & later in the Himalaya.
Download or read book Into Thin Air written by Jon Krakauer and published by Anchor. This book was released on 1998-11-12 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The epic account of the storm on the summit of Mt. Everest that claimed five lives and left countless more—including Krakauer's—in guilt-ridden disarray. "A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing, a story of bad luck and worse judgment and of heartbreaking heroism." —PEOPLE A bank of clouds was assembling on the not-so-distant horizon, but journalist-mountaineer Jon Krakauer, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, saw nothing that "suggested that a murderous storm was bearing down." He was wrong. By writing Into Thin Air, Krakauer may have hoped to exorcise some of his own demons and lay to rest some of the painful questions that still surround the event. He takes great pains to provide a balanced picture of the people and events he witnessed and gives due credit to the tireless and dedicated Sherpas. He also avoids blasting easy targets such as Sandy Pittman, the wealthy socialite who brought an espresso maker along on the expedition. Krakauer's highly personal inquiry into the catastrophe provides a great deal of insight into what went wrong. But for Krakauer himself, further interviews and investigations only lead him to the conclusion that his perceived failures were directly responsible for a fellow climber's death. Clearly, Krakauer remains haunted by the disaster, and although he relates a number of incidents in which he acted selflessly and even heroically, he seems unable to view those instances objectively. In the end, despite his evenhanded and even generous assessment of others' actions, he reserves a full measure of vitriol for himself. This updated trade paperback edition of Into Thin Air includes an extensive new postscript that sheds fascinating light on the acrimonious debate that flared between Krakauer and Everest guide Anatoli Boukreev in the wake of the tragedy. "I have no doubt that Boukreev's intentions were good on summit day," writes Krakauer in the postscript, dated August 1999. "What disturbs me, though, was Boukreev's refusal to acknowledge the possibility that he made even a single poor decision. Never did he indicate that perhaps it wasn't the best choice to climb without gas or go down ahead of his clients." As usual, Krakauer supports his points with dogged research and a good dose of humility. But rather than continue the heated discourse that has raged since Into Thin Air's denouncement of guide Boukreev, Krakauer's tone is conciliatory; he points most of his criticism at G. Weston De Walt, who coauthored The Climb, Boukreev's version of events. And in a touching conclusion, Krakauer recounts his last conversation with the late Boukreev, in which the two weathered climbers agreed to disagree about certain points. Krakauer had great hopes to patch things up with Boukreev, but the Russian later died in an avalanche on another Himalayan peak, Annapurna I. In 1999, Krakauer received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters--a prestigious prize intended "to honor writers of exceptional accomplishment." According to the Academy's citation, "Krakauer combines the tenacity and courage of the finest tradition of investigative journalism with the stylish subtlety and profound insight of the born writer. His account of an ascent of Mount Everest has led to a general reevaluation of climbing and of the commercialization of what was once a romantic, solitary sport; while his account of the life and death of Christopher McCandless, who died of starvation after challenging the Alaskan wilderness, delves even more deeply and disturbingly into the fascination of nature and the devastating effects of its lure on a young and curious mind."
Download or read book A Higher Calling written by Harold Earls, IV and published by WaterBrook. This book was released on 2021-06-08 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • ECPA BESTSELLER • The husband and wife behind the popular Earls Family Vlogs share their inspiring love story of how an expedition to climb Mount Everest deepened their faith, strengthened their commitment, and sharpened their vision to make a difference in the world. As a senior at West Point, Harold Earls dreamed of summiting Mount Everest after graduation and bringing awareness to the issue of PTSD in soldiers and veterans. But as a novice mountain climber and newlywed, could he really leave his wife, Rachel, on the other side of the world to pursue such a dangerous quest? After all, Rachel’s dream was to be a wife and mother. She knew that her husband’s audacious goal might lead to her to give up everything. A Higher Calling takes us on a beautiful journey through the ups and downs of their relationship, from their unlikely introduction and whirlwind romance to their fairy-tale wedding and the dreams they shared. Dreams that required tremendous sacrifice and faith—in each other and in God. As their dreams are realized, witness how Harold and Rachel used their powerful bond of love to overcome obstacles and learn that life is about doing versus having, serving versus getting, being versus wanting. A Higher Calling shows each of us that when God’s purpose and our passion meet, we can transcend any sacrifice we make on the mountains of adversity. And as we approach life with an attitude of thanksgiving, we realize that being joyful and living in love is worth it. Every time.
Download or read book The Moth and the Mountain written by Ed Caesar and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-11-02 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In the 1930s, as official government expeditions set their sights on conquering Mount Everest, a little-known World War I veteran named Maurice Wilson conceives his own crazy, beautiful plan: he will fly a plane from England to Everest, crash-land on its lower slopes, then become the first person to reach its summit--all utterly alone. Wilson doesn't know how to climb. He barely knows how to fly. But he has the right plane, the right equipment, and a deep yearning to achieve his goal. In 1933, he takes off from London in a Gipsy Moth biplane with his course set for the highest mountain on earth. Wilson's eleven-month journey to Everest is wild: full of twists, turns, and daring. Eventually, in disguise, he sneaks into Tibet. His icy ordeal is just beginning."--Provided by publisher.
Download or read book Annapurna South Face written by Sir Chris Bonington, C.B.E. and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2001-05-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1970, Chris Bonington and his now-legendary team of mountaineers were the first climbers to tackle a big wall at extreme altitude. Their target was the south face of Nepal's Annapurna: 12,000 feet of steep rock and ice leading to a 26, 454-ft. summit. As serious armchair climbers will tell you, Annapurna South Face is better than all but a handful of equally gripping classics. One could also argue that all that has happened in the big mountains in the past 30 years has come out of this expedition and out of this book. Bonington and his team—most of whom subsequently died in the mountains—represented a kind of "greatest generation" of modern mountaineers. They pioneered a new, bolder approach to high altitude climbing, and this book is about how they hit the big time.
