This gripping and triumphant memoir follows a living legend of extreme mountaineering as he makes his assault on history, one 8,000-meter summit at a time. 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.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Climb Your Mountains in Life.:
Every day I am reminded of the beauty of the mountains living in Castle Rock, Colorado. During some surfing on Amazon.com, I ran across this book about climbing the 14 highestmountains in the world. These mountains are all over 26,000 feet. The man who accomplished this task is Ed Viesturs, who was the first American to ever complete the goal. The book chronicles his journey up and down the Goliath mountains. The book is an excellent read that causes the pages to be pushed forward at a rapid pace. The story... more info
Endeavor 8000 review:
This book is exciting to read. Ed provides a lot of personal info that really allows the reader to feel that he or she is with him every step of the way. Ed is truly an inspiration, and an American hero.
No Shortcuts -:
Ed's feat is quite an amazing accomplishment, but the book tended to jump around a bit, breaking the continuity.
Great story with interesting behind-the-scenes details:
This is a fascinating story of an amazing quest. Besides the usual climbing heroics, close calls, and tragedies, I found the personal story of Viesturs' evolution wonderful. The story is very well told and we have Roberts to thank for that. Even if you aren't that into mountaineering, you will love this book.
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