Grasping for Heaven

Operating in some of the most challenging and dangerous conditions on earth, mountain climbers are uniquely driven men and women. In these interviews, 15 well-known climbers and three leading historians of the sport, all native to or living in North America, recount experiences shared by only a tiny portion of humanity. They discuss all aspects of international climbing, including physical conditioning, high-summit ascension, the ethics and environmental concerns of the sport, the risks and rewards of mountaineering, and a number of their famed expeditions and first ascents.

Frederic V. Hartemann is a physicist in San Ramon, California.

Robert Hauptman is professor emeritus of St. Cloud State University and editor of the Journal of Information Ethics.

Frederic V. Hartemann and Robert Hauptman

Foreword by Jan Reynolds

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 264
Bibliographic Info: 59 photos (10 in color), glossary, bibliographies, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4202-7
eISBN: 978-0-7864-6174-5
Imprint: McFarland

Foreword by Jan Reynolds      1
Preface      5
Introduction      7

Part I. Mountaineers      9
Stacy Allison      10
Peter (Pete) Athans      29
Brent Bishop      41
Christine Boskoff      50
Carlos Buhler      61
Charlotte Fox      72
Charles S. Houston      79
Kenneth Kamler      85
Jamling Tenzing Norgay      97
Rick Ridgeway      108
John Roskelley      127
Barbara Washburn      145

Between pages 152 and 153 are eight color plates containing 10 images

Erik Weihenmayer      153
Jim Wickwire      161
Sharon Wood      176

Part II. Historians      181
Elizabeth Hawley      183
Maurice Isserman      190
Audrey Salkeld      198

Conclusion      209
Glossary      211
Index      219

• “A good job fleshing out the lives of 15 significant mountaineers and three historians” — The Alpine Journal
• “The conversations are interesting” — The American Alpine Journal