Review: No Shortcuts to the Top

As much as I have loved reviewing Georgette Heyer, it is time to move on; so I've chosen Mountaineering and Everest for this week's topics. I never hope to climb a mountain myself (and, let's all face it, wouldn't make it out of Base Camp on Everest because I hate cold), but I love to read about daring adventures and amazing rescues. I'm going to start with one of my recent favorites, a good introduction to the world of mountaineering.

No Shortcuts To The top
Ed Viesturs

"Reaching the summit is optional. Getting down is mandatory."

This motto perfectly reflects Ed Viesturs views on his mountaineering life, and one can clearly see that motto in effect in his biography. No Shortcuts to the Top is at once a thrilling, exciting account of a superb climber and a reflection on the kind of people who are driven to seek the impossible. Viesturs recounts daring high-altitude rescues and heartbreaking losses, and this book includes his account of the 1996 tragedy made famous by Jon Krakaur's Into Thin Air; he too was on Everest at that time, filming for IMAX with David Breashears (whose book High Exposure also makes for excellent reading). Viesturs' retelling of that incident, as well as others - including the time when he turned away a mere 300 feet from Everest's summit - make clear the kind of man and climber he is. This memoir lacks the verve of Krakaur's more famous book, but fans of mountaineering, or those who merely dream of summits, will still find it enthralling and entertaining, especially knowing that Viesturs is one of only 14 climbers to have reached the highest 14 peaks in the world. (source: InfoPlease). And, since Viesturs has been climbing for many years, anyone who goes on to read other books recommended this week or other mountaineering books will soon come to recognize most of the names that he casually drops. His description of his young climbing life - working on Mt. Raineer, his difficult decision to leave his veterinary practice, his accounts of losing friends on the mountains, his description of meeting his wife, and of course his discussion of the tragedy of 1996 - make for the kind of gripping drama vital to understanding the risks and thrills of the life he's chosen.

After reading this book, one might also find it interesting to find the brief documentary NOVA filmed involving Breashears and Viesturs, Everest: The Death Zone. Though filmed in 1997, it is still a fascinating look at the men who climb Everest and also allows for further understanding of how perilous such an adventure is.

Definite 4.5 out of 5.

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No Shortcuts to the Top