The Mountain

Mr. Viesturs has crafted a breezy tour through his many Everest ascents. . . . Armchair adventurers will rip through this addition to the Everest canon, and for anyone not intimate with Everests adventurous history, The Mountain marks a fine beginning. * The Wall Street Journal * "Viesturs peppers the narrative with commonsense wisdom . . . but the book's best moments come when he focuses on the unsung Everest achievements that inspire him. The tale of the Polish expedition that made the first winter ascent and the badass exploits of little-known Swiss climber Erhard Loretan are a welcome distraction from all the dead bodies." * Men's Journal * "Fans of adventure, mountaineering, extreme sports, and Everest history will thoroughly enjoy Viesturs's latest book." * Library Journal * In this amiable history/memoir hybrid . . . Viesturs is a fountain of firsthand knowledge and straightforward narration, and the book makes for a good read. As the only American who has summited the worlds 14 highest peaks without bottled oxygen, Viesturs has a different ruler than the rest of us by which to measure risk. * Publishers Weekly * "Unearths some interesting tidbits that may be well-known to his community but new to laymen. The author, who has been lauded for his compassion and assistance to other climbers, also brings an unexpected attribute: attitude." * Kirkus Reviews * "This book is Eds love letter and farewell to Everest. . . . It is written in an engaging, approachable manner that will have you turning the pages just to find out what happens next. Whether you routinely visit the Himalaya on your own adventures or find yourself out of wind simply going up a flight of stairs, we wholeheartedly recommend this book." -- Kraig Becker * Wegner Adventure Blog * "A detailed, nicely told account of a mans endurance and perseverance in achieving a singular goal." * Publishers Weekly * Viesturs and Roberts have written an exhaustively researched and wonderfully compelling history of the most fascinating and dangerous of the Himalayan giants. -- David Breashears, mountaineer and director of Everest, "An American master of the climbViesturs's you-are-there narration communicates effortlessly the enormous effort, and high adventure, of scaling K2." * Publishers Weekly (starred review) * "Magic . . . [An] outstanding piece of nonfiction." -- Christopher Reich, bestselling author of Rules of Vengeance, A compelling story of dedication, desperation, danger, derring-do, and devotion (physical and spiritual). Fans of extreme-sport books, especially tales of high adventure, will want to add this one to their collections." -- Booklist "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, From his earliest climbs on the peaks of the Pacific Northwest to his final climb up the Himalayan mountain of Annapurna, Viesturs offers testimony to the sacrifices (personal and professional) in giving your life over to a dream, as well as the thrill of seeing it through. -- Publishers Weekly

David Roberts (19432021) was the author of dozens of books on mountaineering, adventure, and the history of the American Southwest. His essays and articles have appeared in National Geographic, National Geographic Adventure, and The Atlantic Monthly, among other publications.