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Fall of heaven : Whymper's tragic Matterhorn climb

https://archives.whyte.org/en/permalink/catalogue25031
Medium
Library - Book (including soft-cover and pamphlets)
Published Date
2017
Author
Messner, Reinhold (author)
Bierling, Billi (translator)
Publisher
Seattle, Washington : Mountaineers Books
Call Number
G512 F35 M47
  1 website  
Author
Messner, Reinhold (author)
Bierling, Billi (translator)
Publisher
Seattle, Washington : Mountaineers Books
Published Date
2017
Physical Description
206 pages
Medium
Library - Book (including soft-cover and pamphlets)
Subjects
Mountaineering
Whymper, Edward
Biography
Matterhorn
Abstract
As Fall of Heaven begins, we join professional mountain guide Jean-Antoine Carrel as he tries and fails, again and again, to summit the Matterhorn—one of the most famous and iconic peaks in the Alps. Is it the “Devil’s mountain,” as the locals call it? Should he heed the village priest who warned that its summit was not meant to be climbed? Carrel is undeterred, he just needs capable climbers to join him. Enter Edward Whymper, who in 1861 at the age of 21 decided—unbeknownst to Carrel—that he would be the first to climb the Matterhorn. So the storyline is set, except that where Carrel is captivating, Whymper is utterly unsympathetic as an adventurer. He is mean and disdainful of guides, describing them as little more than porters who eat and drink too much. Despite this attitude, Whymper’s quest leads him inexorably into partnership with Carrel. The story follows their many attempts to find a route to the top of the Matterhorn, but then fate pulls them apart just as Whymper finds the line. His successful summit on July 14, 1865, in which Carrel did not take part, shocked the Victorian world with both awe and revulsion as four members of Whymper’s party died in frightening falls. Famed climber and author Reinhold Messner acknowledges that Whymper was the first man to summit the Matterhorn, the last of the great Alpine peaks to be climbed and representing the beginning of an age of alpinism based on difficulty rather than conquest. But rather than leaving a hero’s legacy, Whymper is revealed as the Captain Ahab of alpinism, a team leader who accepted no responsibility for the deaths of his teammates. Fall of Heaven is an exciting tale and an examination of the different types of men who were caught up in the adventuring spirit of the Victorian age, and the ironic fates that can follow success or failure. (from Mountaineers Books website)
Notes
Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival 2019
ISBN
9781680510850
Accession Number
AC638
Call Number
G512 F35 M47
Collection
Alpine Club of Canada Library
URL Notes
Summary on Mountaineers Books website
Websites
Less detail
This material is presented as originally created; it may contain outdated cultural descriptions and potentially offensive content. Read more.

Ueli Steck : my life in climbing

https://archives.whyte.org/en/permalink/catalogue25051
Medium
Library - Book (including soft-cover and pamphlets)
Published Date
2018
Author
Steck, Ueli (author)
Steinback, Karin (co-author)
Bierling, Billi (translator)
Publisher
Seattle, Washington : Mountaineers Books
Call Number
G512 U45 S74
  1 website  
Author
Steck, Ueli (author)
Steinback, Karin (co-author)
Bierling, Billi (translator)
Publisher
Seattle, Washington : Mountaineers Books
Published Date
2018
Physical Description
214 pages : illustrations
Medium
Library - Book (including soft-cover and pamphlets)
Subjects
Mountaineering
Biography
Switzerland
Nepal
Abstract
A climber of incredible strength, Ueli Steck set climbing records for speed and endurance that no one had previously thought possible. This deeply personal and revealing memoir, Ueli Steck: My Life in Climbing, is the only one of his books to be published in English. In 2016, Ueli established a new speed record on Eiger’s North Face—beating his own record! That same year he climbed all 82 four-thousand-meter peaks in the Alps within 62 days (traveling between the peaks by bicycle), and summited Annapurna’s south face in 28 hours. But the dramatic events of the previous two years—the internationally reported conflict with Sherpas at Mount Everest, and the discovery of Alex Lowe’s body on Shishapangma—changed him and made him rethink his approach to the mountains. After withdrawing from the sport for a period, Ueli rediscovered his love of climbing, and in this memoir he explains how his perspective changed. While his drive to achieve in the mountains hadn’t diminished, an evaluation of his experiences helped him find a new way to process the emotional and mental challenges that shaped his athletic outlook. Structured around key climbs, Ueli Steck: My Life in Climbing provides the history of each mountain and route, Ueli’s reasons for attempting it, what happened on each climb itself, and what he learned from the experience. It also includes some fascinating insights into his training regimen. Ueli infuses his story with the joy and freedom of climbing and running. He is honest, direct and, at times, exhibits the self-absorption common to many elite athletes. Ultimately, however, his experiences brought him to a place of self-awareness and he was no longer the same climber who first set the speed record on the Eiger’s North Face. Ueli was determined that he would take only acceptable risks. Unfortunately, Ueli’s bar for risk was still very high—he died while on a training climb on the Himalayan peak Nuptse on April 30, 2017. (from Mountaineers Books website)
Contents
Everest : when the world suddenly changes -- Annapurna I : first the glory, then the fall from grace -- Shishapangma : a step too far -- All 4000-meter peaks in the Alps : rediscovering the joy of climbing -- Eiger : the fascination of speed -- Afterword by Steve House -- Translator's note.
ISBN
9781680511321
Accession Number
AC639
Call Number
G512 U45 S74
Collection
Alpine Club of Canada Library
URL Notes
Summary on Mountaineers Books website
Websites
Less detail
This material is presented as originally created; it may contain outdated cultural descriptions and potentially offensive content. Read more.
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