Customer Reviews

Extreme Alpinism: Climbing Light, High, and Fast

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Realy the core of alpinism. No bla,bla bussiness. Expirienced in person and transfered into the readers bloodstreem.

This book has it all, great pictures, nice and not so nice tales from some of the great climbs out there. Twight has distilled decades of experiences and knowlege into one of the best books on the Alpine method of climbing out there.
Heres what you get;
Training chapters, including physical and mental, at extreme climbing when half your gear has gone and one of your climbing psrty killed, it becomes more of a mental challenge than physical.
Equipment, great commentary and recommendastions by brand
Technique, everything from partners to staying alive.

I think the one page topics alone are worth the prce of the book e.g
Failure, Alpine solo, Mistake on Mt Huntington, Why helmets are a good deal, Ordeal on Everest, Alone on Chamoz.

Twight climbed with the great Jeff Lowe, as far as I am concerned thats qualification enough to write this book. Although I am never going to be an extreme climber the techniques and mentoring wisdom in these pages I know will help me in the years to come. A great book for the exterienced climber and also an inspirational book for the Novice. Much more entertaining than "Freedom of the hills"

Mark Twight has not written an instruction book filled with clear drawings about how to tie a clove hitch. Beginning climbers looking for basic technique info should buy "Mountaineering: the Freedom of the hills" and go on a course first, but this does not mean that Twight's book is for extreme climbers only.

Any climber that knows these basic techniques benefits from his thoughs and experience. The book is divided in 4 parts:

(1) Approach: about 12 pages about your mental state of mind, very useful for the climber and anyone who wants to achieve specific goals as his thoughts about self-knowledge, focus, confidence, suffering, failure and learning can be applied to a broader range of goals.

(2) Training: this is the first time I have seen a real mountaineering training program in a book like this. He covers a 20 week training cycle in detail, with chapters on mental training, strength, endurance and importantly, nutrition. This really helps set a goal and work towards it. It's impossible to climb any mountain unprepared and unfit and depending on your goal you can adjust his schedule.

(3) Equipment: Clothing, Gear and Potection.
Twight has become (in)famous for refusing the accepted 3 layering system as it's too bulky, warm and heavy. He stresses the lightweight system which was an eye opener for me. Although his thoughts are not applicable for every mountain area (if you wait in Scotland for the rain to stop before climbing, you might as well not come at all...), it helped me to better pack my stuff for my trips: lighter and more useful.
His thoughts about gear are just very useful, learn from the expert, not from someone who is trying to sell the stuff...

(4) Technique:
No it will not teach you to climb a 5.14 at -40 degrees, but it covers things mostly overlooked in other books:
- Staying Alive
- Partners
- Going up
- Bivouacs
- Going down
Especially the latter 2 are things mostly ignored in climbing books (and some courses!), but these are things that also come in handy when lost in a not so extreme environment.

Overall I could not put this book down until I finished it.
The book is filled with experiences, good as well as bad. No drawings, but quite a lot of pictures, some of them useful for understanding the text, some just funny or cool to look at and dream away...
If you own Mountaineering: the Freedom of the Hills and you are not a complete beginner, buy this before you go higher, even if it's not extreme.

Because of the majestic photos and wonderful stories I think this is a superb book. It also explains the techniques used by those on the leading edge of the sport. Although the climbing doesn't remotely look like anything I will ever be capable of, I found it most enjoyable to see how, and in some ways, why, these people climb what they do. I have never seen any book quite like it. Extreme indeed!

Extreme Alpinism is a distillation of Mark Twight's advice on tactics that are on the polar opposite of the slow and steady expedition style that has been accepted in the climbing mainstream as the norm. The concept that light and fast means safety is not a new one, but Twight's detailed descriptions of the gear, techniques, and mindset necessary to accomplish fast alpine climbs in a safe manner are unique to history. Quite simply, the last word of the subject. Armchair alpinists would be more satisfied with Kiss or Kill; this is a practical guidebook, not a collection of tales.

Without getting too technical, Mark Twight manages to explain his theories very well. He goes through everything from nutrition to equipment, but does not make direct suggestions as to any certain manufacturer's equipment, instead he lets the reader understand what is needed from hte equipment instead. That way everyone can make their own choices about what to buy.
I've read this book several times. It is also great as a reference book when you just want to go back and check some aspects of for instance, dressing for mountaineering.

In my opinion:

Not necessarily a book for beginners, but an excellent book to take an experienced climber to the next level. This book provides extensive recommendations on what to leave behind to safe weight and move fast, how to stay hydrated and fueled, as well as some great philosophical tips of the psychology of climbing.

I found a few recommendations that were incorrect or I disagreed with... but like all written material, don't beleive everything you read, use your own judgement.

An excellent book, you can't go wrong!

This book tells you everything experienced alpinist Mark Twight has learned 'climbing light, fast and high'. For those who want it, there's plenty of detail here, all delivered in an uncompromising style. Some of it's highly technical and probably only relevant to elite climbers, but even armchair alpinists could benefit from the nutrition, training and psychology advice.

Plenty of his advice contradicts the 'rules' - not taking waterproofs, placing protection with bare hands. But these practices have kept Twight alive during some of the hardest climbs ever done. And he readily admits that not everything works all the time, and you have to find your own solutions. But there's a lot of practical, sensible advice here, and at the very least it should make you question your own assumptions.

Easily the best book on alpine-style climbing available.

It's nice to see Mr. Twight, who has borrowed from the luck pool more times than anyone can count on his numerous solo ascents in the Alps and elsewhere, write a thoughtful book on how to stay alive and get the most out of alpine climbing. This book has it all -- I have incorporated many suggestions into my own climbing and found them incredibly useful.

This book is the best alpine climbing how-to book I've ever read. Mark Twight explains every thing, and he's an expert with stacks of experience. If you are intreested in taking up alpine climbing get this book. I've done several climbs is the Sierra Nevada using his techniques. It liberating. It's all about climbing in the most efficient and free style. Awesome!

'Mountaineering Freedom of the Hills' is another excelent reference book for general mountaineering.