Engineer and entrepreneur Carl Byington is the President of PHM Design, LLC, in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Previously he led engineering developments at Sikorsky Aircraft and Impact Technologies, LLC, in Rochester, NY. Carl also enjoys traveling, mountain climbing, and running. Carl has completed marathons on all seven continents, climbed Aconcagua, and enjoyed many other adventures around the world.
Climbing mountains retains a certain mystique even in our somewhat cynical, instant gratification times. It is hard, long work. The dedication to training. The daring often required. The adrenaline of pushing your comfort zone. The reward of an earned view. The relief and joy after a safe descent. The sense of accomplishment and self worth that results. With all these elements in play, it is no surprise that books on mountaineering difficulties, feats, tragedies, and effect on our human psyches are often best sellers with the climbing elite, novices, and even non-climbers.
Here are a few favorite mountain climbing books you may want to consider adding to your reading list.
Men Against the Clouds: The Conquest of Minya Konka by Richard Burdsall and Arthur Emmons depicts the 1932 Sikong expedition and the first ascent of Gongga Shan, the highest mountain in the Sichuan province of China, by four Americans. In many ways, the mountain climb was the least dangerous part of the journey.
Annapurna by Maurice Herzog chronicles the first expedition (1950) to summit and return from the 8000+ meter mountain, Annapurna, in the Himalayas. This treatise is a classic of mountaineering literature and one of the most influential climbing books ever written.
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev were both published in 1997. They serve as memoirs by those climbers that were involved in the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, one of the deadliest seasons recorded on the mountain. Reading both books together allows readers to truly grasp how complicated the situation on the mountain was and the differing perspectives on how to best handle such difficult choices.
No Shortcuts to the Top by Ed Viesturs (with David Roberts) shares his wisdom on climbing the most challenging peaks of the world. Despite his incredible accomplishments, his motto remains, "Reaching the summit is optional. Getting down is mandatory." He provides a useful counterbalance perspective to a summit fever mentality, and he also delivers excellent recommendations on training for mountain climbing. Lastly, he details his own role and perspective in the 1996 Everest disaster made famous by Krakauer's book.
High Exposure by David Breashears details his incredible experiences on Everest and many of his cinematic IMAX accomplishments. He also shares his perspective on the 1996 Everest tragedy. Danger comes, he states, when ambition blinds reason. Life lessons indeed.
The Eiger Obsession by John Harlin III was published in 2007. John Harlin III shares his personal experience "facing the mountain that killed my father", as he describes his attempt to climb the Eiger direct or direttissima in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland.
