This was a very interesting book, with the majority of it detailing the climb of Mt. Rainier by the author and his good friend, Mike. Their bond was strong and is most apparent in the impact their shared tragedy had on the survivor. The author writes in considerable detail the trek up the mount...
I have met and talked to Jim many times at an ice climbing festival in Colorado. He's a great guy and speaks from his gut. The book is quite a bit like him in that regard. The rawness of the emotions was particularly stirring to me, having had my own near-death experience on Liberty Ridge - the r...
The ice is a hair steeper than vertical now, and it forces my chest back a bit, tipping me off balance. If I keep free climbing, using my tools and crampons, I might lose my purchase and fall, maybe crashing past Mike, maybe dropping all the way down until I’m corked. But if I can just make anoth...