No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks [ペーパーバック]

There are 14 mountain peaks in the world that tower to 8,000 meters (26,247 feet), and when Ed Viesturs finally conquered Annapurna, a peak on which one climber dies for every two who try, he joined an elite group of five people who have accomplished that feat without using supplemental oxygen. He's the only American to have done so. It took 18 years and 30 expeditions to the 8,000ers; on 10 trips he turned back short of the summit, once when he was only 100 feet away, exercising extraordinary willpower to follow his "deepest article of faith" that "getting to the top is optional; getting down is mandatory." Not bad for a man who in 1992 at the age of 33 had quit his practice as a vetinarian, was living in a windowless basement apartment, had $25,000 of school debt, and was banging nails as a construction worker to make ends meet.

No Shortcuts is a fun read because it is about more than mountain climbing, which, of course, almost none of his readers will ever attempt. But everyone has their personal Annapurna, as he says in the final pages of the book, whether battling cancer or conquering a fear. Failure, perseverance, passion, patience, risk management, teamwork, self-sacrifice for others, endurance and death are all life lessons that easily emerge from the book. His chapter on the 1996 disasters on Mount Everest when a dozen people died, including world class mountaineers Scott Fischer and Rob Hall, ads his personal perspective to Krakauer's Into Thin Air. In the last few pages Viesturs reflects upon whether his pursuit was selfish, adventure addiction, growing older and realizing he cannot climb like he could twenty years ago, feeling letdown after such a remarkable accomplishment, and how climbing has impacted his marriage. For movie versions see the IMAX film Everest (the highest grossing IMAX movie ever made) or the documentary Everest: The Death Zone.

We finally got a copy of the much anticipated Ed Viesturs memoir. Endeavoring to read it cover-to-cover and absorb all the drama, low and high altitude adventure, and very personal insights - we weren't disappointed.

Ed and David Roberts have given the reader a never before look into the climbing and personal life of America's icon of mountain climbing. This includes the mental methods of climbing with various partners, dealing with circumstances outside of the sphere of control, and the decisions impacting self and family.

An added surprise is Ed's opinions on epic climbs by other climbers that were highlighted in media, movies, and books. It certainly gave us reason to review our own opinions of the events.

A valued purchase with b/w photos.

I have followed the adventures of Ed Viesturs and his pursuit of the 14 summits with great interest over the years. Though I am not a mountaineer in the least, it is a subject that I have been fascinated by ever since I was a youngster and saw a presentation by a man who had attempted to climb Everest. I was enthralled by the challenge and the seeming overwhelming and inherent risks. Then, years later, I was fortunate enough to see a presentation by Jon Krakauer during his tour in support of the outstanding "Into Thin Air".

Another reason I followed the mountaineers like Mr. Viesturs and Mr. Krakauer - among others - is that they convey a sense of respect and sanity about climbing these high peaks. In this new era where highly unqualified people are trying to summit peaks like Everest and ethical dilemmas more often overshadow the achievements, it is the reasoned voices of these climbers who can hopefully reverse the trend.

With that said, I was excited to see that Mr. Viesturs published "No Shortcuts To The Top". I ordered it almost as soon as it came out, and couldn't wait for the opportunity to read it.

Mr. Viesturs provides a pretty complete picture of his life to date. He nicely summarized his childhood, but fortunately kept it short to focus in on the things that drew him to climb. He does a great job of relating the sacrifices he had to make - especially financially - in order to pursue this passion. The reader gets to fully understand that climbing is not the type of "hobby" where you can just pick up from your job on a weekend and head to the hills.

More importantly - like Mr. Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" (though perhaps not as dramatically so) - Mr. Viesturs takes the reader with him on his climbs to show the many risks and possibility for death that constantly surround you at those great heights. "No Shortcuts To The Top" does a great job in relating the constant challenge of weighing the desire to push for the summit versus preserving one's safety. Time and again, Mr. Viesturs relates his motto, "Reaching the summit is optional. Getting down is mandatory." At times, this repetition gets to be a bit annoying, but then you begin to understand that climbers have to repeat that to themselves every time they head up a peak.

Those looking for yet another account of the 1996 tragedy on Everest may be disappointed. I think Mr. Viesturs (rightly) assumes that too much has been written about those days already, and in some cases, the story has been better captured by other authors. So, we do get his perspective as a member of a team following the ill-fated expeditions, but without a great deal of detail.

Probably the most enjoyable part of the story involved his repeated attempts to finally summit Annapurna. Given his relation of the climb and weather that goes with it, this sounds like the most difficult of the 14 highest peaks in the worlds.

As the book progresses, we also see that the "high-adventure" mountain climbing community is a pretty close-knit one. Mr. Viesturs frequently encounters these select few that are challenging the world's highest peaks. Some he is friends with, some are rivals, some have massive egos, and some are very down-to-earth. But all possess the desire to climb and challenge themselves.

A criticism I have of this book is that Mr. Viesturs at times gets very technical in his descriptions of gear and climbing, to the detriment of his recollections of his summits. That seemed to bog the book down in places. Also, while I realize it is important to relate to the reader the type of equipment one is climbing with, he sometimes seemed to go into a little too much detail. I wouldn't have minded so much, except for the fact that he didn't really go into a lot of detail about some of his climbs. So, it almost conveyed a sense that he was leaving things out to talk more about boots, parkas, and tents. I could overlook this penchant for the overly technical and excessive information, but the casual reader would probably get bored with it or become uninterested.

You will note as you read this review that by and large, my review is pretty positive, yet I am rating it with 3 stars. I wrestled with that rating. If I were basing it purely on how I liked it, I would probably give it four stars. But, as I alluded to above, I think the excessive technical lingo and detail would put off the casual reader who may not be quite as enthralled by mountaineering as I am.

I am glad that Mr. Viesturs wrote "No Shortcuts To The Top". I may have hoped for a little more, but it's good to have this account of his successes on the mountains. I hope he continues to be a prominent voice in the mountaineering community for a little "reform" in today's expeditions, so that safety and experience doesn't get lost in the face of deep-pocketed individuals who foolishly believe that money equals a guarantee of an easy transit to the summit of an Everest or other high peak.