Great collection of climbing quotes. If you're a climber, or want to try to understand someone who is; here's an interesting collection of quotes from climbers. Range from inspirational quotes, to the irreverant.

Awesome book. I recommend this book to any climber, mountaineer and outdoorsman in general. This would be THE book to have in your tent with you during incliment weather when you are tent-bound. Jonathan Waterman does an excellent job arranging the various quotes under different families and opens each chapter with a witty experience from his own adventures. This is one of my favorite books in my library. BUY IT NOW!

This book is awesome. I literally read every quote in one sitting. I was either gasping in pain, laughing out loud, or in awe of the common understandings of climbers around the world. I definitley recommend the book!

An anthology featuring profiles of North America's greatest alpinists: Bob Bates, Carlos Buhler, Al Burgess, Kitty Calhoun, H. Adams Carter, Greg Child, Yvon Chouinard, Charles Houston, Jeff Lowe, Greg Lowe, Terris Moore, Lou Reichardt, Rick Ridgeway, John Roskelley, Mugs Stump, Bradford Washburn, Ed Webster, Annie Whitehouse, Fritz Weissner, Mark Wilford. Includes seventeen portrait photographs. Profiles selected from: Climbing, Mens Journal, The New Yorker, Outside, and Rolling Stone. With contributions from today's finest mountain climbing writers: Jeremy Bernstein, Tim Cahill, Michael Kennedy, Jon Krakauer, Alison Osius, David Roberts, John Sherman, Geoffrey Tabin, Beth Wald, Jonathan Waterman, Ed Webster Fine short biographies of the above climbers/mountaineers. The articles were first published in the 1980's to early 1990's. A good read for any climber interested in history.

Author Waterman does it again!

Arctic Crossing is a very readable and powerful solo tale of high drama in one of the most unforgiving corners of our planet. Jon's richly written tale captures the many moods of both a hauntingly beautiful landscape and the Inuit Culture that inhabit it. The myriad challenges faced by the author in his epic trek should be reason enough to lure virtually any adventure travel reader. Offering far more than yet another tale of polar endurance, Waterman's keen observations of Inuit Culture becomes the unexpected hook.

Having spent three years living in a remote Siberian Yupik Eskimo village, I found this book to be compelling in its honest appraisal of Indigenous Northern Culture. Rapid cultural change and its associated dysfunction which challenges many Arctic cultures is typically not well documented in print. That which exists often times is either candy coated or worse yet, over sensationalized. Reported with a sense of respect, Jon's accounting of cultural interactions are at times brutal, yet refreshingly accurate.

This book captures the unique rhythms of remote Arctic ecosystems through rich imagery. The author was very obviously moved by his time spent in the spare pastel light of the Barrens. His writing is focused on capturing that elusive essence of the Arctic experience that defies the average writer's efforts. Fortunately, Waterman is no ordinary writer.

I like Jon's writing, it's filled with thought and insight into the place where he is. Wether he's preparing to climb the mountains of Alaska, kayak the gulf of Baja, or traverse the frigid Canadian Arctic, Jon does his homework. I am impressed by the degree of research he puts in prior to embarking on a trip. For it is not just the how of adventuring, the going from point A to B that concerns him, but rather who has been there before, who is there now, what was this place like and how has it changed for better or worse.

In this, his eighth book, he tells us about his 1997 2,200-mile journey across the Arctic, much of it alone. Here are his first-hand observations of the Inuit - their life, language, beliefs, and their reactions to global assimilation. He also reveals the extreme physical risks and psychological dangers as he kayaked and skied the legendary Northwest Passage. This book recently won the 2001 Banff Mountain Book Festival Best Adventure Travel Book Award.

You can't go wrong with any of Jon's books. I look forward to his next work!

This book is beautifully written! Unlike most adventure books, Waterman's account of his 3-year Arctic adventure, leaves behind the hero perspective and sincerely tells a story about the Inuit culture, the Arctic landscape and its amazing wildlife, and how he travels solo through it all. Find out what it would be like to journey alone without seeing another person (or signs of another person) for weeks at a time...how many of us have been completely alone, even for a day? His details of the people once called Eskimos are thoughtful and compassionate. The Inuit are faced with modern day assimilation while desperately trying to hold on to their 1,000 year old traditions. This struggle is carefully outlined, as he was able to get close to "The People". His encounters with wildlife, especially bears, made me wish I were there, but at the same time thankful to be reading about it in the comforts of home. This book is for anyone wanting to know the meaning of true exploration and wanting to learn more about the beuaty and mystery of the Arctic and Inuit.

"In the Shadow of Denali" is a collection of articles about mountaineering, Alaskan life, and the wilderness. It is the best collection of stories I have read since Krakauer's Eiger Dreams. Although technically about mountain climbing, the heart of this book is the effect the mountain has on the people who visit it, climb it, and live and work in its shadows. This book is not only for climbers (and armchair climbers) but for anyone who loves the wilderness. I hope Waterman writes another book very soon! I highly recommend you read this one.

Heck of a book. Kudos to Jon Waterman on putting together a terrific collection of stories related to Denali. For those not well versed in mountaineering I think you can still enjoy this book a great deal. It will give you an honest look into the experience.

In addition, Waterman doesn't try to glamorize it. Sure he'll give you a good look at the many men full of character who have risked life and limb for a chance the climb the high one (as they call Denali). Also some of the stories take place when Jon was younger and you can see how he has matured. He doesn't make any attempt to hide the brashness of his youth. Finally, the climbers themselves really make the book. Read about the 'Pirate', the other Waterman (an especially intriguing story), Wilcox, the inimitable Mugs Stump, and others. A fine book that will having you turning pages and keep your attention.

A real look into the world of mountaineering that hasn't been glamorized or overly dramatized (in the case of other authors). The primary focus is Denali, but the book often shifts attention away from it, giving the reader a good look into the mountaineering career of Jon Waterman and a bit of insight upon many others. For the experienced mountaineer, they can most likely relate to many of Jon's experiences. To the less experienced, it will give a sobering wakeup call to the realities of mountaineering. I must disagree with the reader from NY listed below as stating that "The author falls into the trap of thinking that climbing is going to give him and some other fellow climbers an insight into life beyond that of the ordinary man." For anyone who has survived a truly epic climb, one does gain a bit of insight into life that they failed to notice beforehand, and that many others do not completely understand...do this regularly enough, and it can in fact change a person. The book was NOT self-indulgent in the least...merely giving a first hand account of his experiences, both good and bad. If you are planning a trip to Denali, this should be required reading....

This book is really two books: one, a biography and story about the Duke of Abruzzi and his expedition (in the early 1900's) to climb Mt. St. Elias in Alaska; and two, the author's story of his own attempt to climb the same mountain in the 1990's. I found the material on the Duke to be fascinating. When the book switched over to the author's own story however, I usually lost interest.

In his attempt to do justice to the historical accomplishments of the Duke, and to try to experience the mountain on some of the same terms, the author tries to climb the mountain without some the benefits of the technological advances since the Duke's time. He eschews airplanes, for example, and sails a small boat from Seattle up to Alaska then hikes all the way in from the ocean to the base of the mountain. Sounds like the basis for a great story, right? In my opinion, it doesn't live up to its potential.

First, the author's claim to be doing without the technological marvels of our times has a lot of holes in it. Yes, he uses no GPS system to navigate his boat to Alaska; but he does use Loran -- and there are several other similar examples (clothing, boots, etc.). Second, I found his longwinded soul-searching and attempts at self-analysis tiresome and I do not think it added much to the reader's experience. Third, I found his treatment of his partners to be downright insulting. My sense is that he really didn't like his partners much and they didn't like him. I myself would certainly not want to climb with this man. I think I would have loved to climb with the Duke.

Most seriously, I lost interest in his story mostly because I thought his failure to climb the the mountain was largely due to his own poor plans and decisions. He underestimates the amount of food they will need on the mountain (they almost starve to death) but he does bring a large, heavy video camera along to record the climbing. In my opinion, a stupid and vain decision. I doubt very much if the Duke would have made these kinds of mistakes!

When I read a book such as this, I want to admire the people in it, or at least feel that I have learned something significant from the actions of the protagonists. Well, I certainly learned a lot about the Duke and gained an admiration him, but I certainly did not admire the actions of the author; nor do I believe I learned anything of much value from his story.

A Most Hostile Mountain was about a mountain climber, the author, who was addicted to mountaineering and alpinism. He had reached the peaks of many Alaskan mountains and was getting settled to climb one last mountain. While on Mt. Fairweather, he spotted the nearby Mt. St. Elias a few miles away. He was captivated by the mountain's beauty and so he decided as the last mountain he would ever climb, he would summit Mt. St. Elias. He needed a partner, so he called up his friend, Jeff, to accompany him to the peak. They packed up their supplies and set off in a yacht to the mountain. Jonathan Waterman also compares his journey with the Duke of Abruzzi's trip. The Duke was the first one to reach the top of Mt. St. Elias, also called Yasetaca, and because of his trip, he made Italy famous. The Duke also traveled by ship to the mountain with his whole team of climbers, this was in the early 1900s, with heavy equiptment and luxuries a climber today would never bring on his or her trip. So as the Duke faces many difficulties on his climb, Jonathan also faces difficulties physically and mentally as well.

I thought the book was interesting in the way that I've never read a book that was more like a journal of someone's trip. Also, I never knew that much about mountain climbing before I read the book, but this book taught some important skills in mountaineering. Furthurmore, I like how Jonathan Waterman tells the real truth about people and their weaknesses while in a stressed and uncomfortable condition. The daily routines of a mountaineer is reavealed in this book and I can see why mountain climbing is such a difficult sport and why alpinists are so addicted to this hobby of theirs.

My favorite is when Jonathan and Jeff starts to get irritated at each other and accidents starts to happen. For example, when Jonathan mistakened the yellow gaderade bottle as Jeff's kindness towards him, but really, it was Jeff's bathroom wastes. Also, when Jeff and Jonathan first landed on the shores of Yasetaca, the swarm of mosquitos came buzzing at the two climbers and tried to suck the climbers dry. Desperately, Jonathan sets up their tent and so the two victims hide in the tent. Inside, the climbers watch as the mosquitos try to get past the mosquito netting but the bugs get their needles stuck in the holes. Joyfully, Jeff and Jonathan pull the needles off of the mosquitos as the insects continued to struggle. A good book for the reality reader.

"A Most Hostile Mountain" is a very satisfying read. A skilful and entertaining weaving of the historic climb by the Duke of Abruzzi and the contemporary recreation by Jon Waterman and Jeff Hollenbaugh. Enjoyable for both the history and adventure. A risky sailboat approach to a very dangerous mountain and an adrenaline charged climb, and yet I sometimes laughed out loud as I read. Good reading for fans of adventure or climbing, but approachable even by someone new to this type of story. Some of the best of this genre and some of the best of Waterman.

Waterman spends most of the book whining. The three main threads of his complaint are the ecological devastation, how the native peoples were taken advantage of by the various colonizers, and how his one year old marriage seems to be on the rocks. When he talks about the stark beauty of the land, it is always in the same breath with how badly the place is getting ruined.
I read the book when I was in Baja California Sur in May, 2003. The place was beautiful, the weather was great and the people were extremely friendly. The book's doomsday predictions were very much out of whack with the reality.

I read the book after sailing the Sea of Cortez. It was a depressing book by a disenchanted romantic written during what appears to be the breakup of his marrage. The wife sounds great but he can't maintain her paddling pace and she does not share his penchant for whining.) If you are looking for a guide book to the Sea of Cortez, this book has little to offer. I meet some folks at Bay of Conception who were among the few who had received favorable remarks from the author. They were furious that he had totally distorted their comments. Save yourself the greif and try something else.

It's very well written and full of interesting information. but it's one of these misanthropic ecology tracts. Much of what he says is well justified but, considered as entertainment, it was so full of grouching about the adverse effects of everything on the environment that it ended up with too many sour notes.
I was struck by how close his moral attutudes were to those of the early missionaries he describes. He extols the virtues of mortifying the flesh, and relishes describing the hardships he has inflicted on himself. He keeps encountering residents who do not share his beliefs about how life should be lived. They commit such crimes as fishing and using toilet paper. They are not the original inhabitants of the country.