2024 the best climbers review

Price: $60.00
(as of Oct 23, 2024 19:12:21 UTC - Details)

*Winner of the 2017 Banff Book Award for Mountaineering History and the 2017 Banff Book Award Grand Prize*

Portraits that reveal the core of their remarkable subjects
A visual history of special significance to climbers of all ages

For nearly 2 decades, professional photographer Jim Herrington has been working on a portrait series of influential rock and mountain climbers. The Climbers documents these rugged individualists who, from roughly the 1930s to 1970s, used primitive gear along with their considerable wits, talent, and fortitude to tackle unscaled peaks around the world. Today, these men and women are renowned for their past accomplishments and, in many cases, are the last of the remaining practitioners from the so‐called “Golden Age” of 20th century climbing.

Herrington’s images―the result of his own passion for climbing―allow us to study the faces of climbers who were driven to do the impossible for no other reason than the challenge. In these portraits we find people who ascended bold, visionary lines, often in remote regions, away from the media spotlight and without any hope for reward. Yet in many ways the severe routes these men and women established outshine today’s ascents due, in part, to the fact that rope and other gear were so strikingly inferior to today. And often our pioneering predecessors were climbing into a malevolent unknown―if compromised or injured, the only people in the world likely capable of initiating their rescue were the climbers themselves. Innovation emerged frequently and in unlikely ways. In these images, Herrington has captured the utter humanity of obsession, determination, intellect, and frailty.

From the Publisher

HEROES OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF CLIMBING

Glenn Exum (1912–2000) picking a sing along, perhaps as he did when he was pioneering routes to the high windswept summits of the Tetons. The large-format portraits in The Climbers were created over two decades by photographer, Jim Herrington. It was a labor of love, connected not to his work life, but to his passion for climbing and his gratitude to the men and women who had inspired him to clip into a rope and attempt something harder and more courageous than he thought he was capable of. That passion and inspiration springs off of these pages and pulls you in, whispering that you can do something amazing, too.

FRED BECKEY, 1923 - 2017

During World War II, Fred Beckey served in the Mountain Training Group of the US Army’s Tenth Mountain Division, where he was part of a team that made a wintertime crossing of the alpine highlands in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado—now known as the Trooper Traverse. A decade later, in 1954, Fred summited three legendary Alaskan peaks: Denali, Mount Deborah, and Mount Hunter, making the first ascents of the latter two. He is believed to have made more first ascents—anywhere—than any other living person. In 2013 the American Alpine Club awarded him its President’s Gold Medal. He is the subject of a documentary named Dirtbag.

GLEN DAWSON, 1912 - 2016

Glen Dawson became a member of the Sierra Club at the age of nine, when a friend gave him a lifetime membership. He soon helped to found both the ski-mountaineering and rock-climbing sections of the organization. In 1931, at the age of nineteen, he was part of the first ascent of Mount Whitney’s east face, revolutionizing the climbing techniques of the time. Dawson was a member of the UCLA ski team and made notable climbs in the American Southwest as well as in the Alps, Wales, Russia, and Japan. He was a member of the US Army’s Tenth Mountain Division during World War II.

STEVE ROPER, 1941

When he coauthored Fifty Classic Climbs in North America, Steve Roper helped to create the ultimate aspirational book for American climbers. The book reflects Roper’s respect for the diverse aspects of mountain sports as well as his achievements as a climber. With the first one-day ascent of the northwest face of Half Dome in 1966, Roper helped inspire the modern view of big climbs, where just about anything imaginable is possible with the right attitude, technique, and fitness. He is one of the founding editors of Ascent, author of the acclaimed Camp 4, and in 1983 he received the Sierra Club’s Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award.

TOM HORNBEIN, 1930

Tom Hornbein is a physician who helped pioneer high-altitude climbing with expeditions to the Himalayas and Alaska. He is best known for his ascent, with Willi Unsoeld, of Everest Via its west ridge, in 1963. With no way to reverse their line of ascent, their effort was one of the most committed adventures in Himalayan history. Hornbein helped design the oxygen masks used on the 1963 American Everest expedition. He served as a navy doctor and chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is the author of Everest: The West Ridge.

FRED BECKEY

GLENN DAWSON

STEVE ROPER

TOM HORNBEIN

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1680510835
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mountaineers Books; Slp edition (October 4, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781680510836
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1680510836
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.93 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 11.4 x 1.2 x 12.6 inches
Reviewer: mv
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Favorite book of the year
Review: Favorite book of the year! Gorgeous and luxe. Such a unique & distinctive book with stunning photographs. Each portrait captures the depth of character of these incredible people, really at a reflection point in their lives. Very touching. There is a cinematic aspect to the photos, their compositions executed with artful style. I've spent much of my life looking at art and photographs, and these images have a masterful quality that you don't come across often. I happen to adore mountain culture, but not being a climber myself, I hadn't heard of many of these individuals. It doesn't matter one bit. This book is beautifully done in every way, and will captivate you with its imagery and words.

Reviewer: James Gray
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: That he loves it as an artist and a climber speaks volumes to the time and effort Jim Herrington put into what Matt referred to as a beautiful and straightforward piece of work
Review: This was a gift to my friend Matt who is both an incredibly accomplished photographer (www.graycreates.com) and climber. That he loves it as an artist and a climber speaks volumes to the time and effort Jim Herrington put into what Matt referred to as a beautiful and straightforward piece of work. Matt was impressed to learn about some climbers he had never heard of. Highly recommend.

Reviewer: walsh
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The Mistress of Burdock Hollow
Review: The Climbers is a gorgeous book.Jim Herrington’s photography and stories are engaging and are a noble tribute to these iconic climbers. Highly recommended.

Reviewer: Matthew S. Seymour
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Brilliant
Review: Incredible photographs of the worlds best climbers still strong in their later years - so inspiring, heart warming and wonderful to see and these brave pioneers, men and women who’ve been on top of their game and on top of the world. Now I don’t mind the idea of getting old so much! The words are nearly as good as the pictures. Lovely big, classy book.

Reviewer: Laura B
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great gift!
Review: We gave this book as a gift and he loved it!

Reviewer: MJT
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great addition to my climbing book collection
Review: This book is another great addition to my climbing book collection. Provides a nice follow up to what my climbing hero's are up to now.

Reviewer: Jacki W.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Beautiful photography!
Review: Incredible photographs and amazing stories - a wonderfully beautiful book.

Reviewer: Charlotte
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Five Stars
Review: beautiful and entertaining. Bought for my Dad for his Birthday, he has been climbing all of my life.

Reviewer: yoyo38
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: contrairement au crédit mentionner il n'est pas d'Alex Honnold qui en juste fait la préface.Jim Herrigton a fait ces portraits pendant une vingtaine d'années. Attention ce n'est pas un livre d'escalade mais sur les grands "vieux" de l'escalade dont plusieurs nous on malheureusement quittés en quelques mois. Très bel ouvrage à collectionner (prix de Banff 2017 quand même !)