Surviving Denali

Surviving Denali
Author: Jonathan Waterman
Publisher: The Mountaineers Books
Total Pages: 292
Release: 1991
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 9780930410483

* Helps expose long-time accident patterns so future climbers can avoid repeating these climbing mistakes on Denali In his preface, Dr. Peter Hackett writes of Jonathan Waterman's motivations for writing Surviving Denali, "The motivation for writing this book is to dispel the myth of Denali as a cakewalk, and to help climbers prepare adequately for polar, high-altitude survival. By learning from the past, climbers can avoid similar problems; this is the goal of Surviving Denali." Waterman presents an in-depth analysis of altitude medical problems, frostbite, avalanche and fall injuries, and deaths on Denali in order to point out the mistakes that may have been made and methods that might have been used to prevent them. In further chapters Waterman also covers how to prepare properly for Denali.

The Bond

The Bond
Author: Simon McCartney
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
Total Pages: 435
Release: 2016-10-18
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1680510916

In 1977, Jack Roberts, a California “Stone Master” and experienced young alpinist, met Simon McCartney, a highly motivated 22-year-old Brit who had cut his teeth climbing in Europe with some of the most respected mountaineers of the time. Over the next three years, the pair enjoyed a magical partnership during which they completed two of the boldest and most audacious climbs in the history of Alaskan alpinism. Then McCartney disappeared from the climbing scene entirely, emerging now, nearly 40 years later, to tell the story. The north face of Mount Huntington is one of the most dangerous walls in the Alaska Range, and Denali’s southwest face is one of the largest and most technically difficult. Roberts and McCartney made the first ascents of both, eschewing any notion of fixed ropes or siege tactics. With success as their only option, they got themselves to the foot of these faces with the bare minimum of gear and simply started climbing. The ascent of Mount Huntington’s north face was made in the summer of 1978; that of Denali’s southwest face, in 1980. These two legendary climbs created a stir at the time, and a flurry of controversy and criticism followed the Denali climb. Years later, some people went so far as to suggest that the Huntington climb was a fake. Jack Roberts passed away in 2012 without telling his side of the story publicly. The Bond, told primarily via McCartney’s first-person narrative and augmented by extracts from the diaries of Roberts and others, shares for the first time the experience of these two challenging climbs—and the strong bond forged between the two climbers. It is, in short, the quintessential climbing story, and the stuff of Legends and Lore.

Denali's Howl

Denali's Howl
Author: Andy Hall
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2014-06-12
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0698157125

In the summer of 1967, twelve young men ascended Alaska’s Mount McKinley—known to the locals as Denali. Engulfed by a once-in-alifetime blizzard, only five made it back down. Andy Hall, a journalist and son of the park superintendent at the time, was living in the park when the tragedy occurred and spent years tracking down rescuers, survivors, lost documents, and recordings of radio communications. In Denali’s Howl, Hall reveals the full story of the expedition in a powerful retelling that will mesmerize the climbing community as well as anyone interested in mega-storms and man’s sometimes deadly drive to challenge the forces of nature.

Climbing the Seven Summits

Climbing the Seven Summits
Author: Mike Hamill
Publisher: The Mountaineers Books
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2012-05-04
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1594856494

CLICK HERE to download the first 50 pages from Climbing the Seven Summits * First and only guidebook to climbing all Seven Summits * Full color with 125 photographs and 24 maps including a map for each summit route * Essential information on primary climbing routes and travel logistics for mountaineers, with historical and cultural anecdotes for armchair readers Aconcagua. Denali. Elbrus. Everest. Kilimanjaro. Kosciuszko. Vinson. To a climber, these mountains are known as the Seven Summits* -- the highest peaks on each continent. If you've ever dreamed of climbing Denali or Everest, or joining the even more exclusive "Seven Summiters " club, then Climbing the Seven Summits is the guidebook you need to turn your dream into reality. With Mike Hamill as your guide, you will discover different approaches to tackling the list, as well as details on what you'll need to plan an expedition and what to expect from each climb. For each mountain you'll learn about documents and immunizations, expedition costs, training, guiding options, climbing styles, best seasons, essential gear, day-by-day itineraries, summit routes, maps showing approaches and camps, regional natural history, cultural notes, and even post-climb activities like going on safari in Africa or wine-touring in South America. Throughout you'll also find helpful and inspiring stories from the likes of Conrad Anker, Vern Tejas, Damien Gildea, Eric Simonson, and other famed climbers. Special insider tips from Hamill, based on his years of experience, as well as full-color photographs of each peak round out this collectible guidebook. And, because there remains some controversy about whether Kosciuszko in Australia or Carstenz Pyramid on the island of New Guinea is the "seventh summit," this guidebook to the Seven Summits actually covers eight mountains! *Within mountaineering circles there is debate over which peaks are considered the official Seven Summits. For the purposes of this guidebook, the Seven Summits are based on the continental model used in Western Europe, the United States, and Australia, also referred to as the 'Bass list.'

Can You Survive Hair-Raising Mountain Encounters?

Can You Survive Hair-Raising Mountain Encounters?
Author: Matt Doeden
Publisher: Capstone
Total Pages: 113
Release: 2022-08
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1666337986

"Could you survive being lost in the mountains? Imagine facing down a grizzly bear in the Alaskan wilderness, a mountain lion in the Sierra Madres of Mexico, or a gorilla in Africa's Virunga Mountains. How far would you be willing to go to save your own life? Would it work? Flip through these pages to find out!"--

Chasing Denali

Chasing Denali
Author: Jonathan Waterman
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2018-11-01
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1493035207

The history of mountaineering began on Denali with the legendary story of four gold miners (called “Sourdoughs” because they carried sourdough starter with them at all times) who claimed to have summited after climbing more than 8,000 feet of steep snow and ice, then back down again—all in a single and incredibly dangerous day in 1910. Lugging a 25-pound, 14-foot flagpole to mark their success, they took on North America’s highest peak using sheet metal crampons, coal shovels, hatchets, and alpenstocks to balance their way up the mountain. Was the expedition a success or a hoax? Denali climber Jon Waterman brings this colorful mountaineering mystery to life.

Denali's West Buttress

Denali's West Buttress
Author: Colby Coombs
Publisher: The Mountaineers Books
Total Pages: 162
Release: 1997-10-31
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1594853029

* The only available guide devoted solely to the route used by 90 percent of all climbers who summit Denali * Historic aerial photos and introduction by one of the route's pioneers -- Bradford Washburn * Author Colby Coombs is a Denali climbing guide and a 12-year veteran of the route Denali's massive West Buttress Route is one of the world's most popular -- and treacherous -- climbs. Seasoned guide Colby Coombs and legendary mountaineering photographer Bradford Washburn teamed up to provide climbers with information devoted solely to this challenging route. Denali's West Buttress: A Climber's Guide gives the aspiring Denali climber the details required to efficiently plan and safely launch an expedition on the West Buttress. The climbing guidebook covers every aspect of climbing the route -- from preparation to climbing strategy to step-by-step route instruction. Washburn's magnificent photos -- with route and milestones clearly delineated -- paired with Coombs' explicit text guide the climber from camp to camp to the summit and down again, outlining specific hazards and obstacles and offering techniques and instruction on how best to surmount them. The book pays special attention to environmental considerations and presents low-impact methods for minimizing human and garbage waste on the route. This guide provides complete, detailed, first-hand, safety-conscious information on the West Buttress Route, serving as a much-needed resource and a grand tribute to this historic climb.

Mount McKinley

Mount McKinley
Author: Fred Beckey
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
Total Pages: 381
Release: 1998-12-31
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1594858306

* A classic of mountaineering literature * Beckey's name is synonymous with mountaineering in Alaska, Canada and the western US * Peppered with personal anecdotes and unique photographs This biography of Alaska's Mount McKinley presents a complete history of one of the world's great mountains. Author and famed mountaineer Fred Beckey starts with McKinley's geology and covers early human history, from native associations with Denali to the influx of Russian fur traders and American prospectors. The mountaineering history of McKinley follows, with a look at the gold seekers and surveyors who were among the first to map the region. Beckey examines the efforts of those who raced to be first on McKinley's summit and details the first complete ascent by Hudson Stuck in 1913. The chronology continues with profiles of notable summit attempts, including those of the author himself. Also included is information about the challenges and logistics of climbing Mount McKinley, with information on planning, permits, suggested routes, and what to expect. Personal anecdotes and previously unpublished photographs make this volume a must-have for historians and climbers everywhere.

Once Bitten

Once Bitten
Author: Nigel Vardy
Publisher: Ecademy Press
Total Pages: 170
Release: 2008
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1905823274

. . . Not just another 'climber gets stuck on mountain but survives to tell the tale' book. The gripping accounts. . . are all there, but the other half of the book is all about the journey Nigel has made since. . . and his refusal to disappear into the crevasses of self pity and helplessness.--Carolyn Budding.

Search and Rescue Alaska

Search and Rescue Alaska
Author: Tracy Salcedo
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2020-02-24
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1493037293

In a place as vast and extreme as Alaska, no one takes safety for granted. Whether adventurer or homesteader, tourist or native, people look out for themselves and for each other. But sometimes it just goes bad, and no amount of resourcefulness or resiliency can make it right. That’s when search and rescue teams kick into gear, launching operations by air and by land that have generated amazing tales of heroism, tenacity, and human kindness. Some of those stories have been gathered in Search and Rescue Alaska, including: Rescues on Denali, North America’s highest peak, from the mountain’s first search and rescue in 1932 to a rescue in 2017 that highlights the utility of modern equipment and decades of SAR experience A World War II search and rescue that ended with a remarkable recovery more than half a century later Rescues during the Good Friday quake of 1964 The rescue of mountaineering students and their instructors in the Chugach Range The rescue and recovery of Klondike-bound gold-seekers caught in an avalanche on the infamous Chilkoot Trail These stories and others in this compilation of essays will kindle a new appreciation for the skilled and selfless pilots, troopers, military personnel, and rangers on call for search and rescue in Alaska.