The Impossible Climb
Alex Honnold, El Capitan, and the Climbing Life
3 of 4 copies available
NEW YORK TIMES MONTHLY BESTSELLER
One of the 10 Best Books of March, Paste Magazine
A deeply reported insider perspective of Alex Honnold’s historic achievement and the culture and history of climbing.
“One of the most compelling accounts of a climb and the climbing ethos that I've ever read.”—Sebastian Junger
In Mark Synnott’s unique window on the ethos of climbing, his friend Alex Honnold’s astonishing free solo ascent of El Capitan’s 3,000 feet of sheer granite is the central act. When Honnold topped out at 9:28 A.M. on June 3, 2017, having spent fewer than four hours on his historic ascent, the world gave a collective gasp. The New York Times described it as “one of the great athletic feats of any kind, ever.” Synnott’s personal history of his own obsession with climbing since he was a teenager—through professional climbing triumphs and defeats, and the dilemmas they render—makes this a deeply reported, enchanting revelation about living life to the fullest. What are we doing if not an impossible climb?
Synnott delves into a raggedy culture that emerged decades earlier during Yosemite’s Golden Age, when pioneering climbers like Royal Robbins and Warren Harding invented the sport that Honnold would turn on its ear. Painting an authentic, wry portrait of climbing history and profiling Yosemite heroes and the harlequin tribes of climbers known as the Stonemasters and the Stone Monkeys, Synnott weaves in his own experiences with poignant insight and wit: tensions burst on the mile-high northwest face of Pakistan’s Great Trango Tower; fellow climber Jimmy Chin miraculously persuades an official in the Borneo jungle to allow Honnold’s first foreign expedition, led by Synnott, to continue; armed bandits accost the same trio at the foot of a tower in the Chad desert . . .
The Impossible Climb is an emotional drama driven by people exploring the limits of human potential and seeking a perfect, choreographed dance with nature. Honnold dared far beyond the ordinary, beyond any climber in history. But this story of sublime heights is really about all of us. Who doesn’t need to face down fear and make the most of the time we have?
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
March 5, 2019 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780525594369
- File size: 374360 KB
- Duration: 12:59:54
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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This is a listen for fans of the Oscar-winning documentary FREE SOLO. It's a listen for fans of incredible feats of daring and athletic accomplishment. And it's a listen for those wanting a glimpse of what drives extreme athletes. Mark Deakins does an excellent job narrating the story of Mark Synnott--a climber, a friend of Alex Honnold (the subject of FREE SOLO), and perhaps the ideal person to share the story of climbers and the culture of climbing. Deakins captures Synnott's enthusiasm for the sport and engages the listener as the author explains--as best anyone can--what drives individuals to take on challenges that involve the risk of severe injury--or even death. This is an exciting and fun audiobook. J.P.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
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