Mountain Madness:: Scott Fischer, Mount Everest, and a Life Lived on High
About this ebook
“A fitting homage to one of the great outdoor extremists.”—Kirkus Reviews
Legendary climber Scott Fischer found in Mount Everest a perfect landscape for his fearless spirit. Scaling the world’s highest peak tested his skills, his courage, and his endurance. His legendary final expedition—and its tragic outcome—are portrayed in Everest, the 3-D movie adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Scott Fischer. Robert Birkby, one of Scott’s close friends, captures in this intimate and stirring portrait who Scott Fischer really was and what led him to climb to the top of the world—before he left it altogether.
“A personal, uncritical biography that rounds out the portrait of Fischer sketched in Krakauer’s best-seller Into Thin Air.”—The New York Times Book Review
“A much fuller picture of a climber widely critiqued in the high-profile coverage after the Everest tragedy.”—Seattle Post Intelligencer
“A vivid portrait of a superb athlete whose love of mountain climbing drove everything he did.”—Ed Viesturs, author of No Shortcuts to the Top
“Birkby succeeds in illuminating the power mountains can exert over the human soul.—Publishers Weekly
Updated with a New Introduction and Epilogue
Plus new photos exclusive to the digital edition!
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About the author
Robert Birkby brings a lifetime of backcountry experience to the writing of outstanding books about outdoor adventure and wilderness skills. Raised in Iowa, he taught writing and literature at Southwest Missouri State University, then hiked the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail before launching a career as a Seattle-based writer, outdoor educator, and adventure travel guide. Mountaineering journeys have taken him to the Cascades, Alaska, Russia, East Africa, and Nepal. For the Student Conservation Association he has led many trail crews in national parks and forests, and has taught trail maintenance and construction for conservation organizations and land-management agencies across America and in Siberia. He is the 2010 recipient of the William T. Hornaday Gold Medal, awarded for distinguished service in natural resource conservation and environmental improvement. Robert Birkby is the author of Lightly on the Land, three editions of the Boy Scout Handbook, the Scoutmaster Handbook, and other books for the Boy Scouts of America. His most recent publication is the Fieldbook, Scouting’s manual of basic and advanced skills for outdoor adventure. He lives in Seattle. His website is www.robertbirkby.com.
