“For those interested in Alaska in particular and mountaineering history in general, ALASKA ASCENTS, a compilation of 17 stories written by climbers who serve as a Who’s Who of Alaska mountaineering is a “must buy.” All of Alaska’s great mountain ranges are captured and Sherwonit has done an excellent job in selecting accounts of some of the most significant climbs.
“When you consider that most of these accounts are excerpts from rare and out-of-print books, the value is immeasurable.”
-- Steve Davis, AMERICAN ALPINE JOURNAL
“This collection of previously published pieces covers Alaska mountaineering’s greatest epics . . . the majority of the anthology is captivating. For example, Sherwonit’s own tale of the Sourdough Expedition was impossible to put down, with its case of four gold miners, their rudimentary gear, and lack of technical climbing experience.”
-- CLIMBING magazine
Edited and compiled by Bill Sherwonit, this anthology gives voice to Alaska’s great peaks and to the people who have climbed them. ALASKA ASCENTS takes readers to all of the state’s major mountain chains — the St. Elias, Wrangell, Coast, Chugach, Alaska, and Brooks Ranges — and to many of its grandest peaks, from Denali to St. Elias, Fairweather, Foraker, Hunter, Moose’s Tooth, Devil’s Thumb and the Kitchatna Spires. The storytellers in this collection reveal the challenges of Alaska’s mountains, among the most inaccessible and difficult to climb in all of North America.
Through these mountaineering stories, we learn about the people who are drawn to scale such peaks and who experience the triumph of the spirit and sometimes tragedy and loss. Sherwonit includes an introduction to each story, to provide context on the mountains, the expeditions, and the climbers.
Buy Alaska Ascents at wavebooks.com
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