Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow: The Dark Side of Extreme Adventure Book

ountaineers speak and write lyrically about risk; with-out it, they say, there would be none of the self-knowl-edge that reputedly comes from pushing life to its extreme edges. Excluded from that self-knowledge are the voices of those left behind: the parents, spouses, children, and loved ones who until now have maintained the code of silence about the dark side of adventure. In Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow, Maria Coffey goes beyond the typical climbing book to question the reasons why men and women give their lives to the mountains, and reveal the consequences of loving people who pursue such risk. Many of the world's top climbers-or their widows and families-offer intimate perspectives on adventure and its costly aftermath, including Jim Wickwire, Conrad Anker, Lynn Hill, Joe Simpson, Chris Bonington, Ed Viesturs, Anatoli Boukreev, Alex Lowe, and others. The result is a powerful, affecting, and important book that strips the romance from adventure and returns it to the human realm.Read More