Bigtree Posted October 26, 2009 Posted October 26, 2009 Fantastic read. The guy can write as well as climb. Get yourselves a copy. I don't understand the economics of the publishing industry though. I bought my new copy over the web through Amazon.ca from some company in England for $18 Canuck bucks plus a few for shipping. Quote
gertlush Posted October 27, 2009 Posted October 27, 2009 I was into it at first but then after about a dozen chapters just got bored. It reads like a shopping list of climbs he did & I couldn't tell whether he was on North Twin, Nanga Parbat or wherever after a while. Also it borrows a bit too heavily from the agonized, Mark Twight-esque existential style of climbing writing for my taste. anyway flame on Quote
gertlush Posted October 27, 2009 Posted October 27, 2009 I think Dave Roberts is a bit more expressive & revealing about motivations, about his failures & fears. I also got the Boardman-Tasker omnibus recently & that writing also seemed to have more depth... however both of those can be a bit wordy at times, I like how House's writing is fairly lean & straightforward. I think it's maybe just the author's different styles. Beyond the Mountain is, I think, a really excellent description of the actual climbing but it doesn't feel so much a story as a bunch of separate stories. Worth picking up though and everybody has different tastes. Quote
johndavidjr Posted October 27, 2009 Posted October 27, 2009 Harvard Boy David Roberts is among best. Fred Beckey is surprisingly good, though he writes very little. Boardman-Tasker are very good. Gawd I hate climbing literature. Twight uses cheap gimicks. Gwen Moffatt's 60's memoir is very good but available only in libraries. Far worse are most journalists that specialize in climbing. Could definitely mention somebody y'all'd know from Seattle, but won't Maybe I'll look at House, if available in library. Amer Alpine Club Journal is good, as is NWMJ. Quote
ivan Posted October 28, 2009 Posted October 28, 2009 the best way to write about climbing is to not write about climbing lotza coarse language and gratitious pictures of full-figure women works well too, forsoothe Quote
sprocket Posted October 28, 2009 Posted October 28, 2009 I think Greg Child's writing is generally very good. Galen Rowells' book about K2 is pretty good too. John Sherman makes me laugh. Quote
G-spotter Posted October 28, 2009 Posted October 28, 2009 I liked the part in One Green Bottle where she sleeps with the rich guy so he'll buy her new boots. Quote
Bigtree Posted October 28, 2009 Author Posted October 28, 2009 ...One Green Bottle where she sleeps with the rich guy so he'll buy her new boots. Explain further please...ref. is too obscure for me g-spot. Quote
ivan Posted October 28, 2009 Posted October 28, 2009 I liked the part in One Green Bottle where she sleeps with the rich guy so he'll buy her new boots. "i must admit you have an astonishingly good idea there doctor" Quote
Pilchuck71 Posted October 28, 2009 Posted October 28, 2009 (edited) I liked the part in One Green Bottle where she sleeps with the rich guy so he'll buy her new boots. My buddy beat her to that idea. We call him the man whore due to the fact he once seduced and then slept with an older (not unnatractive) lady so she would buy him a pair of La Sportiva mountain boots. I still give him shit for it but mostly it's because he beat me to the idea. Edited October 28, 2009 by Pilchuck71 Quote
matt_warfield Posted October 28, 2009 Posted October 28, 2009 Pat Ament, John Long, and John Gill have done some great writing... and climbing. I haven't read House's book but anybody who thinks it is boring should go climbing with him and experience terror first hand. Quote
foraker Posted October 28, 2009 Posted October 28, 2009 Pat Ament, John Long, and John Gill have done some great writing... and climbing. I haven't read House's book but anybody who thinks it is boring should go climbing with him and experience terror first hand. Maybe in some future life when I've been assigned a better body. Quote
G-spotter Posted October 28, 2009 Posted October 28, 2009 I liked the part in One Green Bottle where she sleeps with the rich guy so he'll buy her new boots. My buddy beat her to that idea. We call him the man whore due to the fact he once seduced and then slept with an older (not unnatractive) lady so she would buy him a pair of La Sportiva mountain boots. I still give him shit for it but mostly it's because he beat me to the idea. ?One Green Bottle was written in the 50s. Quote
G-spotter Posted October 28, 2009 Posted October 28, 2009 Pat Ament, ...[has] done some great writing... and climbing. Pat Ament has written some of the most turgid drivel found anywhere in climbing literature. Quote
Pilchuck71 Posted October 28, 2009 Posted October 28, 2009 I liked the part in One Green Bottle where she sleeps with the rich guy so he'll buy her new boots. My buddy beat her to that idea. We call him the man whore due to the fact he once seduced and then slept with an older (not unnatractive) lady so she would buy him a pair of La Sportiva mountain boots. I still give him shit for it but mostly it's because he beat me to the idea. ?One Green Bottle was written in the 50s. I am 87 years old................... Quote
artschool Posted October 28, 2009 Posted October 28, 2009 ...and La Sportiva boots have been desirable since before the '50's. Quote
gertlush Posted November 12, 2009 Posted November 12, 2009 House's book won best mountain literature for 2009 from the Banff Centre so I guess I'm full of it The best overall looks interesting too, Jerry Moffatt's "Revelations". Banff Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.