The daily grind of life is hard, but everything in the mountains feels simple. If that resonates with you, then welcome, friend. That’s what this blog is about: How mountains, often through climbing and mountaineering, though not exclusively, enriches and even enlightens our lives. I have been reading and studying mountaineering literature for over 25 years, and I serve as a pre-reader for the annual Banff Mountain Literature Competition. And I’ve learned that I have have only scratched the surface on this subject. There is a lot to explore and discover, even from a flat home like mine, despite the world being mapped and wired. So join me, subscribe to my newsletter, and read on…
There is no credible list of classics of mountain climbing literature. I looked. The lists that are out there are mostly a mix of well regarded books mixed with a couple of recent releases the writer of the list enjoyed. Several years ago, I chose to make my own list. But this wasn’t going to…
I love a good story about addiction, grief, and self destruction, don’t you? Maybe you don’t and you’re looking at me funny now. Let me give you an example of such an addition-like book the mountaineering front: I thoroughly enjoyed Margot Talbot’s autobiography All that Glitters, Paul Pritchard’s books, and, of course, David Roberts memoir…
As I have said many times, I prefer not to spend time reading new books on Mount Everest. The best stories on the highest peak ended in the 1980s. After that, commercial expeditions and their politics and the advent of social media has changed everything from base camp to the man-made and human debris on…
Like a lot of things from Outside, the headline is a little misleading and the article has a little unnecessary edge. And the following social media captions have claimed implied that gym access is the AAC’s top priority, and that elitist climbing gyms are turning climbing into golf clubs. Well, let’s sort this out. The…
The Suburban Mountaineer 
