{"product_id":"freedom-climbers-the-golden-age-of-polish-climbing-9781594857560","title":"Freedom Climbers: The Golden Age of Polish Climbing","description":"\"One of the most important mountaineering books to be written for many years.\" --Boardman-Tasker Prize \u003cp\u003eSee this book trailer for \u003ci\u003eFreedom Climbers\u003c\/i\u003e made by RMB Books, its publisher in Canada, where the cover is slightly different from the Mountaineers Books U.S. edition\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e * Behind the Iron Curtain, Cold War mountaineers found freedom on the world's highest peaks--and paid an awful price to achieve it\u003cbr\u003e * Winner of the Boardman-Tasker Prize, Banff Grand Prize, and American Alpine Club Literary Award \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cem\u003eFreedom Climbers\u003c\/em\u003e tells the story of Poland's truly remarkable mountaineers who dominated Himalayan climbing during the period between the end of World War II and the start of the new millennium. The emphasis here is on their \"golden age\" in the 1980s and 1990s when, despite the economic and social baggage of their struggling country, Polish climbers were the first to tackle the world's highest mountains during winter, including the first winter ascents on seven of the world's fourteen 8000-meter peaks: Everest, Manaslu, Dhaulagiri, Cho Oyu, Kanchenjunga, Annapurna, and Lhotse. Such successes, however, came at a serious cost: 80 percent of Poland's finest high-altitude climbers died on the high mountains during the same period they were pursuing these first ascents. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Award-winning writer Bernadette McDonald addresses the social, political, and cultural context of this golden age, and the hardships of life under Soviet rule. Polish climbers, she argues, were so tough because their lives at home were so tough--they lost family members to World War II and its aftermath and were so much more poverty-stricken than their Western counterparts that they made much of their own climbing gear. While \u003cem\u003eFreedom Climbers\u003c\/em\u003e tells the larger story of an era, McDonald shares charismatic personal narratives such as that of Wanda Rutkiewicz, expected to be the first woman to climb all 8000-meter peaks until she disappeared on Kanchenjunga in 1992; Jerzy Kukuczka, who died in a fall while attempting the south face of Lhotse; and numerous other renowned climbers including Voytek Kurtyka, Artur Hajzer, Andrej Zawaka, and Krzysztof Wielicki. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e This is a fascinating window into a different world, far-removed from modernity yet connected by the strange allure of the mountain landscape, and a story of inspiring passion against all odds.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMcDonald, Bernadette:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eBERNADETTE McDONALD\u003c\/strong\u003e was for many years the Vice President of Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre, where she directed the reknowned Banff Mountain Film Festival. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDuring her time with the Festival, it has grown from a weekend film event to a twelve-month, global touring program with an international program of films, authors, speakers, and exhibitions spanning seven continents. The Festival has appeared in 30 countries to tens of thousands of audience members and millions of television viewers. \u003cbr\u003e Bernadette spends most of her discretionary time in the mountains, climbing, ski touring, hiking, riding, and generally traveling. Her travels have taken her to the mountains of Japan, South America, Africa, Europe, and Tibet, as well as the North American Ranges. She is the author of several books.","brand":"Mountaineers Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50358892331282,"sku":"9781594857560","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_152d3801-3364-4fa6-afd3-f03f4520f555.jpg?v=1728347885","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/freedom-climbers-the-golden-age-of-polish-climbing-9781594857560","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}