{"product_id":"on-the-ridge-between-life-and-death-a-climbing-life-reexamined-9780743255196","title":"On the Ridge Between Life and Death: A Climbing Life Reexamined","description":"\u003cb\u003eWhat compels mountain climbers to take the risks that they do? Is it the thrill in the physical accomplishment, in managing to defy the odds, or both--and why do they continue to do what they do in the face of such great danger?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat compels mountain climbers to take the risks that they do? Is it the thrill in the physical accomplishment, in managing to defy the odds, or both--and why do they continue to do what they do in the face of such great danger? In \u003ci\u003eOn the Ridge Between Life and Death\u003c\/i\u003e, David Roberts confronts these questions head-on as he recounts the exhilarating highs and desperate lows of his climbing career. By the time he was twenty-two, Roberts had already been involved in three fatal mountain climbing accidents and had escaped death himself by the sheerest of luck. And yet, as he acknowledges, few things have brought him more joy than climbing. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn a famous essay on the subject written more than twenty years ago, Roberts judged climbing to be \"worth the risk.\" He continues to climb to this day, and several of his challenging routes in Alaska have never been climbed since. But in reassessing the emotional costs to himself and to loved ones, he reaches a different conclusion, one that is sure to cause controversy not only in climbing circles, but among adventurers of all kinds. Candid and unflinching, \u003ci\u003eOn the Ridge Between Life and Death\u003c\/i\u003e is a compelling examination of the risks we take in order to feel more alive.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDavid Roberts (1943-2021)\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003ewas the author of dozens of books on mountaineering, adventure, and the history of the American Southwest. His essays and articles have appeared in \u003ci\u003eNational Geographic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNational Geographic Adventure\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic Monthly\u003c\/i\u003e, among other publications.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50503750451474,"sku":"9780743255196","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_797f289e-5ca1-4698-9480-1bbec5a34115.jpg?v=1730797248","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/on-the-ridge-between-life-and-death-a-climbing-life-reexamined-9780743255196","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}