Mt. Everest: Confessions of an Amateur Peak Bagger

 

Mt. Everest: Confessions of an Amateur Peak Bagger
Page Type Gear Review
Object Title Mt. Everest: Confessions of an Amateur Peak Bagger
Manufacturer Kevin Flynn with Gary Fallesen
Page By silversummit
Page Type Aug 12, 2010 / Aug 12, 2010
Object ID 7282
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Book Summary

"Flynn, a PR professional and self-described amateur, "late bloomer" climber, with sportswriter Fallesen, delivers a sprightly, entertaining look at his adventures and misadventures along the road to his climbing Mt. Everest at age 47. Flynn covers his two attempts, but his first, unsuccessful effort makes up the more appealing half of the book. He is blunt about the "selfish" aspects of a climber's life, as well as its dangerous charms: "Here's our dirty little secret-If no one ever died on Everest, it would not be as big a deal to climb it." His forthright admission that he was "emotionally and mentally unprepared to get to the top" underscores the importance of what he finally does learn, from the value of proper pre-climb weight and cardiovascular training to the practice of "little things" such as keeping feet free of blisters. Most significantly, Flynn doesn't try to romanticize the hard reality of climbing and what it actually felt like as he achieved his dream: he admits that he experienced "[n]o joy whatsoever" at finally reaching the summit of Everest, just "a profound sense of relief that I could now turn around and go down."--Publishers Weekly

Product Details

Price: $15.95

Paperback: 269 pages

Author: Kevin Flynn with Gary Fallesen

Publisher: Haystack Press

Year Published: 2006

Language: English

ISBN: 0-9767431-3-2



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silversummit - Aug 12, 2010 10:48 pm - Voted 5/5

Really enjoyed reading this book!
Kevin states early in his book that he has 3 goals when he climbs: safety, laugh a lot, and be a good teammate. And yes, he lives up to these goals to get up Everest as well as other summits in the world. I enjoyed his down-to-earth approach to life and himself and his insight into what was important: coming back alive to his wife and family! The book is filled with details about what he learned from his small and big failures as well as his Everest success.

While I wouldn't exactly label this book "inspirational" (which I think is a compliment to Flynn!) I definitely found it enriching, an addition to my library of mountaineering books.

Viewing: 1-1 of 1