2002, 1st edition. 306 pp, color photos. A biography of the great Willi Unsoeld who pioneered the West Ridge of Everest with Tom Hornbein in 1963, and inspired an entire generation of climbers. Used Hardcover with dust jacket, VG-Fine condition. WINNER of the Boardman Tasker Award.
Only the second American winner of the Boardman Tasker Award. In 1963, Willi Unsoeld became an international hero for his conquest of the West Ridge of Everest. A charismatic professor of philosophy, Unsoeld was one of the greatest climbers of the twentieth century, a man whose raw physical power and casual fearlessness inspired a generation of adventurers.
In 1976, during an expedition to Nanda Devi, the tallest peak in India, Unsoeld's philosophy of spiritual growth through mortal risk was tragically tested. The outcome of that expedition continues to fuel one of the most fascinating debates in mountaineering history. Fatal Mountaineer is a gripping look at Willi Unsoeld and the epic climbs that defined him - a classic narrative blending action with ethics, fame with tragedy, a man's ambition with a father's anguish.