USA, 2000, 1st edition. 224 pp, 112 color, 67 b/w photos. Original blue cloth hardcover without dust jacket; book looks like new, no writing, no bumps, it does have discrete RSM on the bottom edge of the pages. Fine.
The most notorious peak in the Alps has more incredible stories and epics than most of us have heard. A complete history of Eiger climbs, routes, disasters, legends. Great photos, printed on high-quality heavy paper.
No other mountain looms larger in mountaineering history and myth than the infamous Eiger. Though much has been written about this mountain, Eiger: The Vertical Arena is a refreshingly different history. It goes beyond the traditional classics by exploring what the Eiger means to more than just a single climber.
Editor Daniel Anker has gathered the work of 17 different climbers with first-hand knowledge of the Eiger to offer both historical and personal perspectives about the mountain. Contributions range from Sylvain Jouty's stage-setting and incisive historical analysis of climbers' attraction to the North Face, to Charles Barrington's letter to his younger brother written in 1882, 24 years after the first ascent of the Eiger. Other sections consider the ethics of guiding, the effect of the North Face on the local population, as well as filming, skiing, and mountain rescues.