No Shortcuts to the Top

Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks

By: Ed Viesturs, David Roberts

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

This gripping and triumphant memoir follows a living legend of extreme mountaineering as he makes his assault on history, one 8,000-meter summit at a time.

For 18 years, Ed Viesturs pursued climbing's holy grail: to stand atop the world's 14 8,000-meter peaks, without the aid of bottled oxygen. But No Shortcuts to the Top is as much about the man who would become the first American to achieve that goal as it is about his stunning quest. As Viesturs recounts the stories of his most harrowing climbs, he reveals a man torn between the flat, safe world he and his loved ones share and the majestic and deadly places where only he can go.

A preternaturally cautious climber who once turned back 300 feet from the top of Everest but who would not shrink from a peak (Annapurna) known to claim the life of one climber for every two who reached its summit, Viesturs lives by an unyielding motto: "Reaching the summit is optional. Getting down is mandatory." It is with this philosophy that he vividly describes fatal errors in judgment made by his fellow climbers, as well as a few of his own close calls and gallant rescues. And, for the first time, he details his own pivotal and heroic role in the 1996 Everest disaster made famous in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air.

No Shortcuts to the Top is more than the first full account of one of the staggering accomplishments of our time; it is a portrait of a brave and devoted family man and the beliefs that shaped this most perilous and magnificent pursuit.

©2006 Ed Viesturs and David Roberts (P)2006 Books on Tape

What a ride!

Ed, all I can imagine to say is that if I had asked you to write this book, I wouldn't have had you done so in any other way. What a magical story.

Okay bio...not the best narration

Liked the biographical approach but at times it felt as if there were some moments of conceit or megalomania throughout. The narrator has a good time but an annoying reading voice. This had the effect of slightly over dramatizing the content.

Astonishing

One of best books in my life. Amazing story of regular man who achieved unbelievable and stayed normal

The narrator

This book kept my attention from beginning to end. I will listen again at some point.
The narrator calling Annapurna, Anna-(pour)-na instead of Anna-(purr)-na had me gritting my teeth towards the end. Otherwise it was ok. I felt the narrator inserted his own emotions at times.

Excellent

out of the many audio books I have listened to, I put this in my top 5. Even knowing very little about climbing mountains this book does not fail to keep you interested throughout the entire tail. I would suggest to any one who thought this a great book to also listen to Robert Kursons, "Shadow Divers" which could help complete your knowledge of altitudes by going from the bottom of the ocean to the top of the world. Both are great books in that you don't have to climb or scuba dive to enjoy them.

Excellent Bio about Ed’s endeavor of the 8000ers

Everything is great about this book, starting from the stories, clear content and outstanding narrative

Great story of super human achievement

Ed Viesturs weaves a great tale of becoming the first American to climb the 14 highest peaks in the world. His descriptions make you feel like you're there.

Awesome Book

I am new to climbing. This is a great one. I didn't want to stop listening. Lots of interesting history, riviting sub-stories, and a cool overall story. Very entertaining, but you learn a lot as well.

Good listen

I enjoyed Ed's account of his climbing adventures very much. I have read several other books on this subject and found this one to be one of the more enjoyable. He does provide an account of the 1996 failed expedition popularized by "Into Thin Air" by John Krakauer, but also details how he got to that point and where he went from there. So many books today are focused only on that one event in an effort to cash in, but Ed's story of his climbs are numerous and interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about high altitude mountaineering.

great story

Ed Viesturs has a terrific life story. and this was a great telling. very inspirational for someone who wants to do anything difficult. as a casual climber, I was enraptured by the vivid descriptions of his mountain exploits. as a family man, I can relate to the personal difficulties of balancing risk and reward.