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On the Ridge Between Life and Death
- A Climbing Life Reexamined
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins
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Publisher's summary
What 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 On the Ridge Between Life and Death, 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.
In 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, On the Ridge Between Life and Death is a compelling examination of the risks we take in order to feel more alive.
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Master of Thin Air opens with a fall that the author very nearly could not stop down an almost vertical rock ramp leading to a 3,000-foot drop. The qualities that saved him then on K2 - in addition to his mountaineering know-how and sheer good luck - drove his 16-year journey to summit all of the world's 8,000ers, the 14 peaks that exceed 8,000 meters (26,000-plus feet) and take climbers into the death zone. Incredibly, he accomplished that feat without the aid of bottled oxygen for every mountain but one.
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Tedious, redundant
- By Mike Milward on 11-06-16
By: Andrew Lock
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No Summit out of Sight
- The True Story of the Youngest Person to Climb the Seven Summits
- By: Jordan Romero, Linda LeBlanc - contributor
- Narrated by: Kyle Tait
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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On May 22, 2010, at the age of 13, American teenager Jordan Romero became the youngest person to climb to the summit of Mount Everest. At 15, he became the youngest person to reach the summits of the tallest mountains on each of the seven continents. In this energizing memoir for young adults, Jordan recounts his experience, which started as a spark of an idea at the age of nine and, many years of training and hard work later, turned into a dream come true.
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Great book. Very inspiring for the youth of today.
- By Amazon Customer on 08-31-20
By: Jordan Romero, and others
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Kiss or Kill
- Confessions of a Serial Climber
- By: Mark Twight
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Mark Twight is a BANFF award-winner, an extreme climber, an extreme writer, and an extreme personality. No matter what he's doing, Mark Twight takes a definite, and often controversial , stand. Anyone who knows climbing knows Twight's name, and anyone who knows Twight's name will want to listen to this audiobook. Each story is told in Twight's taut, in-your-face style. Brand-new epilogues bring each piece full circle, providing updated information and fresh, hindsight perspectives.
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An exciting, fresh, and viciously enjoyable book
- By The Lonely Reader on 09-02-16
By: Mark Twight
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The Art of Shralpinism
- Lessons from the Mountains
- By: Jeremy Jones
- Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Not a technical guide on snowboarding but, rather, a very personal approach to how to think about mountains, snow, and adventure, The Art of Shralpinism reflects the remarkable journey of snowboarding superstar Jeremy Jones. Drawing on the hundreds of journals he has kept over the years, Jones offers intriguing snapshots of time and place that include his own on-the-slope stories and white-out moments, as well as those of other prominent adventurers such as Jimmy Chin, Zahan Billimoria, and Christina Lusti.
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A must for any snowboarder
- By Anonymous User on 04-22-23
By: Jeremy Jones
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Blind Descent
- The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth
- By: James Tabor
- Narrated by: Don Leslie
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Blind Descent explores both the brightest and darkest aspects of the timeless human urge to discover - to be first. It is also a thrilling epic about a pursuit that makes even extreme mountaineering and ocean exploration pale by comparison.
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Amazing Courage!!
- By RGH on 11-07-10
By: James Tabor
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Mud, Sweat, and Tears
- The Autobiography
- By: Bear Grylls
- Narrated by: Tom Patrick Stephens
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Already a number-one London Sunday Times best seller, Mud, Sweat, and Tears is the adrenaline-fueled autobiography of the mega-popular star of the hit survival series Man vs. Wild, adventurer Bear Grylls. A former British Special Forces commando, a man who has always sought the ultimate in dangerous challenges, Bear's true story reads like an outdoors action-and-adventure novel. But Bear's story is true - full of breathtaking escapes and remarkable exploits that would make any Jack London or H. Ryder Haggard hero proud.
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Love this book
- By Aaron on 04-07-13
By: Bear Grylls
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Both Feet on the Ground
- Reflections From the Outside
- By: Marshall Ulrich
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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You’re stressed, tired of answering the beeps on your phone and computer. Your kids get too much screen time. You don’t know where your next meal was grown or raised. One of the best forms of therapy is simple: Get out and stay out - as often and for as long as you can. In Both Feet on the Ground, Marshall Ulrich champions “disconnecting to reconnect”, urging you to spend time unplugged, eat food whose origins you understand, and push yourself to try something bold and personally compelling.
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Excellent!
- By Sandy on 06-16-20
By: Marshall Ulrich
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Ghosts of K2
- By: Mick Conefrey
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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At 28,251 feet, K2 might be almost 800 feet shorter than Everest, but it’s a far harder climb. It will kill you on the way up and the way down. Mick Conefrey guides us through the early story of the legendary mountain and the extraordinary attempts that led up to its first ascent in 1954 - these are tales of riveting drama and unimaginable tragedy.
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First Review? It was an "okay" book
- By Matthew on 10-20-15
By: Mick Conefrey
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Mountains of the Mind
- Adventures in Reaching the Summit
- By: Robert Macfarlane
- Narrated by: James A. Gillies
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Combining accounts of legendary mountain ascents with vivid descriptions of his own forays into wild, high landscapes, Robert Macfarlane reveals how the mystery of the world's highest places has come to grip the Western imagination - and perennially draws legions of adventurers up the most perilous slopes. His story begins three centuries ago, when mountains were feared as the forbidding abodes of dragons and other mysterious beasts.
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Pretentious Narrator
- By karla arens on 09-07-20
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The White Darkness
- By: David Grann
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 2 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Henry Worsley spent his life idolizing Ernest Shackleton, the 19th-century polar explorer who tried to become the first person to reach the South Pole and later sought to cross Antarctica on foot. Worsley felt an overpowering connection to those expeditions. In 2008, Worsley set out across Antarctica with two other descendants of Shackleton's crew, battling the freezing, desolate landscape and life-threatening physical exhaustion. He soon felt compelled to go back. In 2015, Worsley bid farewell to his family and embarked on his most perilous quest: to walk across Antarctica alone.
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Will Patton's narration
- By Carol on 01-18-19
By: David Grann
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Skywalker
- Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail
- By: Bill Walker
- Narrated by: Bill Walker
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT )is the perfect place for an average person to do something extraordinary. Bill Walker ("Skywalker"), who stands 6'11", might seem like anything but average. Yet in a brutally honest tone, he lays to bare all his considerable weaknesses and fears. Among these are crushing weight loss and fatigue, along with a fear of getting lost or a bear stealing his food. Nonetheless, he is bound and determined to hike the PCT which - at 2,663 miles - runs all the way from Mexico to Canada.
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One persons account
- By Virginia on 03-30-15
By: Bill Walker
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Joe Simpson, with just his partner, Simon Yates, tackled the unclimbed West Face of the remote 21,000-foot Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in June of 1985. But before they reached the summit, disaster struck. A few days later, Simon staggered into Base Camp, exhausted and frostbitten, to tell their non-climbing companion that Joe was dead. For three days he wrestled with guilt as they prepared to return home. Then a cry in the night took them out with torches, where they found Joe, badly injured.
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Chronicles of misery.
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Joe Simpson, with just his partner, Simon Yates, tackled the unclimbed West Face of the remote 21,000-foot Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in June of 1985. But before they reached the summit, disaster struck. A few days later, Simon staggered into Base Camp, exhausted and frostbitten, to tell their non-climbing companion that Joe was dead. For three days he wrestled with guilt as they prepared to return home. Then a cry in the night took them out with torches, where they found Joe, badly injured.
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What listeners say about On the Ridge Between Life and Death
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Christopher
- 11-16-21
Wtf
Thanks for taking me on your climbs. I have not finished yet but WTF. Huge respect to the men and women for bringing us - armchair adventurers - to places once only meant for the gods.
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- Magpie Canada Dreamin'
- 08-30-22
very good & informative
I was less than enthralled by the story of his young life , especially his fumbling sexual exploits. I really didn't think that appropriate to the story. The end result of that first love left lasting scars, but we all carry the weight of that tender time and inevitable mistakes. It could have been a few paragraphs instead of chapter. The poignancy would have had more emphasis in the subtlety & indeed more lasting than then the blow-by-blow and inevitable result.
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- Jonathan
- 06-30-24
Always the best
David Robert’s is always great. Highly recommend. One of the most poignant analysis of climbing and risk.
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- Fret Freak
- 11-21-21
Not your average climbing book
I have read several climbing books and this one is the best, especially if you are the sort of person who loves it if the author is introspective. The writing is crisp, evocative, and uncluttered. No major drama here but an autobiography about a man who becomes an expert climber, but watches friends die along the way. The author writes with courage about himself, revealing personal doubts and short-comings, as well as achievements.
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- Dani bo bani
- 07-29-24
Engaging, moving, personal, inspiring.
Amazing read that really highlights the depth of life and death in the mountains, especially in Alaska. I didn’t want to stop listening.
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- joe
- 02-16-22
The same book as Deborah and Mountain of My Fears
I am very confused how this is a new book, this is just Mountain of My Fears and Deborah told again. Which itself is a great book. But I don't need to read it again.
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1 person found this helpful