Page 31 - AMA Winter 2023/24

REVIEWS
HIGH RISK – CLIMBING TO EXTINCTION
Author: Brian Hall Reviewed by: Pukar Shah
If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to become a top-notch mountaineer, Brian Hall’s ‘High Risk’ is here to tell
you, and it’s not for the faint of heart, or anyone who prefers a cosy couch to a frozen glacier. This book is a rollercoaster ride through the lives of fearless moun- taineers who swapped common sense for summit fever.
Hall paints a vivid picture of the ‘golden age’ of alpine-style climbing, where danger was an appetiser, and frostbite was the main course. He introduces us to a band of adventurers who were so committed to risk-taking that they turned it into an art form. They embraced lightweight,
small-team climbing with the enthusiasm of extreme sports junkies. As you flip through the pages, you’ll meet eleven climbers with their own stories. From daring ascents to gravity-defying mishaps, it’s like a reality show set on the world’s tallest peaks. But what sets ‘High Risk’ apart is its blend of adventure and introspection. Hall reflects on the allure of risk and how it evolves with age and responsibility. It’s as if he’s trying to understand his past escapades.
This book is a hilarious and heart-pound- ing tribute to those who risked it all for the summit, with enough tales of alluring adventures to make you question your weekend hikes up Pen-y-Fan. So, if you’re
in the mood for an adrenaline rush from the safety of your reading chair, grab ‘High Risk’ and remember, mountaineering may not be for you if you’re not a fan of oxygen, frostbite, or hanging off cliffs in nylon hammocks.
RACE
TO THE
SUMMIT
Netflix Film – reviewed Rby: Mark Gregory
The documentary may not be a big movie, blockbuster epic, but is nonetheless an entertaining story of two rivals engaged in the pursuit to self-actualisation and the vice of setting world speed records. It was terrifying to think of the risks these two men took in the pursuit of their aspirations and the realisation that one slip could end it all. But as both climbers would testify throughout, the risk was deemed acceptable when balanced against the euphoria felt on reaching each summit in record time.
eleased 2023, Race to the Summit follows the rivalry of Swiss speed climbers Ueli Steck and Dani Arnold
as they compete to achieve world records on Switzerland’s most iconic peaks: the Matterhorn, Eiger and Grandes Jorasses.
The documentary first focuses on Ueli, the pace setter and role model, as he achieves new speed records on all three mountains before switching attention to Dani, his fierce competitor and the new star on the extreme mountaineering scene. This high-paced and high-risk lifestyle of ‘no protection’ and ‘no insurance’ world
speed records, by these two doggedly determined, like-minded but contrasting characters would see the honours change hands several times until Ueli’s untimely death on Nuptse in 2017.
Complementing their monumental achievements in the Swiss Alps, the documentary also takes a look at Ueli’s and Dani’s “side projects” to set speed records in the Himalayas (for which Ueli was recognised with a Piolets d’or) and the Italian Dolomites respectively, and the controversy and media speculation surrounding both climbers’ achievements.
ARMY MOUNTAINEER / 31