Mountain Madness: : Scott Fischer, Mount Everest, and a Life Lived on High

“An extraordinary life.”—The New York Times Book Review “A fitting homage to one of the great outdoor extremists.”—Kirkus Reviews Legendary climber Scott Fischer found in Mount Everest a perfect landscape for his fearless spirit. Scaling the world's highest peak tested his skills, his courage, and his endurance. His legendary final expedition—and its tragic outcome—are portrayed in Everest, the 3-D movie adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Scott Fischer. Robert Birkby, one of Scott's close friends, captures in this intimate and stirring portrait who Scott Fischer really was and what led him to climb to the top of the world—before he left it altogether. “A personal, uncritical biography that rounds out the portrait of Fischer sketched in Krakauer's best-seller Into Thin Air.”—The New York Times Book Review “A much fuller picture of a climber widely critiqued in the high-profile coverage after the Everest tragedy.”—Seattle Post Intelligencer “A vivid portrait of a superb athlete whose love of mountain climbing drove everything he did.”—Ed Viesturs, author of No Shortcuts to the Top “Birkby succeeds in illuminating the power mountains can exert over the human soul.—Publishers Weekly Updated with a New Introduction and EpiloguePlus new photos exclusive to the digital edition!

mountain Madness

scott Fischer, Mount Everest, And A Life Lived On High

robert Birkby

you're Either Cruisin' Or You're Bummin', So You Might As Well Cruise.—scott Fischer

mountain Climber Scott Fischer's Mantra Would Lead Him To Scale The Highest And Most Treacherous Peaks On Earth. Best Known As One Of The Guides Who Perished Near The Summit Of Mount Everest During The Tragic Spring Of 1996, Scott Fischer Became For Many An Iconic Symbol Of Audacity, Hubris, And The Limits Of Human Endurance. But To Those Who Knew Him Well, Scott Was Much More Than An Action Figure At The Heart Of A Modern-day Cautionary Tale. Now In This Vivid, Candid Biography, Robert Birkby-one Of Scott's Close Friends-gives Us A Fascinating, In-depth Portrait Of Who Scott Fischer Really Was And What Led Him To The Top Of The World.

as A Teenage Athlete Growing Up In New Jersey, Scott Felt A Restless Drive To Reach Beyond The Limits Of His Suburban Environment. He Discovered The Freedom He Sought During Summers In The Rugged Mountains Of Wyoming. A Natural Mountaineer Blessed With Tremendous Physical Strength And Willpower, Scott Thrived On The Challenges Of Climbing, The Beauty Of The High Country, And The Like-minded People He Found There. With The Creation Of A Guide Service He Called Mountain Madness, Scott Meshed His Need To Climb With His Joy In Sharing With Others The Lofty, Rarified Realms He Had Made His Own.

in Adrenaline-filled Narratives That Take Us To The World's Tallest Places, Robert Birkby Traces The Expeditions That Made Scott One Of The Most Respected Climbers Of The Close-knit Mountaineering Community. From Alaska To The Soviet Union, From The Granite Walls Of Yosemite To Thepunishing Storms Of The Himalayas, Scott's Achievements Are Hair-raising, Inspiring, And Always Exhilarating-a Relentless Quest For New Highs That Builds Inexorably To The Rendezvous With Disaster On Everest.

scott's Life Was A Journey Filled With Adventures, Deep Friendships, And Dramatic Successes And Failures In The Obscure Reaches Of Some Of The World's Most Beautiful And Dangerous Places. A Captivating Homage To A Man Who Eagerly Went Where Few Dare To Go, Mountain Madness Is An Extraordinary Account Of Courage, Passion, And Extreme Living.

the New York Times - Bruce Barcott

scott Fischer Is Best Known As The Charismatic American Guide Who Died On Everest In 1996, A Disaster Told In Jon Krakauer's into Thin Air. To His Friend Robert Birkby, For Fischer To Be Remembered For That Tragedy Alone Is An Unjust Summation Of An Extraordinary Life. mountain Madness Is A Personal, Uncritical Biography That Rounds Out The Portrait Of Fischer Sketched In Krakauer's Best Seller.

Best known as one of the guides who perished on Mount Everest during the tragic spring of 1996, Scott Fischer became for many a symbol of audacity, hubris, and the limits of human endurance. But to those who knew him well, Scott was much more than an action figure in a modern-day cautionary tale. Now, a close friend tells who Scott Fischer really was and what led him to the top of the world. Scott thrived on the challenges of climbing, the beauty of the high country, and the like-minded people he found there. His guide service meshed his need to climb with his joy in sharing the lofty, rarified realms with others. Birkby traces Scott's expeditions from the granite walls of Yosemite to Alaska to the punishing storms of the Himalayas--a relentless quest for new highs that builds inexorably to the rendezvous with disaster on Everest.--From publisher description An inspiring biography chronicles the life and adventures of renowned mountaineer Scott Fischer, from his climbing excursions on mountains around the world to the ill-fated 1996 expedition to Mount Everest in which he and seven others perished. Reprint.