On the ridge between life and death : A climbing life reexamined


Citation
Roberts, David. On the ridge between life and death : A climbing life reexamined, 
2005.


Annotation


A mountaineering adventure that finds David Roberts looking back at his avid climbing experiences. By the time Roberts turned 22 he had been involved in 3 fatal mountain climbing accidents and had escaped death by sheer luck. While pioneering a new route in Alaska, Roberts watched as his climbing partner and friend fell wordlessly 4,000 feet to a glacier below while making their descent. Just earlier they had climbed a 'slender triangular pyramid' on Mount Huntington and made their giddy celebration on reaching  the top. 
This balance of joy and terror is what makes this an exhilarating read and an intense on the edge, life affirming book.
Despite these tragedies, Roberts insists that the greatest pleasures in his life have come in the mountains.
'Anyone who has ever wondered why mountaineers take the risks that they do will be moved and enlightened by On the ridge between life ad death, as will anyone who appreciates vivid, dramatic storytelling and an unflinchingly honest self-examination of a lifetime spent pursuing a dangerous pastime.' Book jacket.