Extreme Alpinism: Climbing Light, High, and Fast

This is perhaps the best book of its genera. Almost all of the tips on gear and climbing are as relevant as back when the book was published. I skipped some of the information on nutrition and supplements.

Mark Twight is (ok, "was" -- he's retired) a world class alpine climber with a long list of ridiculously impressive climbs. But they aren't your usual climbs; he lives up to his motto of fast and light (often ridiculously so in both categories). This book is absolutely full of helpful information about what it takes to adopt this kind of balls-out climbing. He talks about nutrition, physical training, equipment, clothing, psychology, partners, rescue, and on and on. He really did give us the keys to the castle with this book, laying out all of his secrets for how to succeed and survive using this kind of admittedly very dangerous alpine methodology. Plus, he includes a bunch of vignettes (his own and others) about tales of survival, success, and -- importantly -- failures. He makes it abundantly clear throughout this book that this kind of climbing is definitely not for everyone. People die every year doing this (and less). But if you're up to the challenge, this is a veritable Bible of light and fast alpinism.The only downside to the book is the somewhat dated information (1999) about gear and clothing. I wish he'd do an update. But with a little interpolation/knowledge of current gear/clothing, you can easily adapt what he says to today's gear. The techniques and so on are still as relevant now as they were then, almost without exception.I had zero hesitation giving this five stars. Twight knows his stuff cold, and shares it all with the lucky reader. But reader beware: this book may inspire you a bit too much. As others have said elsewhere, "Fast and Light" should always be followed up by "Fit and Experienced." Twight tries to emphasize this with sections on the sometimes draconian workouts he recommends, but still... I could see clowns like myself biting off more than what's chewable after reading this.

Extreme Alpinism is among a very small set of books every would-be alpine-style climber should read. The alpinist, in Twight's mind, is a blend of Nietzschean and Hemingway heroes, boiled in a punk ethos and refined through suffering to burn out the last traces of ego. The author explicitly dedicates only 7 pages specifically to the attitude and mentality intrinsic to alpine style climbing, but spends the entire book exploring their implications. It is also jammed with physiological and nutritional advice that was cutting edge at the time, but remains good advice today. His nutrition and training information remains thorough, insightful, and occasionally surprising. His outlook on clothing systems in general is still waiting for a company bold enough (or financially secure enough) to attempt them. That said, his advice regarding ice-tools came before the leashless revolution, and even at the time it was written did not reflect market realities. Today, it is all but impossible to find a straight-shaft ice-tool, irrespective of Twight's opinion of their bent-shaft brethren. Likewise, opinions on specific fabrics, foods, even stoves can be woefully out of date. Mostly, however, Twight avoids dating himself too much by focusing on the universals of climbing, rather than the details of the equipment. While Extreme Alpinism can be meticulous in laying out certain processes, this book is not written for the neophyte climber who has never held an ice tool, let alone used one on an alpine-style ascent. The book requires a minimum level of experience on the reader's part, and rewards those who are willing to critically examine their own practices, both technical and mental. The recurrent themes of self-knowledge, self-discipline, and self-actualization guide virtually every statement, and they are the real core of this book.

I’m not a climber but a rather a fan of Mark Twight’s prose and thoughtfulness. It only made sense to finally read the original book. Even though I had read much of the material before it was nonetheless enjoyable and the pictures gave it added context and value. Well done.

First: Read  Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills Second: Read  Alpine Climbing: Techniques to Take You Higher (Mountaineers Outdoor Expert) Third:  Climbing Self Rescue: Improvising Solutions for Serious Situations (Mountaineers Outdoor Expert) then, if you feel as if something's missing, get this book. We get in these pages a fast-and-light set of tactics, a dedicated training approach, and a wealth of existential rawness from Twight. At times it is a little heavy with Twight's ego, but take it for what it is. There is great advice in here for the casual mountaineer who will not be racing under seracs or doing 50 hr pushes with a day pack. if you do these things, you won't need this book. What you will need is luck.

I am not a climber, so I am certainly not qualified to talk about big portions of this book. I bought this books because it came highly recommended by a couple friend's of mine in the know. The sections about mindset and training are worth the price of this book alone. Mark Twight writes in a clear, concise and no nonsense way. You might not agree with something he says but you can't argue that whatever he presents is logical and well thought out. I recommend this book to anyone who's job, hobby or live style requires extreme amounts of focus and will power to succeed. Its money well spent and you won't regret it.

Mark Twight addresses the most important aspect of climbing, the psychological. And offers some insights into how to train your mind to handle the most terrifying environments on earth.

Stands the test of time , still an amazing book more than 20 years later.

Usually I find instructional books hard going; however, having seen Jason Momoa interview and discuss the author I thought I would give it a go. The book is written in a unique style, lighthearted, and interesting and full of anecdotes which keep the book interesting. I'm unlikely to tackle any alpine routes, I am an occasional climber but I still found the book instructive and interesting.

So much awesome information even if you aren't hard core. Mark gives a lot of advice on all topics needed to survive even the simplest climbs. I highly recommend this book. He has some stories as well that everyone can take something from. Keep dreaming big!!

Mark Twight verbindet konsequente alpine Sicherungstechnik mit der Schilderung absolut nicht optimal vorbereiteter Abenteuer.Wer sich als Alpinist weiterentwickeln will findet hier ein gutes Lehrbuch. Wer auf ursprüngliche Abenteuer steht findet diese auch so! Schöne Bilder (hart, kalt). Ein Bogen, der sich vom Icefall-Soloing bis zum DAV-Sicherheitskreis spannt. Wer die aktuelle Entwicklung im Alpinismus mitverfolgt und diesen als sportliche Ingenieurdisziplin betrachtet braucht das Buch nicht. Aber es lädt dazu ein, immer wieder rein zu schauen.

Awesome information for those who are familiar with the basics of mountaineering and are interested in taking it further.