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Over the Top: Humorous Mountaineering Tales
Trips gone wrong, embarrassing incidents, unfortunate pratfalls, and hilarious reflections are part of the newest volume in The Mountaineers Anthology Series. Kurt Diemberger's "A Lesson in French" and Greg Childs' "Chalk" are examples of climbers' keen appreciation for the absurd, droll, ironic, and hilarious moments in their world.
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2002
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About the author
Peter Potterfield
22 books2 followersJournalist Peter Potterfield writes about wilderness and adventure for newspapers, magazines, books, and on-line publishing. He is currently editor of GreatOutdoors.com.
Potterfield is the author of a dozen books, including the critically acclaimed In the Zone (The Mountaineers Books, 1996), and the Banff Book Festival Award winner, High Himalaya (The Mountaineers Books, 2001). His most recent books are Classic Hikes of the World (WW Norton & Co., 2005), Himalayan Quest (National Geographic Books, 2003) and Everest, the Anthology, a collection of first-hand narratives from the world's highest peak (The Mountaineers Books, 2003). He is the author of the best-selling climbing guide to the Cascade Range, Selected Climbs in the Cascades, in two volumes (The Mountaineers Books, 1994, 2000, 2002). He edited the first collection of funny climbing narratives for his anthology, Over the Top, Humorous Mountaineering Tales (The Mountaineers Books, 2002).
Potterfield has made a specialty of covering mountaineering and backcountry adventure for the popular press, and he has written on these subjects for National Geographic Adventure, Conde Nast Traveler, Outside, Reader's Digest, Backpacker, Modern Maturity, Summit, Smithsonian Air & Space, and other publications. He was named a finalist for the National Magazine Award for General Excellence during his twelve-year tenure as editor of Pacific Northwest Magazine. As editor of MountainZone.com from 1996 to 2003, he developed electronic adventure journalism by pioneering live reporting of Mount Everest expeditions and other real-time adventure stories from remote locations. A highlight was the discovery by a 1999 MountainZone.com-sponsored expedition of the long-lost climber, George Mallory. His work at MountainZone.com, according to The New York Times, "made a spectator sport out of Himalayan climbing."
A veteran of expeditions to the far corners of the world, Potterfield has roamed the Himalaya, explored the mountains of Canada's Coast Range, crossed the Swedish Arctic solo, traveled on foot through the wild southern reaches of New Zealand, and retraced Sir Ernest Shackleton's route to salvation on South Georgia Island. Potterfield is currently the editor of GreatOutdoors.com, one of the most frequently visited online adventure magazines, where he writes his monthly column, Wilderness Notes.
Potterfield is the author of a dozen books, including the critically acclaimed In the Zone (The Mountaineers Books, 1996), and the Banff Book Festival Award winner, High Himalaya (The Mountaineers Books, 2001). His most recent books are Classic Hikes of the World (WW Norton & Co., 2005), Himalayan Quest (National Geographic Books, 2003) and Everest, the Anthology, a collection of first-hand narratives from the world's highest peak (The Mountaineers Books, 2003). He is the author of the best-selling climbing guide to the Cascade Range, Selected Climbs in the Cascades, in two volumes (The Mountaineers Books, 1994, 2000, 2002). He edited the first collection of funny climbing narratives for his anthology, Over the Top, Humorous Mountaineering Tales (The Mountaineers Books, 2002).
Potterfield has made a specialty of covering mountaineering and backcountry adventure for the popular press, and he has written on these subjects for National Geographic Adventure, Conde Nast Traveler, Outside, Reader's Digest, Backpacker, Modern Maturity, Summit, Smithsonian Air & Space, and other publications. He was named a finalist for the National Magazine Award for General Excellence during his twelve-year tenure as editor of Pacific Northwest Magazine. As editor of MountainZone.com from 1996 to 2003, he developed electronic adventure journalism by pioneering live reporting of Mount Everest expeditions and other real-time adventure stories from remote locations. A highlight was the discovery by a 1999 MountainZone.com-sponsored expedition of the long-lost climber, George Mallory. His work at MountainZone.com, according to The New York Times, "made a spectator sport out of Himalayan climbing."
A veteran of expeditions to the far corners of the world, Potterfield has roamed the Himalaya, explored the mountains of Canada's Coast Range, crossed the Swedish Arctic solo, traveled on foot through the wild southern reaches of New Zealand, and retraced Sir Ernest Shackleton's route to salvation on South Georgia Island. Potterfield is currently the editor of GreatOutdoors.com, one of the most frequently visited online adventure magazines, where he writes his monthly column, Wilderness Notes.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 18, 2014
My favorite quote from the book summarizes the tone of the stories,
“Climbing is not that important,” he says in his own defense. “It’s the camaraderie, it’s overcoming elements in myself that matters. The thing that I have enjoyed about it most is that there is no superficiality. The idea is to set a goal and do the best job you can. What are the seven to ten days you spend on a wall compared to life? The values people talk about are imaginary. It’s all an illusion. You make yourself up as you go along. You are a viewpoint, a set of beliefs, that’s all. People take themselves seriously because they want to be separate. But if you are still conscious when all is said and done you’ll be laughing.” –Jim Bridwell
“Climbing is not that important,” he says in his own defense. “It’s the camaraderie, it’s overcoming elements in myself that matters. The thing that I have enjoyed about it most is that there is no superficiality. The idea is to set a goal and do the best job you can. What are the seven to ten days you spend on a wall compared to life? The values people talk about are imaginary. It’s all an illusion. You make yourself up as you go along. You are a viewpoint, a set of beliefs, that’s all. People take themselves seriously because they want to be separate. But if you are still conscious when all is said and done you’ll be laughing.” –Jim Bridwell
Displaying 1 of 1 review