Steig oder stirb

by Mark Twight

KISS OR KILL Sit back and join the ride with this collection of edge-of-your-seat climbing stories by MarkTwight aka Dr. Doom. "Somewhere out there somebody understands these words and knows they matter. They were written in blood, learned by heart." --Mark Twight - BANFF award-winnerExtreme climber. Extreme writer. Extreme personality. No matter what he's doing, Mark Twight takes a definite, and often controversial , stand. Anyone who knows climbing knows Twight's name, and anyone who knows Twight's name will want to read this book. Each story is told in Twight's taut, in-your-face style. Brand-new epilogues bring each piece full circle , providing updated information and fresh, hindsight perspectives.

Genres: Climbing, Adventure, Nonfiction, Mountaineering, Outdoors, Biography, Memoir

Paperback

First published June 1, 2001

Reviews

[Gabriel Lando · Rating 3 out of 5]

I spent days squeezing my mind in order to reach a conclusion regarding this book. Interestingly, one aspect of it doesn't really depend on the book itself, but on the author - actually, it doesn't depend on the author himself, but on what he (and people like him) represent.

Mark Twight is a serious climber: hardened by the cold, defined by the ice, troubled by the choice. Each and every person that hits a certain plateau in climbing has to choose between keep doing it (and risk everything) or stop, give way, see the mission as accomplished. Weirdly, the few that do hit the life-or-death plateau often choose to keep climbing until they die instead of backing off. Twight mentions several times that more than 40 of his friends are already dead, and that he's tired of finding out how much a person means to him by what he feels after he or she dies. To the non-climber, this might sound absurd. I can't imagine being in the skin of someone who doesn't understand the drive towards the mountain, the need to pursue the summit, the beauty that's born out of both success and failure. I'm part of those who see no harm in choosing to risk life in order to reach the unimaginable state of bliss, fear, anxiety and relief that climbing provides. It's not only worth it, it's also a need, a must, an addiction. It might be a disease, since it often leads to death.

Reading Twight is definitely amusing. Being able to relate to many situations he describes, the following stories touched me deeply: "Glitter and Despair", "I Hurt, Therefore I Am", "Heaven Never Laughed", "A Lifetime Before Death", "The Reference Point: Interview with Jean-Christophe Lafaille" and "No Time to Cry". Some of those stories, like "No Time to Cry", are an integral part of a climber's life: we simply can't run away from them. It's a curse that comes with the choice of being in the mountains.

My problems with the book, summarized in Twights' own words, are "we all pass judgement when we feel threatened. I suppose this is human nature and might never change". Well, Twight might feel threatened all the time, then. As a individualistic activity, climbing opens the door to extreme egocentrism: the sport is rotting from the inside. Twight is at least honest enough to admit he suffers deeply from this, but most of the time he's ranting about other climbers' actions instead of his own. Even though I agree with 99% of his ranting, I could not believe his level of self-proclamation in some passages, such as "the torch of alpine climbing has been passed to me" or "as a leading role model, I had to give the best example". I simply cringed, having to sometimes interrupt the reading due to the high levels of sheer disgust his words caused in me. I don't dispute any of his ascents, nor undervalue Twight as a climber, but I think being humble is not only more sophisticated, but also even more admirable when you're such a top-notch climber. Humbleness only adds value, and if people find out the route you opened up in the Himalayas is a grade 9 by trying it they'll be even more surprised than if they found out by reading a stupid article where you undervalue their ascents and overvalue yours. Twight goes from blaming good ice conditions to better equipment by people that are climbing harder than him, and at the same time complains about how the ego war is strong within the climbing community. Well, guess what? This book contributes to inflate a culture of egocentric, narcissistic people that have a strong pull in the direction of advertising their success by downgrading everything else.

In resume: if the book was constituted by the stories I mentioned, I'd have given it a 5 star rating. Some of the stories I didn't mention were -5 stars, that is, some of the worst pieces of text I've ever read. Twight thinks people dislike his stories because they might be too honest for them, but I insist that's not the case... I disliked most of his stories mainly because I felt like his ego was wiping its ass with my eyes.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've found Mark Twight's essays on the Gym Jones site inspirational and thought provoking. I am only interested in alpine climbing inasmuch as the lessons learned about life from that discipline can be abstracted and applied to my own life. In that sense, Mark's book was helpful. I learned what self-assessment and self-honesty really means. Mark's a great writer and I recommend this book to anyone with a passing interest in the intersection between sport and self-knowledge.

[Karine · Rating 2 out of 5]

A peek into the mind of the oh-so-superior Mark Twight... or is he?

[Anthony Marra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories. Mark Twight is weird and statistically, should be dead. The end.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confrontational.

Whether you like him or not he has a way with words and reflecting on life's beauty and perils. For someone with such a hard outer shell he can be extremely introspective and thoughtful. Great book if you want to have a hard think about what you are doing with your life and need some motivation.

[Luca Lollobrigida · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Scalare è il mezzo che ho scelto per definire e capire me stesso"

Il libro è composto da una serie di articoli scritti e rimodellati da Twight nel tempo. Alcuni più interessanti di altri, ma sicuro la lettura perde di fluidità.
Quello che mi porterò dentro però sono le tante frasi che lo arricchiscono. La consapevolezza di avere una passione ormai trasformata in ossessione, l'impossibilità di essere compresi e la conseguente incomunicabilità, che porta alla fine di relazioni, d'amore e d'amicizia, troppe. La difficoltà nel farsi accettare per come si è e per le priorità che uno ha scelto nella vita.
Grazie alle sue frasi, ci sentiamo tutti un po' meno soli, un po' meno incompresi.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Twight is an intense, serious climber inspired by punk and here to provoke people. I agree with almost everything he says and find him quite inspiring, but his ego is pretty massive and occasionally gets irritating. If punk attitude and talk of posers annoys you, then you may not like this book. He tells it like it is and isn't afraid to ruffle some feathers—in fact, that's often his intention.

A passage I thoroughly enjoyed on the high risk in alpinism and serious climbing:

"Death plays a huge role in why men climb, in the way they climb and why some of them eventually quit climbing in the high mountains. Alpinism often means high risk and the loss of life. Your friends are up there in the clouds, in storms, swept away by avalanches, or cowering under a volley of stones. Perhaps they'll freeze to death at the bottom of a crevasse or sit down to rest and never get up again... Alpinism is the story of men and the risks men take, the ones they are equal to, the ones they barely get away with, and those risks that kill them. It is about the obsession. The danger and the glory, the addiction of going harder, higher, longer. Sometimes we get away with it, when others do not. Death in the mountains can be as ugly as a falling stone surprising an innocent hiker on the trail. It can also be as beautiful as seven men struggling through a storm day after day, giving everything they have to life and living it. But one by one, from cold, from exhaustion, from having fought so hard, they die. Until three remain.
I say this is beautiful because the greatest human act is the act of survival.

I think this passage is especially relevant given the recent media attention of free soloing. But I think it's also a thoughtful perspective on what makes life fulfilling.

On a related note, Twight rants a bit in this book (I forgot to highlight where) about how, with advancements in technology, mountaineering, climbing, and alpinism aren't nearly as risky or dangerous as they once were, and accomplishing the same routes as climbers once did before that technology was available isn't as worthy because those who repeat them do so without commitment. Totally agree - it's not the same. He ends this rant with a snarky comment: "I can take Sport Climbing—I participate. Sport Alpinism, though? Yeah, Verm, it's neither."

An example of his general attitude I found entertaining:

"I laugh hard at French climbers and their media because too much talk and not enough action in France. They spend too much time posing and not enough time training. The common availability of high-quality terrain causes complacency. It makes them wait for perfect conditions, when all the conveniences coincide before attempting a new route, which makes their remaining plums ripe for plucking. It just takes a bit more motivation than the locals possess."

Honestly, I've thought a little along these lines before in regards to backpacking, hiking, and climbing. If you really love it and are psyched to get after it and be outside, you won't care about the weather or the sacrifices. You'll go because it's there. And then you enjoy it far more without the crowds of people who only can stand it with the perfect conditions. In regards to climbing, sometimes I think about how I live in Virginia/DC (where there are next to zero outdoor opportunities nearby, and if there are, they are kind of garbage) and others live in mountain towns surrounded by opportunities. Often it seems like they don't take advantage of it, while I will take a day trip driving five hours each way with little sleep just to get on some quality rock.

Lastly, I just think it's funny and cute that he lists a "Soundtrack for Personal Reinvention" with a list of punk songs to get rid of complacency, inconsistency, and incompetency in your life. This dude is so over the top in a really fun way.

[Paige Docking · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think a book has ever possessed the power to grip my soul and drag it through an emotional whirlwind like this book has. I literally had to put the book down for a few weeks half way through because I had become so emotionally wrapped up in it and wasn't sure if the anger I was feeling was towards the book, Mart Twight, society or myself. When I had finally come to grips, I picked it up again.

This is such a raw outpouring with no constraints that cuts straight to the core. His exquisite, passionate (an understatement) way of writing forces you to examine your own life and whether you are living the life you want to be. He hits at deep insecurities and makes you detest living a mediocre life. Especially for myself, being a weekend warrior and only getting out into the mountains when I get the chance, he really makes you want to flip the table in a moment of rage and quit everything to go live in the mountains and push yourself to your absolute limit.

I'm both relieved and saddened to have finished this book. The emotional rollercoaster is over, however I have never read such a powerful, lifechanging book. This will definitely be a book I read more than once. I would get different things out of it depending on what stage of life I'm in.

I would not recommend this to everyone however. Very polarizing as to whether you would love this or absolutely hate it.

[Kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

“But there is a way out. Live the lifestyle instead of paying lip service to the lifestyle. Live with commitment. With emotional content. Live whatever life you choose honestly. Give up this renaissance man, dilettante bullshit of doing a lot of different things (and none of them very well by real standards). Get to the guts of one thing; accept, without casuistry, the responsibility of making a choice. When you live honestly, you can not separate your mind from your body, or your thoughts from your actions.

Tell the truth. First, to yourself. Say it until it hurts. Learn the reality of your own selfishness. Quit living for other people at the expense of your own self, you're not really alive. You live in the land of denial—and they say the view is pretty as long as you remain asleep."

...

“Burn the bridge. Nuke the foundation. Back yourself up against a wall. Have an opinion one way or the other, get off the fence and rip it up. Cut yourself off so there is no going back. Once you're committed the truth will come out.

You ask about security? What you need is uncertainty. What you need is confusion. Something which forces you to reinvent yourself, a whip to drive you harder.”

[Liam Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense book from an intense man. He has a very unique perspective on climbing and alpinism that purposefully strays from the traditional expeditious, glorious accounts of most mountain climbing and made for a much more authentic retelling of his experiences! Would recommend if you either want to get much more into alpinism or abandon all desire to ever try it.

[Akeelah Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book going inside the mind of a serial killer.getting the ideas and little details of the killer

[Sam Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark is an intense dude, a punk who wants to wake you up and force you to examine your motivations and kill activities that you're not willing to pursue with full force. It's a tough ideal to match.

This book spoke to me as someone making the first steps toward bigger adventures in the mountains, and out of training against a stopwatch on limited tracks. I'm in awe of the big mountains, but I don't really know what it takes to "succeed" there, or even have a framework for what that means.

"Kiss or Kill" is a collection of essays describing Twight's growth as an alpinist; significant climbs, the friends he's lost and the relationships he's shattered to continue to climb hard. In a number of the essays he hints that he knows he's a little bit of a caricature, and goes a little overboard to "wake up" the reader. Still, the honesty in the book, and the uncomfortable feeling of reading someone not afraid to tell you you're wasting your fucking time, was welcome.

Check it out if you're interested in what drives someone to go into the mountains and suffer. Then read Steve House's "Beyond the Mountain". I enjoyed seeing Steve and other characters he mentions through Mark's eyes, and vice versa. Definitely goes on the adventure list... though maybe not as comfort reading on some gnarly first alpine adventure.

[Alex Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, entertaining, and at times very absorbing, this is a decent read for climbers - I wouldn't recommend it outside those interested in climbing or extreme sports. Twight eventually annoyed me with his extreme attitude towards risk / fulfilling ones potential etc and his evident enjoyment in taking extreme positions to gain a reaction. He is undoubtedly brave and a very serious climber, and so has earned insights into himself that few people do. But he extrapolates from that into extreme positions that few people will agree with, and fewer survive.

[Eva Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written insight into the life of someone wholly dedicated to climbing. Twitching with Twight was my favorite essay of the collection. Mountaineering, and those brave enough to do it, fascinate me—A truly interesting subculture.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather than gorgeous vistas or morality tales, this book gets at the insanity that motivates some climbers - that drive that just won't shut up. This book made me feel more sane than most :)

[Clara Mazzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chamonix. Anni Ottanta, Novanta. Alpinismo estremo. Punk. Fascia di lana per tenere ferma la cresta. Soloing. Walkmann. Sci. Evoluzione dell’arrampicata. Il climbing come proseguimento della protesta sociale iniziata negli anni Sessanta. L’arrampicata fine a sé stessa, non più alla ricerca di conquista di una cima. La ricerca di sé. Amore. Amicizia. Rabbia. Paura. Tanta paura. Sponsor. Posing. Exposure. Exposure sociale e in parete. Scendere a patti, a compromessi. Oppure no. La definizione di sé. Tagli. Radicali. Potature. Specialmente con le persone. Il viaggio all’eterna ricerca di sé, da una montagna all’altra, da un paese all’altro, da una cordata all’altra, da una donna all’altra. E poi soloing. Ancora. E poi il ritirarsi e cercare altre strade. L’essersi alla fine ritrovato. Eppure rimanere in ricerca. “La montagna più alta è sempre quella dentro di noi”, Walter Bonatti.
Un libro innanzi tutto doloroso, quello di Mark Twight. I primi due terzi li ho letti con la sensazione di avere un dito (il suo!) conficcato tra le costole che premesse. Parecchio. Era l’effetto voluto. E ottenuto. Un libro stranissimo: sincero, candido e drastico come solo gli adolescenti possono esserlo, incapaci di tenere la mezza misura per la paura di perdersi in scelte di vita convenzionali, comode ma non coraggiose, nel senso di vite che non perseguono la ricerca di sé. E, come tutti gli adolescenti, Mark Twight non coglie– per lo meno durante i suoi cinque anni a Chamonix – che la ricerca di sé non è cosa immediata, che ci vuole una vita per capirsi. Pieno di rabbia, causata da una famiglia così “ordinariamente disfuzionale” che non l’ha capito né riconosciuto, né accettato Mark prende la via dei monti: è il partigiano-americano Johnny, sui monti del Bianco, in battaglia per farsi valere, per ottenere quella stima, quel riconoscimento famigliare (questo non lo dice lui, ma lo suppongo io) che non gli verrà mai concesso. E’ un boccone durissimo da ingoiare, questo ma è il percorso che ha deciso di perseguire e che con grande coerenza lo fa tutto. Con quel poco che ha disposizione, come gli adolescenti che fanno guerra al mondo, praticamente disarmati, disarmati perché non sanno niente della vita ma sanno solo che non vogliono quello che gli viene proposto. Mi ha ricordato Anthony Bourdain, per qualche verso, con la grande differenza che la scelta della montagna di Twight e il suo eterno braccio di ferro con la paura e il non scendere a compromessi l’hanno salvato, nel senso che lui aveva capito che quello era il suo mondo, il suo spazio ma che doveva avere la forza di viverlo a modo suo, anche se lo accusavano spesso di avere un attitude problem. Intuiva che se fosse sceso a compromessi, si sarebbe perso. Sarebbe morto – dentro. E forse anche fuori. Anthony Bourdain al contrario alla fine optò per il compromesso (cioè: optò per sperimentare qualcosa di nuovo) ma una volta tirato fuori dalle cucine non ha retto il confronto con un mondo non cristallino, come aveva bisogno lui - e come ne ha bisogno Twight - e così si è suicidato.
Insomma, per i primi due terzi del libro ero quasi arrabbiata con questo Mark Twight: non ha fatto poi così tante imprese in montagna, ed era terribilmente cupo, negativo, rancoroso, acido, adolescenziale nelle sue scelte drastiche con le persone perché incapace di lavorare su di sé. Poi compie per la prima volta un’ascesa in coppia con Scott e “scopre” l’amicizia, quella vera. O forse, dopo tanti anni di lavoro su di sé, sente che si può aprire senza perdersi. Ed ecco che l’ultimo terzo del libro, con un nuovo Mark, cresciuto, maturato (pur restando un eterno adolescente) decolla umanamente e compie finalmente l’arco necessario affinché la vita di Twight abbia un senso anche per altri, sia foriera cioè di una lezione di vita. E mi è piaciuto. Molto. Sia lui che quello che mi ha detto in questi suoi scritti tormentati.
Con questo strano libro sull’arrampicata, in questa raccolta di articoli che seguono alcune tappe della vita di Mark Twight, anch’io ho fatto un passo avanti nella mia ricerca di me e gliene sono grata.

[No Magic Pill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard of Mark Twight back into 2010 through Gym Jones, a "cult"gym in Salt Lake City. Their approach to and mindset about training was quite different from Globo Gyms (of course) and even other non-conventional training methods, like Crossfit. You can see more about Gym Jones philosophy here.

Kiss or Kill is not a traditional book, but rather a series of Twight's essays concatenated together with pictures of various mountains, climbing, and other things, such as this photo, captioned "Saying hello and goodbye to France, and the press in general." These essays were all penned pre-2001 (publication date), so Twight includes a "2000 Author's Note" at the end of each to reflect on what he thinks of the essays now and anything left unwritten.

The essays are a combination of Twight's philosophy and climbing stories (with his philosophy indirectly explained).

His obsession (that's what it is, no less) with climbing is impressive. He ruined relationships (both friendships and marriages) and risked in his life many a time in pursuit of pushing the limits of alpining. He remains cognizant of his decisions and how they affected both himself and others, yet continues in this fashion to keep doing what he loves: climbing mountains.

His writing is surprisingly good, both in describing his thought processes and the insane climbs he and others completed and attempted.

Twitching With Twight (5 min read) does the best job of describing Twight's philosophy without embedding it into a climbing story. Twight lives by this without deviation. He learned the reality of his own selfishness. He lived with commitment to his climbing career and nothing else. Most importantly, he lived for himself and no one else (not surprisingly, he acknowledges Ayn Rand at the end).

Overall, any mountaineer/alpinist would likely enjoy this book for its history aspect (Twight made the first ascents on quite a few routes), while non-climbers may still find it interesting for its imagery. Climbing aside, everyone can learn something from his philosophy.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meine Meinung von 2009:
ch konnte Mark Twight auch nicht immer zustimme. Besonders in den Artikeln zu Ende des Buchs ist mir seine Einsamer-Held-Einstellung gehörig auf die Nerven gegangen. Doch zu dem Zeitpunkt hatte er schon selbst mehrmals gesagt dass sich seine Einstellung zum Klettern und dem dazugehörigen Zirkus verändert hatte und genau das hat er beim Schreiben ausgedrückt.

In seinem Buch bestätigt er jedes Vorurteil das ich schon oft gehört habe: Amerikaner klettern technisch, Europäer klettern schön. Sportklettern ist nichts, nur alpines Klettern ist echtes Klettern. Trekker machen die Natur kaputt, Kletterer hinterlassen keine Spuren. Klettern ist Trendsport geworden und hat dadurch vieles verloren. Jeden dieser Sätze habe ich auch so schon von kletternden Freunden gehört und den einen oder anderen auch selbst gesagt

Im Buch wird deutlich dass klettern nicht nur frei sein, sondern auch einsam sein heißt. Die Liste der Freunde und Bekannten die Mark Twight verloren hat ist lang. Dabei hat mich die Erwähnung Wolfgang Güllichs ein bisschen gewundert, denn zumindest dieser Kletterer starb nicht am Berg sondern hinterm Steuer. Aber gefreut hat es mich trotzdem dass er überhaupt erwähnt worden ist.

Meine Meinung von 2020:
Wie sich die Ansichten ändern können. Beim ersten Lesen war ich begeistert von Steig oder stirb. Beim zweiten Mal sind mir viele Dinge auf die Nerven gegangen. Hauptsächlich war es der Erzählstil Mark Twights. Er schreit seinen Leser förmlich an und betont gefühlt in jedem Satz, dass er ein einsamer Wolf ist, dem alles andere egal ist außer dem Klettern. Extremkletterer sind Egoisten, das stimmt. Aber bis jetzt habe ich nur wenige gefunden, die ihren Egoismus so zelebrieren wie Mark Twight.

Das zweite war ein Übersetzungsfehler. Ständig wurde vom Gerät geschrieben, hauptsächlich vom Eisgerät. Bis auf dieses Buch habe ich den Ausdruck noch nie gelesen oder gehört. Die Meisten schreiben von Ausrüstung oder benennen das jeweilige Gerät.

Zu guter Letzt hat mich gestört, dass Mark Twight so auf das amerikanische Klettern fixiert ist und Europa nur beiläufig und wenn, dann hauptsächlich Frankreich erwähnt. Das mag an der Zeit liegen, in der die meisten seiner Artikel geschrieben wurden, aber ich fand das sehr einseitig.

Ich möchte Mark Twight seine Leistungen nicht absprechen, aber das macht ihn nicht zu einem sympathischen Menschen oder sein Buch zu etwas, das ich noch einmal lesen möchte.

[Mihai · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had long heard the praises sang to this collection of magazine articles and opinion pieces from one of the premier American climbers of the 1980s and 1990s, and one of the strongest exponents of the alpine style. Kiss or Kill didn't blow me away in terms of content, though Twight is an excellent writer, riding a fine ability to convey his thinking and his honesty into engaging and at times hilarious prose.

But ultimately, the book is unable to become more than just the sum of its parts; there's nothing "bringing it together", so to speak it. The earlier essays are not much more than the rantings of an angry young man, who tries to harness his inner drive by taking on increasingly extreme challenges that he survives either by luck or by will. Unfortunately, a life constantly on the edge is not sustainable, a conclusion he arrives at as he is getting older and the number of friends or fellow climbers that perish in the mountains increases.

It is somewhat ironic to reconcile the idealist climber from 20 years ago with the today's owner of Gym Jones, a high-end fitness business that caters mainly to Hollywood film-making industry. The firm commitment to the purity of the alpine style as emphasized over and over again in Kiss or Kill is not as appealing when one realizes that top mountaineering requires acceptance of commercial sponsorship, at least in getting around the world.

Twight's contribution to climbing is undeniable, and was finally recognized in 2016 when he was awarded the ___ by the American Alpine Club. The writings in this book provide a fascinating insight into how Twight became a climbing legend, being willing to take incredible risks, while also benefiting from an incredible dose of luck.

[Darren Linkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unsettling and dark. Fascinating but grim. I was relieved to hear from a friend in the climbing world that the author is still alive and maybe ‘settling down’ a bit. But i couldn’t atop reading … staring into the chasm of SOMEONE’s likely death metaphorically, this collection of his essays for various magazines is kind of like if Hunter Thompson was a gifted mountain scaling superman minus the drugs and psychiatric mess he’s apparently falsely accused of by his extended family (based on the writing… yeah easy to imagine others being so confidently wrong and lacking any ability yo critically think.The author lived very close to the edge and not hard to imagine him struggling and working through demons partly at least from his now (always?) dangerously self righteous parents and others.

It left me with a … melancholy …. It’s a ‘downer’ at times … not for the faint of heart like me (!) but ultimately hugely compelling unique and awe inspiring…I wouldn’t generally recommend and some may identify with the author (or with others in his life) in a depressing way? If you can stomach it hearing about dangling off frozen water by an ice axe in each hand with no ‘protection (ropws like climber’s not,ally use? Again i asked my climbing friend ‘so, he’s free soloing these. Climbs?!?!’ Finally he’s obviously extraordinarily experienced and skilled and does point out what he sees as the blithe dangerous ignorance of others.

I suppose im partly reviewing ‘big ice climbing’ as a non climber but it’s a relentlessly compelling if unsettlingread!

[Dacky2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I waded through every republished article in this book, searching for the gems I remembered reading when they were first published in the climbing mags during the 90's. Heck, I remember reading Jon Krakauer's description of climbing with the young punk when he was an unknown American failure on the Eiger Nordwand. How quickly and brutally Twight ascended, not just up his next level routes, but through his writing and chewing through partners as well.
It was a joy to relive some of the best climbing articles I have ever read, but it Twights style is best taken in small doses. Slogging through the entire syllabus was more tiring than I expected it to be. Maybe I should have had a paper copy of the book, and read an article every now and then, instead of swallowing the whole thing.
Still amazed that Twight is still alive after pretty much all his climbing partners died. His surprise at his own survival brings his writing to a raw and touching thoughtfulness that few climbing writers would dare describe.

[Galactic Hero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never really set out looking for a punk rock mountaineering memoir but I'm glad I found this one. The machine this guy's raging against isn't the usual conformity, corporate greed or inequality, but rather "big alpinism". Twight sneers at your group expeditions, porters, tents or sometimes even ropes. He just takes daypack and a red-shirt partner goes until death or exhaustion, and somehow survives to type out an angsty screed about the tale.

There's a brief endnote after each chapter written 10 or so years later providing additional context and hindsight. These notes add a surprising amount of value, more so than I can every remember seeing in other collections. Even the title explanation blurbs at the end are great.

[Grazyna Nawrocka · Rating 5 out of 5]

The style of writing is very raw, almost like granite mountains. I loved pieces about conquering specific routes. The chapters about climbing as a sport discipline were not so fascinating. You can see author growing in wisdom and tolerance. Initially I completely disagreed with his criticism of climbers who have different approach to activity. One need to be open to different philosophies, characters, needs and approaches. I would never perform rock climbing, although I love simple scramble now and then. Yet mountains stole part of my soul, and they are calling me, and I am unable to ignore it. That's I think where I meet the writer's experience.

[biblioteca · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a good book, showing sincerity about climbers and mountains.
Minimalist life is common in
mountaineers also have in mind a life with real preoccupations.
Problem with your work? Is it a problem? The problem is that you are in a situation where your life is in danger, so part of the book did match with me.

The rawness with the author relates to his hard moment in the mountains also is very illustrative, in several travels I have been in similarly position and it made me remember

Well, it is a good book, especially for mountaineers, travelers and people who alike extreme sport

[Amirali · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was quite interesting to me to see how Mark changed [aka evolved] through his alpinism career as a person and many of the feelings he was describing or. things he was going through resonated well with me as an amateur climber even though my experience is nowhere close to his. I definitely enjoyed reading this and it was very inspiring too. there were still points that the reading was puzzling for me perhaps because I was not familiar with all characters in the book. I also didn't read the interview chapter as I didn't find it consistent with the rest. Overall, highly recommended if you enjoy alpinism.

[Joseph Windsor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twight is a bit of a douche...but he is also completely honest and committed to alpinism. This no-holds-barred, unapologetic account of his adventures and philosophy is refreshing as hell. No stone in his life or in his mind is left unturned as he reveals what it takes to become one of the most legendary alpinists ever. Both enraging and inspirational, Twight pushes you to reflect on how you are spending your own life...are you making the most of it? Are you doing what you love? Are you a lazy bastard? These are questions you will ask yourself throughout. An engaging read.

[Xzs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book presents a series of unabashed articles about climbing written by Mark Twight. By his own accounts, Twight is egotistical and arrogant, but he also has grit and spunk (and he’s a pretty decent writer). I appreciated Twight’s honest approach, even if he does come across as an unapologetic asshole much of the time. I slogged through this book, which is uncharacteristic for me when reading this genre. I’m giving this three stars, although I feel like it is possibly deserving of another star if approached from a different headspace.

[Erica Ellis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This guy is even douchier than most alpine climbers who write autobiographies. He is deeply elitist and dramatic and spends much of his time denying his alcoholism and bemoaning his parents' divorce. And, like all white dudes who climb mountains, he will not allow this interaction to pass before he tells you about his diarrhea. I mean, you could just say, "food poisoning" or "dysentery". It doesn't need to be perfectly accurate. You could even just leave that part out, how integral is this to every mountaineer's story?

[Max Sauerbrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Climbing Naga Parbat was like having sex with death”

This book is an intro to the dark arts. It makes you confront your reality and choose whether it’s good enough for you or not. That can be hard for some people, it’s hard for me, but it’s necessary. I don’t climb to reach summits, and for awhile I didn’t really know why I participate in this sport at all, but Twight helped me work through it. If you’re searching for the same thing, or SOMETHING, this book is for you, but beware of its power, and for the love of god don’t go get yourself killed after finishing it. Enjoy.

[Tal Wanish · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare to see this side of an obsession - to see someone fully knowledgeable about what it did to their life and how it was kind of worth it anyways. Unfiltered, raw, and slightly nauseating - Twight's exploits are legendary and his personality is very well known in the alpine world. Fascinating read on what it took to be one of the all time great alpine climbers, and just how close to death some of these people come - over and over again.