Vertical Limits

Take It to the Xtreme #6

by Pam Withers

This time, when Jake and Peter stumble upon adrenaline-pumping adventure, it's high in the peaks of the Bugaboo Mountains just west of the Rockies. Fifteen-year-old Jake is obsessed with solo-climbing a soaring granite spire. His best friend, Peter, is as absorbed with filming Jake for a video as he is in not divulging his secret fear of heights to the runaway girl who joins them. Though a talented climber, the surly runaway girl seems possessed by a death wish. When Jake arrives at the halfway mark and cheerfully hangs his overnight cot on anchors at a death-defying 150-storey height above the ground, all seems well, but the next day, a lightning storm begins to unravel this carefully planned high-risk adventure. When a crisis prompts the girl to put her life at stake for Jake, it falls to Peter to overcome his fear to get everyone home safely. Packed with mountaineering lore and cliff-hanging tension, Vertical Limits features adventures in competitive gym climbing, outdoor urban climbing, and wilderness rock climbing.

226 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Award-winning YA author Pam Withers -- a former outdoor guide, journalist and editor -- has written 21 sports and outdoor adventure books for teens. She has been nominated for three Red Maple Awards and numerous others. Besides her novels, she has written an athlete's biography and Jump-Starting Boys, a book for parents on getting boys to read. Pam lives in Vancouver, Canada, and tours North America extensively.

Reviews

[Riley Nooy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I personally don't do any rock climbing, but I do a lot of snowmobiling in the mountains. I face all the same ups and downs that Jake and Peter do in this novel. My favourite part of this novel is when Jake was doing his large overnight solo climb and the storm rolled in. I'm not a huge reader of books but I will admit that had me to the point I did not want to put the book down! I enjoy how detailed and precise this book is, Pam Withers does a very amazing job of describing this book in extreme detail, which I really enjoy because when it comes to the beautiful rocky mountains, it takes the most precise descriptions to describe it all. I would defiantly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an action packed, intense, and very well written book.

[Andrew Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vertical Limits by Pam Withers is an exciting extreme adventure story. The main characters, Will and Pete, go to the Bugaboo mountains to do some climbing. Will wants to do a solo climb up a fictitious rock face. The boys meet a girl who lives in the Bugaboos and she is a great climber.
\nPete has to face his lifelong fear of heights. Pam Withers does some excellent research on climbing for this book. She makes the climbing come alive and the danger and excitement of this extreme sport make this a great read for anyone who likes adventure.

[Hamilton Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really good. I could relate to the topic so I could understand the topic well. My favorite scene was when Jake was climbing the mountain alone and there was a storm. It kept you on the edge of your seat and grabbed the readers attention right from the start. The author did a good job of using actually terms from rock climbing so people who have rock climbed before know what the author is talking about. Overall this was a good book and I would recommend it for both boys and girls who like the outdoors.