Rising: Becoming the First Canadian Woman to Summit Everest

by Sharon Wood

In 1986, as part of a Canadian team, Sharon Wood became the first woman from the Americas to summit Mount Everest—and the first woman in the world to do so via the West Ridge from Tibet and without Sherpa support. But it’s how she got there that is truly compelling. In Rising , the personal motivation that drove Wood to reach further and further heights are detailed through the years leading up to the career-defining climb. Often the only woman on expeditions, Wood was an outlier in a predominantly male bastion of high altitude alpine climbing. Against the backdrop of the stunning Himalayan mountains in the days before Everest became as commercialized as it is today, Wood explores the camaraderie and rivalry, the relatable challenges of falling in and out of love, and how she kept her drive to persevere. Subsequently, she recounts how she struggled with unexpected acclaim and expectations following her ascent of Everest, but ultimately found fulfilment and her place in the world. As she tells her story today, her perspective is steeped in six decades of life experience rich with adrenalin, change, reflection and humility. It is a tale that still feels poignantly relevant—a testament to the strength of the human spirit to overcome all obstacles, whether mountain peaks, social expectations or self-imposed barriers.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Adventure, Mountaineering

240 pages, Hardcover

Published June 12, 2020

Reviews

[Rachel Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book, much more than I expected. On one hand, it is a book about climbing. I love climbing. On the other, it is very well written and follows a beautiful story of how Wood ended up on the mountain and how her life changed (partly for the worst) afterwards.

Although it doesn't entice me to train for years, find sponsors to pay the tens of thousands of dollars and spend two grueling months on this particular mountain, it does inspire me to climb more than just the flat walls I love.

(This book is also special as it is the last one my Papa got me before getting sick.)

[Rhea · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Rising, Wood eases you into her journey to Everest, in a sense acclimatizing you to the context and situation she finds herself in. In her no-holds-barred style, she recounts how her dream to climb Everest was set in motion and the events building up to the summit bid at Everest. Throughout the book, Wood's vulnerability is striking. She lets you in on her insecurities, her heartbreak, her fears as the only female climber on the team. I get the sense that she intentionally choose not to smooth over the coarse edges of her story; she tells it as it was for her. She mentions that she worked to share her story as accurately as possible, to have it reflect the truth while knowing that it won’t necessarily reflect her teammate's reality. I think that was brave of her to do.

The first half of the book is about how life led her to the opportunity to climb Everest, and the subsequent treacherous, life-threatening, and physical-limit-defying journey to the summit. The days before the summit bid are positively thrilling to read, and this part of the book was unputdownable. It wasn't obvious to me, but there were some big emotions in what you’d expect was a primarily physical challenge. There is guilt from having lost a partner on a climb, and guilt from accepting an opportunity when it means your teammate will be denied one. There is grief, regret, and shame. But, there is also respect, admiration, loyalty, and forgiveness. At some point, there is mention of how previous expeditions failed due to drama among the climbers more often than you’d expect. So, despite all the odds stacked against her, she summited Everest, and her long-time dream became a reality.

What she didn’t know was how anti-climactic it would feel after the accomplishment, and how dramatically her life would shift after achieving her dream. She explores her conflicting feelings of achieving the only thing she wanted only to know that her win meant somebody else had to lose. The second half of the book is about how she struggles to acclimatize to a new life in the public eye, taking on speaking engagements to share her story knowing that the audiences just want to hear an inspiring story of a woman who claimed Everest. She struggles with imposter syndrome, a marriage that results in divorce, and chronic depression. It is about coming to terms with and rising above hardship. And realizing that you don’t have to do it alone.

The beginning of the book incorporated some lingo from the climbing community that threw me off, mainly because I struggled to visualize a “serac” or a “bergschrund”—albeit nothing an internet search couldn’t fix. Knowing that the Canadian Everest Light team had 12 climbers, it was naturally somewhat confusing knowing who’s who—but you do get the hang of it eventually. There are some pictures from the 1986 expedition at the end of the book, that helped to put. face to the many names. The pictures were also helpful to visualize the settings because when it comes to mountains sometimes pictures do more justice than words to capture the grandeur.

I cannot recollect how Rising came to be a part of my ‘Want-To-Read’ list. I suspect I might have heard it being mentioned on a podcast or in passing by a bookshelf at the library. However Wood’s memoir fell into my lap, it introduced me to an intersectional genre of books I was ready to fall in love with—the nature-cum-travel memoir. In Rising, the storytelling is a display of the transportive power of reading at its finest. A reminder that books grant us the option to travel and explore places we might not be able to go to. And, for me traveling to Everest in 1986 with Sharon Wood and eleven other male climbers and one female non-climber, Jane Fearing was surreal and I’d definitely recommend that you let her take you on that journey with her.

Here are some on my favorite highlights.



* "The beauty of talking while walking on uneven ground is how we must keep our eyes on our feet and sometimes reveal more than we would when looking one another in the eye."

* "I hope, no matter how hard it may feel up there at times, that you remember how far you've come since you first told me you wanted to go to Everest with the guys."

* "How bad do you want that turn? And how will you recognize it when it comes along?"

* "Storm days are difficult for anyone, but they tend to be a little worse for me. I know I'm cursed with bouts of depression and have learned to rise out of them with a good run or climb- an activity that alters my brain chemistry and gives me a sense of progress."

* "My dad used to say, 'If you think you've evolved spend time with your family'."

* "To make the impossible possible on Everest, we had to raise our baseline from surviving to thriving. Thriving is not about working harder, carrying heavier loads or putting in longer days. Thriving starts with altering our preceptions. I have spent a disproportionate amount of time wishing: if only I had more of something, or better conditions- a myriad of if-onlys. All that does is take up energy and hold me back. Once we get over the if-onlys and commit, all form of resources and assistance become available. The trick is to recognize these gifts, wrapped in unfamiliar packaging. That takes an open mind."

[Leslie Haring · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book from beginning to end. Learning about Sharon’s life journey before, during and after climbing Mt. Everest was enlightening and fascinating. The extraordinary feat of not only being the first North American woman to climb Everest in what was at the time a male-dominated world, but of achieving the climb without Sherpa support, on a technically demanding route that had never been done nor repeated since, was a story worth telling. Sharon’s honesty and humility in the telling made for a compelling and intriguing read, as did learning about what led her there, her personal challenges and overcoming them, including the significant impact Everest has on her to this day, and the remarkable people with her on her journey.

[John Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly inspirational memoir! I vaguely remembered hearing about Sharon Wood's achievement, but reading about it makes it so much more meaningful. I have done a bit of climbing, and I found the detailed accounts about climbing interesting and I could relate to them. Her team's achievement (she makes sure to give credit to her whole team, even though she and Dwayne Congdon were the only two to summit) was even more remarkable due to the fact that they did not have support of Sherpas and climbed a new route from the Tibet side. I like the way too that Wood weaves stories from her past into the Everest narrative, rather than totally chronologically. What a remarkable life Sharon Wood has had.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this just book on the flights home from Nepal. As a bit of an Everest fan, I found this book to be relatively similar to so many other mountaineering stories about greatness or tragedy at extreme heights. However, what I appreciated about this book, unlike others, is that it included much more of the real life experience before, during and after the climb. Although the climb definitely came to define the author's life, she also spoke about the difficulty of trying to return to life afterwards, about the experience of being a woman on a climbing team of men and the emotion of the ups and downs of the experience.

[Virginia Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In 1986, as part of a Canadian team, Sharon Wood became the first woman from the North Americas to summit Mount Everest and the first woman in the world to do so via the West Ridge from Tibet and without Sherpa support." This honest and reflective memoir looks at what it took for Sharon to achieve this feat, one of the few women in a male dominated sport. Unlike in many books written by male climbers, Sharon is honest about her fears, her struggles, the camaraderie and rivalries that affected her in her summit bid - and in life afterwards as a wife,mother and motivational speaker.

[Natasha Buffo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What stands out the most to me about Sharon's story is the raw honesty around the experience of being a female climbing Everest. She shares details of the custom gear needed, the jokes from the boys (that I am sure got annoying but as any woman knows we get used to it), and other emotional factors like that of having an ex-boyfriend on another team climbing at the same time. Most of us will never climb Everest, and may not have any interested, but as females and those identifying as women, we can relate to her experience. I have yet to find this in another outdoor adventure memoir.

[Josh Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing literary adventure, and a brilliant tale of human condition. Not being an alpine climber, I was unsure if the book would be relatable. It is. Wood, is an immersive storyteller who links her quest to become the first North American woman to climb Mount Everest, with relatabale and important components of the human condition: resiliency, determination and the intrinsic value of relationships - on and off the mountain. Overall, a beautifully told story that left me inspired.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable book on what it takes to climb an objective like Mount Everest - not the physical necessities, but the team, the relationships, the mental fortitude required. The section on summit day is harrowing, and the author keeps you engaged throughout the story. Loved reading about the team follow up, 20 years later.

[Amy Holowach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy reading memoirs of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I really loved this book, it did not disappoint… not just about climbing (although her descriptions of the mountain brought you right into her shoes) it included personal struggles and overcoming adversity… made me tear up a few times too! Highly recommend

[Linda Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Sharon's writing was so descriptive that at times I felt like I was with her on the mountain. Besides achieving an amazing feat, her candor and openness in describing her journey, provides another layer of richness to the story. I highly recommend this wonderful book!

[Andrea N · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than just a memoir, this book touched on what it is like to be a woman in a man dominated field, and what it meant after the summit. Sharon wood is inspiring in more ways than one. Def recommend, especially if you’re into climbing and other outdoor activities!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could hardly put this down! I loved it!

[Sherry Seymour · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a few books about adventures on Everest, but Woody shines in her tackling of the emotional side of climbing the Goddess of the Sky.

[Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this adventure story. I listened to the audiobook and it was read well. Great adventure of a great team. They take more risks than I would. Very interesting to hear there story.

[Alison Le Corre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not realize everything that climbers can face.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A front row seat into her thoughts & actions on her climb, which was interesting — but with the perspective and re-interpretation of 30 years later.

[Pansy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️.

[Karen Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me an insight into the complexities of the extent of commitment, work and dedication necessary to have a possibility of success with an attempt at Everest and other major mountain drives. The coordination of team members and the commitment to the team is paramount and well addressed in this book. The personal element that Sharon shared made the book more than most adventure books as one realizes that we each have our own history and insecurities but we can achieve great things if we believe in ourselves. The honesty and baring of her soul makes me want to envelope her in a huge hug and thank her for her presenting her vulnerability for the world to see and judge. How absolutely courageous! She is a woman who has risen above many challenges and who leads by example. Thank-you Sharon Wood for sharing your inner self.

[Patir Hirs · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author says in the afterword that she wrote this book with lots of workshops and advice and editor’s assistance. I think that is a great way to craft a book. We needed to know Ms Wood’s story and it flows very well.
I hope many people invest the time to read this account. It is quite brutally honest and therefore powerful.
I think she lets us in on the answer to the big question of Why she did this super dangerous challenge and why she came back alive.