Soul of the Heights: 50 Years Going to the Mountains (Falcon Guides)

This beautiful volume is the story of a pioneering climber with a passion for, and a lifetime's dedication to, the majestic mountains of North America. First conquering the awesome faces and peaks - many previously unclimbed - then photographing them with an intimate eye, Ed Cooper has continued his love affair with climbing from more than fifty years."Soul of the Heights" evokes the now legendary early days of mountaineering and includes exclusive first-hand accounts by climbers of the era of the first ascents and new routes that have since become top destinations for generations of climbers.With spectacular portraits that intimately capture the very essence of the mountain, this is a volume for climbers everywhere.

Amazon Significant Seven, December 2007: As an original "climbing bum" during the legendary (and supremely competitive) early days of the sport in the 1950s, Ed Cooper made a name for himself through his pioneering routes up volcanoes, crags, and cyclopean rock faces ranging from Alaska to Yosemite to the Rocky Mountains and beyond. Soul of the Heights: 50 Years Going to the Mountains--gorgeously illustrated throughout with his own accomplished photographs of North America's most spectacular peaks--collects Cooper's recollections of harrowing first ascents, as well as firsthand accounts from other climbing luminaries of the "golden age" of mountaineering. It is a must-have for any climber, backpacker, or armchair mountaineer. --Jon Foro

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