While this site is targeted at beginner and intermediate rock climbers, everyone has goals. Most of these books describe serious outdoor climbing, alpinism, and mountaineering. The stories presented below may seem far removed from climbing in the gym, but the truth is that with dedication and experience, anyone can play in these arenas.
What is also true is that the mountains require daring, and can be dangerous, deadly, and disastrous. Don’t let these books scare you off forever – but do take them seriously. They offer some of the greatest adventure narratives you can get in climbing, short of the ones you’ll tell yourself, around the campfire.
Enjoy this list of ten classic climbing books!
“Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer
This is one of the most iconic books in the modern mountaineering canon. An intense account of the 1996 Everest disaster, providing a firsthand perspective on the challenges of high-altitude mountaineering. Krakauer, who is both a skilled writer and climber, brings his two passions together in perfect fusion in this popular book.
Buy “Into Thin Air” on Amazon
“The Climb” by Anatoli Bourkreev
In a bit of a “he-said-she-said” situation, Anatoli Boukreev, a Soviet mountain guide who was present on Everest and disagreed with Krakauer’s presentation of events, also wrote a book about this tragedy. Boukreev’s book, “The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest” helps to give a different perspective on this confusing tragedy. Taken together, the two books form a more complete picture than either could alone.
“Touching the Void” by Joe Simpson
A gripping story of survival and determination, this book recounts Joe Simpson’s harrowing experience during a climb in the Peruvian Andes after his partner cut the rope, and he fell into a crevasse. Left for dead and with a broken leg, Simpson crawls out and across the glacier, delirious and nearly dead. “Touching the Void” is one of the most intense stories of human will to survive.
This book was made into a great movie, which you can see above. If the YouTube link goes down, It’s also available on Amazon Prime Video.
You can buy the Kindle book on Amazon.
“Eiger Dreams” by Jon Krakauer
A previously out-of-print collection of essays by Jon Krakauer on the topic of climbings and mountaineering has been given a new chance to reach a wider audience with a modern 2019 reprint. If you enjoy Krakauer’s writing but don’t want to invest the time to read a full book, this collection of shorter pieces offers more bite-sized options.
Buy “Eiger Dreams” on Amazon
“Annapurna” by Maurice Herzog
“Annapurna” is the classic mountaineering book. Many people who are not mountaineers will know this one. It even made Sports Illustrated‘s list of the top 100 Sports Books of All Time. This famous book covers the first ascent of Annapurna, the world’s tenth-highest peak and the first 8,000+ meter peak to ever be climbed successfully. To this day, Annapurna is considered one of the world’s deadliest high-altitude peaks (far worse than Everest).
The image above is from the first English edition – modern editions have a different cover.
Buy “Annapurna: The First Ascent of an 8,000 Meter Peak” on Amazon
“Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage” by Alfred Lansing
Though not focused on climbing, this is another unbelievable tale of survival similar to “Touching the Void.” “Endurance” details the incredible story of Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition, where the ship got stuck in the arctic ice, and the entire expedition ended up stranded for months longer than planned. Amazingly, not one member of the crew died. The incredible details of this expedition are too many to list in a simple paragraph!
Buy “Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage” on Amazon
“The White Spider” by Heinrich Harrer
A detailed account of the attempts to climb the Eiger’s north face, known as “The White Spider,” capturing the drama and history of the mountain. The most famous episode in the history of the Eiger Nordwand is told in the above video – but the book tells of many more!
Buy “The White Spider” on Amazon
“Alone on the Wall” by Alex Honnold and David Roberts
Alex Honnold is the climber who non-climbers know. If you’re looking for wide appeal, it’s hard to beat this book. Even your friends on the subway will know what you’re reading about. This is an “autobiography”, written with assistance from David Roberts. If you’ve seen “Free Solo”, you know that Alex Honnold is kind of a matter-of-fact guy. Unfortunately, this also transfers over to this book, which is kind of a dry play-by-play of some of Honnold’s climbs. Still, for those who are interested in the nuts and bolts of the climbing, Alone on the Wall delivers the goods.
Buy “Alone on the Wall” on Amazon
“The Push: A Climber’s Journey of Endurance, Risk, and Going Beyond Limits” by Tommy Caldwell
Tommy Caldwell’s inspiring memoir detailing his climbing career, including the groundbreaking first ascent of the Dawn Wall on El Capitan. Tommy is a longtime climbing legend, but similar to Alex Honnold, his recent fame comes from his movie: “The Dawn Wall.” This book goes into deeper detail about Tommy’s earlier life, including the events in Kyrgyzstan.
Buy Tommy Caldwell’s memoir, “The Push”, on Amazon
“Starlight and Storm” by Gaston Rebuffat
Gaston Rebuffat is one of the most famous names in the history of the Alps. One can hardly climb a peak in France, Italy or Switzerland without finding a Rebuffat route. In addition to his prodigious skill as a mountain guide, Rebuffat also possessed skill with the pen, as you can see in this poetic description of some of his great climbs on the North Faces of the Alps. Unlike, say, “Alone on the Wall”, Rebuffat focuses much more on the experience of the climbe overall – the emotions, the sensation, and the camaraderie – than the move-by-move details.
Buy “Starlight and Storm: The Conquest of the Great North Faces of the Alps” on Amazon.
Conclusion
Every one of these great adventurers started somewhere. So if you’re a beginner or intermediate climber curious about making the move into the wild – think of these books as a glimpse of where you could go. Enjoy them curled up by a fire – and maybe someday, in your own tent, high up on the mountain.
Gym to Crag 