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Mark Twights book is unique among mountaineering tomes: its considered kind of a master class taught by one of the acknowledged masters of alpine climbing. Many of his routes in Asia, North America, and the Alps remain unrepeated. Some Excerpts: At the edge of the possible, the rules and techniques of climbing become quite different from the nostrums aimed at beginners. Character means more than strength or skill. Extreme alpinism is a matter of will. In a dangerous environment, speed is safety. Climbing routes at the edge of the possible is akin to playing Russian roulette. Each time the cylinder spins, the chance of firing a live cartridge increases. Therefore, keep moving is the mantra of the extreme climber. The idea of speed permeates this book. Beware of accidentally succeeding on a route above your ability. Success tends to breed ambition. The next time, a route of similar difficulty and danger may deliver the hard lesson that a single success at a high level may represent luck and not skill. Nobody controls a situation in the mountains. It is vanity to imagine one can. Instead, grow comfortable with giving up control and acting within chaos and uncertainty. When self-discipline fails and and fear runs unchecked, the spiral into panic is not far off. Panic is uncontrolled, undirected fear and as such is unproductive. Panic blocks thought. If you cant think, you die. In his book about soloing Nanga Parbat, Reinhold Messner wrote: I only plan ahead when it is absolutely necessary. I believe in being independent - and that means I do not want to be dependent on my future. The goal of physical training for alpine climbing can be summed up in one phrase: to make yourself as indestructible as possible. The harder you are to kill, the longer you will last in the mountains. Learn to turn back before losing all ability to influence what will happen to you. A bad attitud