My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus: Amazon.co.uk: A.F. Mummery: Books

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

(What is this?)

Up For the Challenge?

www.lucozadechallenge.com Scale an Emmense Glacier Take the Challenge Now

Climbing in the Alps

www.mountaintracks.co.uk Guided ascents with leading experts Courses for novice to advanced

Alpine Guides Ltd

www.alpine-guides.com Alpine Private Guiding and Courses with experienced professionals

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

When the Alps Cast Their Spell: Mountaineers of the Golden Age of Alpinism

by Trevor Braham

�19.00

The Mountains of My Life (Modern Library)

by Walter Bonatti

4.7 out of 5 stars (3) �9.99

Scrambles Amongst the Alps (National Geographic)

by Edward Whymper

5.0 out of 5 stars (1)

The White Spider

by Heinrich Harrer

4.1 out of 5 stars (19) �6.99

Psychovertical

by Andy Kirkpatrick

4.8 out of 5 stars (19) �5.59

› Explore similar items

Product Description

Colin Wells, Scotland On-line,
Eminently readable and humorous account of early Alpinism. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb storytelling, 26 Oct 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Mummery: My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus (Paperback)

Mummery is one of mountaineering's best story-tellers, and I would unconditionally recommend this book to anyone. Although it was written over 100 years ago, his style and enthusiasm has not dated and it is a very readable book.

In fact, the Alps themselves (with their multitude of cable cars and other mechanical aids) have "aged" more than Mummery's writing style - in fact Mummery himself was worried lest it eventually be possible to ascend the Jungfrau by steam-lift or cog railway... Prophetic words indeed.

This is the crux of the book - ascending a peak itself was not the essence of mountaineering, it was how you did it and how you overcame difficulties that was important. The first two chapters of the book are devoted to Mummery attempting "difficult" ways up the Matterhorn, the ordinary Hornli route was too easy for him. As it happened, it didn't go according to plan - Mummery's description of being confronted by "geister" (ghosts) who were going to throw his party off the Furggen ridge is one of the most unusual pieces of mountaineering writing anywhere.

Mummery later climbed without guides, and found far more enjoyment in the hills with his friends going at their own pace, stopping when they felt like it and admiring the view; instead of being forced along at a "guide's timetable." This advice is still very true today.

So if anyone is overtaken by a peak-bagging frenzy, read this book. Mummery's laid-back style will both amuse you and make you think about what mountaineering and the freedom of the hills should be all about.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely brilliant., 2 Sep 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Mummery: My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus (Paperback)

"My Climbs..." is one of my all-time favourite adventure/mountaineering books. Mummery's dry-humour style of story-telling is brilliant, and although the mountaineering techniques and adventures he describes are a bit dated, the book is still exceptionally enjoyable.

Out of print for many years, this reprint was much needed. (Before the Ripping Yarns.com edition came out, a second-hand copy would have cost you �50 to �150! However, if you had spent �50 on a copy, it would still have been �50 well spent.)

It's only when you read the book that you realise just how far Mummery (and his companions, Collie, Hastings and Slingsby) were ahead of their time. Not only are his routes such as the Grepon still sought-after by Alpinists today, he was one of the first to realise that bagging peaks wasn't important - it was how you did it that mattered.

So, if you want to be entertained and read about how some of the classic routes in the Alps were first climbed, then buy this book. If you want to read about routes that are more on the cutting-edge of today's Alpine climbing, then you'll need to go elsewhere - but you'll miss a real gem in Mummery.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 2 customer reviews...

Listmania!

Top Ten Climbers: A list by D. Elliott
Tales for adventurous Devonshire architects: A list by Perry Duke
Good Mountaineering Reads: A list by Nick Bryce

Create a Listmania! list

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.

The Body Shop

Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

›Shop The Body Shop

Up to 75% off Shoes

Save up to 75% on shoes for the whole family.

›Shop clearance shoes

Train Hard...Play Hard

Gear up with up to 60% off athletic and outdoor shoes.

›Shop now

Treat Someone

With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates


Amazon Home

International Sites: United States \| Germany \| France \| Japan \| Canada \| China

Business Programs: Sell on Amazon \| Fulfilment by Amazon \| Join Associates \| Join Advantage

Customer Service \| Help \| View Basket \| Your Account

About Amazon.co.uk \| Careers at Amazon

My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus (Unknown Binding)

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product details

Product Description

Tag this product

Customer Reviews

Customer Discussions

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Listmania!

Feedback

The Body Shop

Up to 75% off Shoes

Train Hard...Play Hard

Treat Someone

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History