Climbing

I didn’t think I would like this book, “Climbing with Mollie”, but after reading it, I do like it. The only regret is that it is too short and I would like it to be longer, with more characters, more climbing stories, more dangerous situations etc.

The book really piqued my interest in the life of climber. Actually I did have interest on climbers before, especially those who scale Mount Everest. It all started when I read in a newspaper that some retirees in Japan train themselves to be fit for the climb to the top of the world. It costs a lot of money, but money is not the main issue here. Physical fitness, stamina, and the possibility of death are the main issue. Last year, I saw a picture of people lining up one by one on the slope of Himalaya for the ascent, and I feel really sad–even such a wilderness with the most extreme conditions has become a theme park now.

The only other sports books I’ve read is from Agassi “Open”, and Nadal’s “Rafa”. “Open” is such a great book that it really encouraging me to read more sports books. Yet many years have passed, I haven’t read sports books much at all. Actually anybody, who has ever read about tennis through Wallace’s essays, “String Theory”, “Tracy Austin Broke My Heart”, and several others, should see the literary delight in sports. I think the best part of the book is the love the author shows for his daughter. All the time he was worried about his young daughter while as a reader I am worried about the 60 year old dad doing a young man’s dangerous sport. All the time as a reader, I wondered how dangerous is climbing, who’s the most interesting figure in the climbing word, if women compete with men on equal footings in this sport, and who can be considered as professional climber.

It’s interesting to know that climbing is going to be the Olympic event this year. I wish the book is longer.