Book Report: Alpine Warriors

I read a lot of mountaineering books, so much so, that it’s rare for me to find a climbing book that I haven’t read in a store. Even when I stumble across a new book, it’s often about a climb or climbers that I have previously read about—which leaves even new-to-me books feeling old. Because of this, I was blown away when I read Bernadette McDonald’s book Alpine Warriors. With its interesting cast of character, incredible climbs, and written with a wonderful structure Alpine Warriors is one of my favorite mountaineering books in recent memory.

Alpine Warriors follows the rise of Slovenian alpinism, mostly focused on their achievements in the Himalaya, following it from its rise in the 1960s and into today. Holding the book together are passages pulled from the pages of another book—Pot—authored by the iconic Slovenian alpinist Nejc Zaplotnik. Pot, meaning the way, has served as a bible for generations of Slovenian alpinists and been a defining work for generations fo climbers. For example, Slovenia’s most celebrated mountaineer, Marko Prezelj wrote about Pot for the Alpinist in 2008.

Published in 1981, McDonald uses Pot to tie two generations of mountaineers together and shows how the book defined the values of the first generation of Slovenian alpinists—those who began their careers in the aftermath of World War II while providing a roadmap for the future of Slovenian climbers.

While 95% of Alpine Warriors is focused on climbing and the out-of-this-world new routes being established on the world’s largest mountains, the book is at its best when focused on the individuals, their personalities, their families, and the unique circumstances that drove them to climb. It also examines the sacrifices these men and women made in the mountains—like health, fingers, toes, families, and lives.

Looking to take a break from Everest-centric mountaineering books or take a break from the normal cast of characters found in today’s mountain literature? I suggest strongly reading Alpine Warriors. And, if you happen to find an English translation of Pot, let me know—I’m anxious to read it.

By Tim Peck

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