Australian mountaineer Andrew Lock has announced the launch of his new book chronicling his 24-year journey climbing some of the most dangerous mountain peaks in the world.
In his book Master of Thin Air: Life and Death on the World's Highest Peaks, Lock recounts how seeing a slideshow of the legendary Mount Everest 30 years ago helped inspire him to conquer the tallest mountain in the world.
After attempting to reach the peak of Mount Everest, Lock next decided to conquer 14 of the world's 8000er mountains, which were named so for having elevations of up to 8,000 meters (26,246 feet). His goal was to conquer these peaks without the aid of supplemental oxygen.
This next challenge unfolds in the pages of Lock's book. It also tells about several of his trips into Nepal's capital, Katmandu, to conduct puja ceremonies in order to pray for favorable conditions to the gods of the mountain.
The ritual typically precedes the long journey into camps at the base of the mountain where periods of acclimatization are often followed by exhaustive and life-threatening attempts at reaching the summit along with other adventurers.
Despite being an avid mountaineer, Lock sets himself apart from people who merely seek the thrill of conquering mountains by sharing his knowledge and passion of the craft to others.
In Master of Thin Air, he tries to educate readers by walking them through all the necessary elements of mountaineering, from the geographical features of the mountains to the essentials that he carries along with him in his pack.
Lock also explains the details of his treks, such as the logistics needed in mountain climbing, which allows readers who do not know much about the life of a mountaineer to still follow the book's narrative.
The Australian mountaineer describes his experiences in a matter-of-fact manner, and he admits that he lacks introspection in his accounts. This leaves the book to be more about Lock's frequently successful and dangerous mountain climbs than anything else.
The book does include several references about the author's personal life, such as his marriage and subsequent divorce. The beginning of each chapter, however, focuses more on the introduction of a new peak to climb, often with a short discussion of the mountain's history, and wraps up with Lock's journey back home to Australia.
Lock's Master of Thin Air: Life and Death on the World's Highest Peaks is published by Arcade Publishing.
