No Shortcuts to the Top details Viesturs quest to climb the world's 14 highest peaks, all without the use of supplemental oxygen. In doing so, he took on no shortage of personal risk, and I'm not just talking about the possible loss of life or limb that climbing these beasts necessarily entails - but personal sacrifice. Ed grew up in a middle class family in Rockford, IL, fell in love with the idea of climbing tall peaks after reading Herzog's account of the 1950 ascent of Annapurna, and so moved out west to pursue this hobby while completing undergrad and eventually going to vet school.
Despite becoming a veterinarian with a job, Viesturs still felt pulled to the mountains. Unable to pursue both pursuits at the same time, he made a difficult choice - left the practice of vet medicine and focused on climbing full time. In the mean time, he lived in basements, worked construction and odd jobs - all to make his mountain climbing dreams a reality.
It appears to be an endeavor he's suited for. Indeed, medical tests have found his lung capacity and oxygenation are above average, allowing him to climb these peaks without the assistance of bottled oxygen.
No Shortcuts begins with Ed's most dangerous climb, his ascent of K2 in 1992, during which he ignored his instincts and continued with a summit bid even though the weather did not appear to be on his side. It's a story he details more thoroughly in his book about K2 (read that review here). However, that climb remained his touch stone as he later started to imagine being able to climb all 14 8000m peaks. It's why he failed to reach the summit twice on Annapurna before finally bagging the mountain in his final ascent of his Endeavor 8000 project.
Meticulously committed to safety, Ed has been a reliable presence during other mountaineering disasters and a motivational speaker for corporations, sports organizations, and the general public. He manages to make one of the riskiest human endeavors seem doable (not by me, but probably by other people who like to push themselves to the limits of their physical and mental capacities). He also is a Rolex ambassador, because the dude is dope.
Ed painfully recalls the 1996 Everest disaster that claimed the lives of so many and has been so well chronicled in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air (review here) and the 2015 film, Everest. It's a tragedy that claimed the lives of his friends Scott Fischer and Rob Hall, both of whose bodies he had to pass just a few short days later on his way to the top of Everest.
I'm certain this climbing 8000m mountains is not for me. But I'm glad someone like Ed Viesturs is around to share his triumphs and his preparation. Easily the greatest American climber of all time, Ed is known not just for his climbing feats, but also for being an all around likeable guy and selfless human being. He was willing and did give up several of his own summit bids to assist climbers in need. He's exactly the kind of athlete that inspires with both his skill and attitude.
4/5 Stars.
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