Extreme Adventure: February 2010

Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow: The Dark Side of Extreme Adventure Book Description

Without risk, say mountaineers, there would be none of the self-knowledge that comes from pushing life to its extremes. For them, perhaps, it is worth the cost. But when tragedy strikes, what happens to the people left behind? Why would anyone choose to invest in a future with a high-altitude risk-taker? What is life like in the shadow of the mountain? Such questions have long been taboo in the world of mountaineering. Now, the spouses, parents and children of internationally renowned climbers finally break their silence, speaking out about the dark side of adventure.
Maria Coffey confronted one of the harshest realities of mountaineering when her partner Joe Tasker disappeared on the Northeast Ridge of Everest in 1982. In "Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow," Coffey offers an intimate portrait of adventure and the conflicting beauty, passion, and devastation of this alluring obsession. Through interviews with the world's top climbers, or their widows and families-Jim Wickwire, Conrad Anker, Lynn Hill, Joe Simpson, Chris Bonington, Ed Viesturs, Anatoli Boukreev, Alex Lowe, and many others-she explores what compels men and women to give their lives to the high mountains. She asks why, despite the countless tragedies, the world continues to laud their exploits. With an insider's understanding, Coffey reveals the consequences of loving people who pursue such risk-the exhilarating highs and inevitable lows, the stress of long separations, the constant threat of bereavement, and the lives shattered in the wake of climbing accidents.
"Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow" is a powerful, affecting and important book that exposes the far reaching personal costs of extreme adventure.

Maria Coffey has contributed to Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow: The Dark Side of Extreme Adventure as an author. Maria Coffey is originally from England, and now lives on a small island in British Columbia. She and her husband Dag Goering spend part of each year in Ireland, where Dag practises as a large animal veterinarian. They also work as professional sea-kayaking and trekking guides, leading trips in Vietnam, the Solomon Islands, Ireland and Canada. Coffey is the author of a number of internationally published books, including "A Boat in Our Baggage", "Three Moons in Vietnam", "Sailing Back in Time" and two books for children, "A Cat in a Kayak and A Seal in the Family". Her work has also appeared i

WOULD you cross a 120-meter long bridge hanging 180 feet above the ground? Would you take the risk of sliding for 14 seconds across a zipline? Never did it cross my mind that I would be doing an extreme adventure of a lifetime which I only get to watch on reality TV shows such as "Fear Factor," "Survivor," and "Amazing Race." Until Acer Philippines brought different media organizations together for its Acer Media Summer Power Fest 2008: The Extreme South Expedition. On May 23 at around 1:20 p.m. we left the Centennial Domestic Airport. Stratus, cumulus and cirrus clouds took away my one hour and twenty minutes of boredom as they formed different animals that decorated the blue sky. A signage with these words, "Welcome to the City of Friendship: Cagayan de Oro," greeted us as we arrived at the Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro.