Mountaineers Books
We are excited to announce that three of our titles are 2022 Banff Mountain Book Competition finalists! This internationally recognized literary competition included 166 books from 11 different countries this year.
Congratulations to our talented authors Luc Mehl, Lauren DeLaunay Miller, and Katie Ives, as well as the other competition finalists!
Check out all three of our finalists:
The Packraft Handbook by Luc Mehl
Category: Guidebook
The Packraft Handbook is a comprehensive guide to packrafting, with a strong emphasis on skill progression and safety. Readers will learn to maneuver through river features and open water, mitigate risk with trip planning and boat control, and how to react when things go wrong. Beginners will find everything they need to know to get started--from packraft care to proper paddling position as well as what to wear and how to communicate.
Illustrated for visual learners and featuring stunning photography, The Packraft Handbook has something to offer all packrafters and other whitewater sports enthusiasts.
Valley of Giants: Stories from Women at the Heart of Yosemite Climbing by Lauren DeLaunay Miller
Category: Climbing Literature
Though long overlooked, women have always been at the center of Yosemite--climbing, crafting equipment, and establishing new routes. In Valley of Giants, editor and climber Lauren DeLaunay Miller pulls together journal excerpts, original essays, interviews, archival materials, and memorable firsts that span the past century of climbing in the Valley.
This first-ever collection of both famed and untold stories from women at the heart of Yosemite climbing gathers almost 40 contributors, from Bea Vogel who forged her own pitons to Molly Higgins who participated in the first all-female ascent of the Nose on El Capitan to Liz Robbins who established routes in Yosemite Valley during the Golden Age. As Mari Gingery, one of the first women to climb the Shield on El Cap, writes in the foreword, "the stories feature a medley of intrepid female characters" who "offer fresh perspectives."
Organized into five distinct eras in Yosemite climbing history, this groundbreaking anthology captures a range of stories from heartbreaking losses to soaring joys, trip reports of significant ascents to moments that convey the larger essence of the Valley--and what it means to call this iconic place "home."
Imaginary Peaks: The Riesenstein Hoax and Other Mountain Dreams by Katie Ives
Category: Special Jury Mention
Using an infamous deception about a fake mountain range in British Columbia as her jumping-off point, Katie Ives, the well-known editor of Alpinist, explores the lure of blank spaces on the map and the value of the imagination. In Imaginary Peaks she details the cartographical mystery of the Riesenstein Hoax within the larger context of climbing history and the seemingly endless quest for newly discovered peaks and claims of first ascents. Imaginary Peaks is an evocative, thought-provoking tale, immersed in the literature of exploration, study of maps, and basic human desire.
