A Fine Line: Searching for Balance Among Mountains

by Graham Zimmerman

Overview

"A Fine Line is more than just a recounting of remarkable expeditions, summit views, and thin air. It's a story of resilience, loss, and the quest for a balanced and meaningful life in the unforgiving realm of high-risk mountain sports." —Men's Journal

2024 Independent Publisher Book Award Bronze Medal Winner - Sports/Fitness/Recreation
2024 Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature Finalist

• Honestly portrays the highs and lows of a life dedicated to the outdoors
• Shares the author’s development as an outspoken conservation advocate
• Story is rooted in the peaks of the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Pakistan

How do we reconcile our love of outdoor adventure with the inevitability of loss in high-risk sports? Still in his thirties, Graham Zimmerman has made first ascents from Alaska to Pakistan, and in 2020 he received the Piolet d’Or for his climb on Pakistan’s Link Sar with Steve Swenson. A sponsored athlete who is sought out as a climbing partner, Zimmerman knows that he must find a balance between his ambitions as an alpinist and his social responsibilities—as a husband, climate advocate, and community leader.

His generation has faced devastating grief in the mountains, including the deaths of Kyle Dempster, Hayden Kennedy, and Inge Perkins, and his cohort has witnessed firsthand the effects of climate change in the form of disappearing glaciers and increasingly erratic weather. Zimmerman writes of the exhilaration he feels while climbing but also the painful realization that summiting at all costs is an outdated model. As A Fine Line traces Graham’s journey, mountain lovers everywhere will see themselves in this coming-of-age story of adventure and personal reckoning.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781680515909
Publisher:	Mountaineers Books, The
Publication date:	09/20/2023
Pages:	8
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

As a professional climber, Graham Zimmerman is one of the most acclaimed alpinists of his generation. After graduating in 2007 with a degree in geography, he focused on alpinism, a pursuit that has taken him on expeditions from Alaska to Patagonia to Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan and all over the lower 48 and Canada. Dedicated to using his platform for good, he holds leadership roles in a range of nonprofits and outdoor companies, including the American Alpine Club and Protect Our Winters. He lives in Bend, OR with his wife, Shannon, and their dog, Pebble. Find him online at grahamzimmerman.com.

Editorial Reviews

A beautiful memoir about life, love, career, values, ambitions, and survival while climbing the world’s most technical mountains.

Odd Fodder - Meghan Robins

Readers will learn about the outdoor adventures of an acclaimed alpinist, one who has made first ascents on mountains across the planet, sometimes ending in great losses as well as first-hand awareness of impending climate change.

Wendy Altschuler

A gripping and informative book by one of the most talented and influential alpinists of his generation.

Climbing

In this well-crafted book, Zimmerman candidly shares his remarkable journey from a budding climber to one of the best alpinists in the world. Yet, A Fine Line is more than just a recounting of remarkable expeditions, summit views, and thin air. It's a story of resilience, loss, and the quest for a balanced and meaningful life in the unforgiving realm of high-risk mountain sports.

Men's Journal - Dalton Johnson

A Fine Line reveals the realities of climbing and highlights an intentional approach to reaching the tallest pinnacles and living a balanced, meaningful life.

Wendy Hinman

A Fine Line is a story of defining priorities—and of learning to compromise while piecing it all together.

Alpinist Magazine - Abbey Collins

An excellent read, A Fine Line is well worth adding to any collection of climbing and mountaineering books.

goEast - Jaime Herndon

His new book, “A Fine Line” reflects on his incredible climbing career. In the sometimes overly macho, deeply risky pursuit of alpine climbing, his book offers a welcomed counterpoint to the narrative we often hear.

The Dirtbag Diaries

Obviously for fans of extreme outdoor sports, Zimmerman's debut is also recommended for readers seeking wisdom and balance in any pursuit.

Shelf Awareness - Julia Kastner

This worthwhile coming-of-age read is full of adventure and reflections on being a husband, climate advocate, and community leader.

Men's Journal "Top Non-Fiction Books of the Year" - Naomi Farr

What is most striking about this book is the detail in which he describes each expedition, including the skills and shared passion of his climbing partners and the extreme weather and challenges of reaching or not reaching summits in the sky.

The Cordova Times - Margaret Bauman

The rewards of alpine climbing are described with a novelist’s sense of situation, character, and detail.

Gripped Magazine - Tom Valis

Acclaimed alpinist Graham Zimmerman’s newest book is an important query into the ways outdoor enthusiasts—and professionals—balance the human and environmental cost of their adventures.

Seattle Met - Taylor Gerlach

A gripping and introspective account of the challenges faced by the modern alpinist. The book masterfully intertwines a thought-provoking exploration of ambition and courage with the pursuit of meaning in the face of a changing mountain and global landscape.

2024 Boardman Tasker Award Judges

A Fine Line” is a thoughtful book — full of complexities, and not without contradictions. But it does signal a welcome change from the unabashedly macho climbing books of yore.

Coast Weekend - Barbara Lloyd McMichael

A Fine Line traces Zimmerman’s evolution from budding mountaineer to sponsored athlete to battle-hardened alpinist who embraces the theme of a “100-year-plan.

Appalachia - Stephen Kurczy

08/01/2023

Award-winning alpinist Zimmerman shares stories about his 15 years as a professional climber on more than 30 major expeditions from Alaska to New Zealand to Pakistan. The author says he was first drawn to alpine-style climbing, which means no fixed ropes or guides, as a teenager, finding a rush in pushing his limits in high mountain terrain. His first career as a geophysicist provided time, money, and access to remote locations, but he sought work that would have a positive effect on the communities he encountered. This book describes his mentors and the lessons he learned in the field. Zimmerman reflects on the training, motivation and relationships that have sustained him in a dangerous sport. Seeing firsthand the effect of climate change on mountain landscapes, the author works with scientists and other athletes to use storytelling to advocate for policy change. VERDICT Vivid descriptions of climbs and conditions are thoughtfully paired with the author's growth as a sportsman and a person. Highly recommended for readers of memoirs, sports narratives, and outdoor adventures.—Catherine Lantz

Library Journal