Snowblind: Stories of Alpine Obsession

by Daniel Arnold

Overview

In this powerful debut story collection, veteran travel write and climber Daniel Arnold brings to life the men and women—complete with their scars and dark corners—whose lives are defined by the mountains they climb. The characters who populate Snowblind are obsessed with the jagged beauty and driven by the physical ricks of dangerous summits. Their climbs end not on heights, but in the psychological aftermath, when their compulsions crash back into reality.

Deep in Alaska, a fanatic soloist seeks her way back through the wilderness when her pilot fails to pick her up after a triumphant climb. In a climbers' hostel in Argentina, a young mountaineer tries to explain abandoning his fallen partner in a blizzard on Aconcagua. On K2, an anarchist fails to fit in on a modern Himalayan expedition—with disastrous results. Tension fills Arnold's stories, both from the finely crafted, sweaty–palmed drama of the climbs he imagines, and also from the cracks that open in each of his characters' psyches.

Snowblind is a dose of old world adventure writing made modern for a new generation fascinated by the mystique of climbing. For both serious climbers and those who may never tie onto a rope the thrill of these stories, complete

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781619024533
Publisher:	Catapult
Publication date:	03/17/2015
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Daniel Arnold began climbing the Pacific Rim volcanoes and basalt crags of his native Portland as a teenager and went on to climb throughout North and South America. His work has appeared in Rock + Ice, ZYZZYVA, and The Mountain Gazette. His two books are Salt to Summit and Early Days in the Range of Light. He lives and climbs in Sonora, CA.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Snowblind

"Arnold departs from nonfiction storytelling to debut his first short story collection. The result is an impressive exploration of the souls of mountaineers...The reading is nerve–racking but well worth the trip."—Stanford Magazine

"gripping short stories...Arnold takes the reader to famous spots—K2, Aconcagua—but it's the personal stories that really compel."—Sacramento Bee

"Arnold really knows how to write a spellbinder. Once readers open this collection of eight short stories and novellas, they will not want to put it down. Arnold's mastery of voice is exceptional....This may well be a popular book. Its stories will appeal to fans of alpine and other extreme sports."—Booklist

"a gutsy, up–close look at mountain climbing....[In] rich language ... Arnold has crafted a fierce book for those who know the game—and for the rest of us, who can vicariously push through our fears of the wild." —Kirkus Starred Review

Praise for Early Days in the Range of Light:


"Dan has done something unique in climbing histories––he went back in time––first, by ferreting out and suffusing himself with ancient lore, then by forgoing modern equipment, and finally by retracing the finger– and footholds used by the first climbers." –Peter Croft

"Ever wish you could travel back to climbing's early days and follow the earliest first–ascent visionaries? This fantasy comes to life . . . In this elegant narrative." —Climbing Magazine

"A spirited journey . . . This well–written memoir and travelogue should find a welcome home in many climbing collections." —Kirkus

"With great originality and insight . . . This is a splendid chronicle of early climbing in the Sierra Nevada." —Royal Robbins

From the Publisher

★ 2015-01-22
This debut story collection is a gutsy, up-close look at mountain climbing around the world.Arnold is an outdoor writer whose nonfiction work focuses on climbing (From Salt to Summit, 2012, etc.). He's an active climber himself, and this book rings true, examining the lives of those who are lured to the mountains. Subcultures always have their own languages, and Arnold has his down: "The angle ratchets out toward vertical. Ann pounds a half-hitch piton to the eye…threads a bight through her handle-modified GriGri, and clips the end to the piton." That writing typifies the rhythm and rich language that drive all the stories in this collection. "The Cleaning Crew" is a somber look at a climber losing his partner during an unimaginable storm on the rock. He tells the tale to find relief but receives no sympathy from the other climbers at a hostel in Argentina. "No Place for Vagabonds" feels like an epic travelogue told by a guerrilla climber who's asked to join a major, industrialized expedition to K2. Chase Vox describes the group, awestruck and repulsed: "We were a small country. The rich and powerful doing bizarre stuff at the top while the workers labored at the bottom." But there's a twist—a hippy named Wind who shadows the expedition and sets Chase's mountain ethic on its ear as he accomplishes what no one else can. "Cowards Run" is outdoor writing at its best, delivered in a tale of two 17-year-old boys living an impossible summer; it starts with the storms of the sea and ends atop Mount Fairweather. In this book, the top is the point. Arnold has crafted a fierce book for those who know the game—and for the rest of us, who can vicariously push through our fears of the wild.

Kirkus Review