Description: Longtime climber Hil Malatino's Climbing explores how the sport has changed, saved, and occasionally threatened his life. Paralleling movement on rock to navigating grief, addiction, gender transition, and more, Malatino shows how climbing teaches us how to hold onto life's ambiguities.
Review Quotes: "Hil Malatino's Climbing is a beautifully personal and scholarly journey of grief and growth. Hil's relationship with climbing is the thread that holds the story, and often Hil, together. The book is an honest and ultimately uplifting view of the ways that climbing can help navigate everchanging landscapes, both within and without."--Steph Davis, Winner, 2024 American Alpine Club Pinnacle Award for Lifetime Achievement
"Like Peter Matthiessen's Snow Leopard, Hil Malatino's Climbing is as much the story of the spirit as it is centered on its titular subject. Climbing is certainly a large part of Climbing, but this is a book with so much more on its mind. Deftly wrought and finely researched, this is a masterpiece of the genre."--Christian Kiefer, climber and author of, The Heart of It All "Smart and lyrical, this is an affecting portrait of transition."--Publishers Weekly "This book offers a unique perspective on climbing and coping with life's transitions. Recommended for anyone interested in gender studies and/or rock-climbing sports."--Gary Medina, Library Journal