Above the Clouds: The Nature of Mountains, the Terrain of an Athlete, and How I Carved My Own Path to the Top of the World - Hardcover

Jornet, Kilian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062965034 ISBN 13: 9780062965035

Publisher: HarperOne, 2020

Synopsis

The most accomplished mountain runner of all time contemplates his record-breaking climb of Mount Everest in this profound and free-flowing memoir—an intellectual and spiritual journey that moves from the earth’s highest peak to the soul’s deepest reaches.

The world's fastest mountain climber, ultra-runner, and mountaineer, Kilian Jornet has broken nearly every mountaineering record in the world and twice been named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. In 2018 he burnished that legend, setting the FKT (fastest known time) ascending and descending Mount Everest—in twenty-six hours from base camp—without bottled oxygen or ropes.

What drives a person to the edge of one of the most difficult and revered mountains in the world? How much is one willing to sacrifice and suffer to pursue an authentic and bold life? Jornet ponders these questions as he recounts one remarkable year in the life of the mountain, exploring Everest’s changing nature over four seasons and his own existence. Above the Clouds silhouettes a complex and dedicated runner at the peak of his physical prowess who must choose between the safe and certain or the adventurous and perilous.  

As he recounts a life spent studying, tending, and ascending the greatest peaks on earth, Jornet ruminates on what he has found in nature—simplicity, freedom, and spiritual joy—and offers a poetic yet clearheaded assessment of his relationship to the mountain . . . at times his opponent, at others, his greatest muse. 

In this sweeping, soulful journey—the flip side of stories like Into Thin Air—Jornet illuminates with beauty and brilliance what it means to be an athlete, a competitor, and a human facing the greatest life challenges—for him, the mountain he yearns to climb and honor.

About this title

About the Author

Kilian Jornet is the dominant mountain runner of all time and among the world’s greatest athletes. In search of inspiration outside formal competition, Kílian embarked on a self-styled adventure project dubbed Summits of My Life—establishing the fastest known recorded times (“FKT”) to ascend and descend the world’s most challenging peaks, including the Matterhorn, Kilimanjaro, Mont Blanc, Denali and even the planet’s tallest summit. Six days after he summitted Everest, he repeated the performance—an accomplishment for which he was named Adventurer of the Year by National Geographic. He lives in Norway.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperOne
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062965034
• ISBN 13: 9780062965035
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240