Top Reads

Natural Born Heroes - Christopher McDougall | A fascinating story of the origins and abilities of human strength and movement intertwined with a historical account of Crete in WWII. I think it is technically non-fiction but they way facts and research about human performance are intertwined with storytelling is really enjoyable.

Running with Sherman - Christopher McDougall | Another fascinating story of research on humans and their relationships with animals intertwined with a journey of training a rescued donkey to race in the Burro Racing World Championships in Leadville, CO. Sounds weird but I recommend giving it a chance.

Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance - Alex Hutchinson | Reads a bit like a textbook, but nonetheless an excellent summary of research on human endurance and performance. Hard to get this kind of information into one place and is really interesting stuff.

On the Nose: A Lifelong Obsession with Yosemite's Most Iconic Climb - Hans Florine, Jayme Moye | Hans shows how what is a seemingly pointless or selfish obsession (climbing the Nose over and over) can actually be a beautiful way to build community and inspire people. Read this when I was on a climbing trip in NoCal and was feeling really inspired after reading it. Hans is the man. #DoHardThings.

Annapurna - A Women’s Place - Arlene Blum | Autobiography about a woman who led the first all-female team up Annapurna - a huge and monumental undertaking. Good perspective on leadership and risk.

Found - Bree Lowen | Autobiographical stories from the author’s time working as a member of a SAR team in Seattle, WA. If you’ve ever been curious about search and rescue, this is a good read.

Pickets and Deadmen -Bree Lowen | Autobiographical stories from the author’s time working as one of the only female climbing rangers on Mt. Rainier. A unique perspective.

Learning to Fly - Steph Davis | A well-written autobiography of a climber and base jumper that challenges limits and perceptions of our abilities, relationships, and risk in an engaging manner.

Rock Warrior’s Way | A climbing classic that focuses on defining our why’s for climbing from the ancient warrior perspective. Resonated with it much more than other psychological climbing books and found it improved my mental game considerably.

Training for the Uphill Athlete / New Alpinism - Steve House | A great resource for anyone interested in climbing or endurance training and nutrition. I haven’t followed any of their plans, but found them to be very tastefully based on sound exercise science principles and a great resource for anyone curious about this stuff. They also have 5-star pictures and make a nice coffee table piece.