{"product_id":"rising-becoming-the-first-north-american-woman-on-everest-by-sharon-wood","title":"Rising - Becoming the First North American Woman on Everest - by Sharon Wood","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Riveting.... [Wood] beautifully articulates the simplicity and euphoria of mountaineering that has addicted so many adventurers to the pursuit. And she captures the mythology of Everest, whose awe-inspiring capabilities, even after its commercialization in recent years, remain undiminished still.\" --\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eForbes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBanff Mountain Book Competition Finalist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn May 20, 1986, high on Mount Everest, Sharon Wood was ready to give up. Snow plumes swirled off the summit ridge and spilled down the North Face, engulfing her. A four-hundred-foot high rock wall, the crux of the Hornbein Couloir, loomed above—impossible. Then Wood’s partner, Dwayne Congdon, handed her the end of the rope and said, “your lead.” Hours later, at the far too late hour of 9:00 p.m., Wood became the first North American woman to reach the summit, and the first woman in the world to do so via the difficult West Ridge. Their ascent of the West Ridge by a new variation, without Sherpa assistance, is an accomplishment that has never been repeated.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eRising,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Wood reflects on the seventy days she spent on the mountain and on the pivotal experiences and influences that brought her to that staggeringly beautiful and austere corner of the world. Beyond the physical hardships, she faced personal challenges as an outlier in the male bastion of Himalayan climbing. These were compounded by the vexing presence of her past mentor and lover with his new girlfriend on the American team climbing on the same side of the mountain. It didn’t help that the media pitched the two women as rivals, both vying to become the first North American woman to reach the summit of the highest mountain in the world. Wood rose to all these challenges, finding camaraderie and inspiration among her teammates, particularly in the expedition cook, a strong woman whose perspectives were essential to the team’s remarkable esprit de corps, as well as with “the other woman,” her so-called American rival.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eRising\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is both a gripping, adrenalin-filled mountain story and a reflective memoir that reaches beyond the summit to explore a life lived in Everest’s long shadow: unexpected acclaim, outrageous expectations, and personal struggles. As Wood tells her story today, her perspective is steeped in six decades of life experience rich with adventure, change, growth, and humility. It is a tale that feels poignantly relevant—a testament to the strength of the human spirit to overcome all obstacles, whether mountain peaks, social expectations, or self-imposed barriers.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"hide-on-mobile\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e272 pages\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003clabel\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/label\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eMountaineers Books\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003clabel\u003eISBN:\u003c\/label\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e978-1-68051-262-5\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003clabel\u003ePublished:\u003c\/label\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eSep 26, 2019\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eContributors\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"contributors\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eby\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.mountaineers.org\/members\/sharon-wood?ajax_load=1\" class=\"contact-modal pat-plone-modal\" data-pat-plone-modal='{\"title\":\"Profile\",\"content\":\".ajax-wrapper\",\"loadLinksWithinModal\":false,\"prependContent\":\"\",\"width\":\"660px\",\"actionOptions\":{\"displayInModal\":false,\"reloadWindowOnClose\":false,\"disableAjaxFormSubmit\":true}}'\u003eSharon Wood\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eReviews\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eRising\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a gripping book—Wood openly shares her experience as a woman in climbing, and has a knack for writing compelling scenes that draw the reader in.\n\u003cdiv class=\"reviewCredit\"\u003e—\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"reviewer\"\u003eSarah Boon\u003c\/span\u003e, Alpinist\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRiveting.... [Wood] beautifully articulates the simplicity and euphoria of mountaineering that has addicted so many adventurers to the pursuit. And she captures the mythology of Everest, whose awe-inspiring capabilities, even after its commercialization in recent years, remain undiminished still.\n\u003cdiv class=\"reviewCredit\"\u003e—\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"reviewer\"\u003eCassidy Randall\u003c\/span\u003e, Forbes\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA simply riveting read that is a 'must' for all dedicated mountain climbing enthusiasts,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eRising: Becoming the First North American Woman on Everest\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis an extraordinary life story of an extraordinary woman.\n\u003cdiv class=\"reviewCredit\"\u003e—\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"reviewer\"\u003eJulie Summers\u003c\/span\u003e, Midwest Book Review\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWood’s writing [is] both technically descriptive and personally revealing, a mix that sets it apart.... Her memoir is a spirited, perceptive account that’s been well worth the wait.\n\u003cdiv class=\"reviewCredit\"\u003e—\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"reviewer\"\u003eIrene Wanner\u003c\/span\u003e, The Seattle Times\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Mountaineers Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54436112662819,"sku":null,"price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0275\/6955\/3479\/files\/681395fc-210e-4f23-9e54-8d42e4c471a0.jpg?v=1761231925","url":"https:\/\/climbsource.com\/products\/rising-becoming-the-first-north-american-woman-on-everest-by-sharon-wood","provider":"Climb Source","version":"1.0","type":"link"}