PETER POTTERFIELD, Journalist
Peter Potterfield - Published works
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In the Zone (The Mountaineers Books, 1996)
• Colby Coombs on Alaska's Mount Foraker
• Scott Fischer and Ed Viesturs on K2
• Author Peter Potterfield on Chimney Rock in the North Cascades
To climb is to risk, and nowhere is that more evident than in these true-life accounts of three men who faced the ultimate challenge in passionate pursuit of their sport.
A veteran journalist with 25 years of climbing experience, author Potterfield is a master craftsman who has himself been in the zone. These stories, the result of extensive interviews, reveal that the keys to averting tragedy lie in the head and heart as much as in technical proficiency and physical strength.
There is the story of Colby Coombs' disastrous experience on Alaska's Mount Foraker, which ranks with Joe Simpson's Touching the Void as one of the greatest survival stories of the genre. On K2, experienced climber Scott Fischer (who lost his life in the 1996 Everest tragedy) and partner Ed Viesturs battle for the summit in the face of numerous setbacks, severe injuries, and harrowing weather conditions. Peter Potterfield recounts his own riveting tale of hope and desperation after a climbing fall that left him trapped and badly injured on a narrow ledge in Washington's North Cascades.
Also available in paperback.
Himalayan Quest (National Geographic Books, 2002)
Himalayan Quest offers an unforgettable glimpse into the remarkable world of Ed Viesturs, America's best-known high altitude climber, and the breathtaking landscape in which he works. It is an unparalleled showcase of both the heartbreaking tragedy and the ineffable joy Viesturs has experienced while striving at the limits of human endurance. Written with Peter Potterfield, an award-winning mountaineering journalist, Viesturs narrates his quest to climb the 14 highest mountains in the world-those peaks above 8,000 meters in height. A unique, inspiring, and spine-tingling glimpse into the rarified world of the extreme climber, Himalayan Quest will appeal not only fans of Himalayan climbing, but to outdoor aficionados and armchair adventurers everywhere.
Also available in paperback
High Himalaya (The Mountaineers Books, 2001)
A 2001 Banff Book Festival Award Winner!
In 150 photographs taken on journeys through Pakistan, India, Nepal, Tibet, and China, Art Wolfe presents the Himalaya in all its beauty and grandeur - not only the landscape, but the people as well. Wolfe's images are paired with mountaineering journalist Peter Potterfield's interviews with three of the world's most celebrated climbers; Reinhold Messner, Doug Scott, and Ed Viesturs. Foreward by Norbu Tenzing Norgay of the American Himalayan Institute. In The High Himalaya, Art Wolfe's photography is stunning, from fluted ice walls to sunrise and sunset colors on Everest to the deeply creased faces of the village elders.
Everest, the Anthology (The Mountaineers Books, 2003)
• 2003 marks the 50-year anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's Everest summit
• Includes accounts from Tom Hornbein, Jim Whittaker, Frank Smythe, Eric Simonson, Reinhold Messner, and many other legendary climbers
• Offers a great introduction to the history of Everest
A great addition to the libraries of both mountaineering literature affectionados and those who just want a variety of Everest's greatest dramas in one volume. Extraordinary insights into the early attempts, successes, disasters, and noteworthy moments. The authors give their personal accounts of the challenges and traumas that await all those who would climb to the top of the world.
Selected Climbs in the Cascades, Vol. I, 2nd Ed. (Mountaineers Books, 2001)
For ambitious newbies and hardcore climbers alike, this
revised guide includes 12 new climbs.
• Details more than 75 of the most popular climbs in the Cascades
• Two hundred black and white photographs, half with route overlays
• Thirty maps
Setting a new standard for Cascade climbing guides when it appeared in 1992, Selected Climbs in the Cascades rapidly became a best-seller. The book includes some of the best alpine climbs in the range, including rock climbs from 5.0 to 5.12, walk-up routes on all the volcanoes, challenging wilderness alpine routes in the North Cascades, ice climbs, even conditioning climbs. Dan Cauthorn said the book "captures the breadth of Cascade climbing, and will inspire climbers of all abilities to explore the range."
Now there's a second edition, published in 2002, with new routes along with the old favorites. In addition to 12 new, fun and challenging routes, this edition contains a mix of walk-ups, snow climbs, scrambles, wilderness alpine routes, hard rock climbs, ice climbs, and strenuous mixed climbs. The idea of a qualitative climbing guide-one that rates climbs by appeal, not by difficulty or type of climbing, was new to the Cascades when Selected Climbs in the Cascades was first published, and climbers loved it.
Selected Climbs in the Cascades, Vol. II (Mountaineers books, 2000)
• Features 100 routes, including top favorite sport and crag climbing areas
• Illustrated throughout with black and white photographs,
several with route overlays
• Highlights fun, quality climbs for all skill levels
For years, climbers have consulted Selected Climbs in the Cascades for the region's finest, most enjoyable, most aesthetic climbs. This follow-up volume, with all-new routes, details a similar mix of walk-ups, snow climbs, scrambles, wilderness alpine routes, hard rock climbs, ice climbs, and strenuous mixed climbs, with one major addition: sport and crag climbs. There are routes here for climbers of all skill levels, making this an ideal guide for everyone from beginners looking for the easiest routes up the gentler Cascade peaks to advanced rock climbers looking for a fresh, new challenge.
Like the first volume, Volume II includes detailed approach and route descriptions, permit requirements, topo maps, and photos for each climb, plus information on first ascents, equipment, areas of caution, and special considerations for climbing in the Cascades.
Over the Top, Humorous Mountaineering Tales (Mountaineers Books 2002)
Trips gone wrong, embarrassing incidents, unfortunate pratfalls, and hilarious reflections are part of the newest volume in The Mountaineers Anthology Series. Kurt Diemberger's A Lesson in French and Greg Childs' Chalk are examples of climbers' keen appreciation for the absurd, droll, ironic, and hilarious moments in their world.