Pushing the Limits: The Story of Canadian Mountaineering

Recipient of the Banff Mountain Book Festival's Canadian Rockies Award A book to be read and digested, then sampled, then read and dipped into often...a fine achievement for this dedicated author...Bruce Fairley, Canadian Alpine Journal HOLY SHIT WAAAAAAAAAT A FABBBBBULOUS TOME. Tami Knight, Illustrator/Mountaineer This important new book tells the story of Canada's 200-year mountaineering history. Through the use of stories and pictures, Chic Scott documents the evolution of climbing in Canada. He introduces us to the early mountain pioneers and the modern day climbing athletes; he takes us to the crags and the gyms, from the west coast to Quebec, and from the Yukon to the Rockies. But most importantly, Scott showcases Canadian climbers--the routes that challenged them, the peaks that inspired them, their insatiable desire to climber harder, to push the limits. Begin the trek through Canada's climbing history...Learn about Swiss guides hired by CPR hotels who ushered in the glory years of first ascents. Continue through to the turn of the twentieth century when British and American climbers of leisure found themselves hampered by the difficulties of travel through the Canadian wilderness. Learn about the European immigrants of the 1950s who pushed the limits on the rock walls, and the American superstars who led the search for frightening new routes on the big north faces. Be there when British expatriates pioneer an exciting new trend in world mountaineering--waterfall ice climbing. Witness the popular growth of sport climbing, both on the crags and in the gyms. Finally, enjoy the story of home-grown climbers. Initially slow to take up the challenge, both at home and overseas, they are now leaders in the climbing world.

About the Author :
Chic Scott is a household name in international and Canadian mountaineering circles. One of Canada's most celebrated mountain literature authors and adventurers, he is the author of several award-winning mountaineering history books, including Pushing the Limits: The Story of Canadian Mountaineering (RMB 2000), Powder Pioneers: Ski Stories from the Canadian Rockies and Columbia Mountains (RMB 2005) and Deep Powder and Steep Rock: The Life of Mountain Guide Hans Gmoser (RMB 2015). As well, his bestselling guidebooks Summits and Icefields 1: Alpine Ski Tours in the Canadian Rockies (RMB 2011), Summits and Icefields 2: Alpine Ski Tours in the Columbia Mountains - Revised & Updated (RMB 2016) and Ski Trails in the Canadian Rockies - 5th Edition (RMB 2016) are fundamental resources in any backcountry skier's library. Chic lives in Banff, Alberta.