The Esoteric Meaning of Mountaineering: A Selection of European Mountain Thought from Mallory to Nietzsche to Simmel

"This small book may not make you more learned, wiser, or more adept at mastering mountains,
but it does try to make the reader's soul—a little bigger." — Zhan Weixiong, Editor of this book

How do mountains become a source of meaning in a climber's life?

Mallory: A mountaineer is an artist!
Simmel: To live this life is to take this risk...
Nietzsche: To be as primitive and powerful as granite

Social observer and senior mountaineering history researcher, Zhan Weixiong, personally selected and guided the readings.
Seventeen important classic selections from the nascent period of European mountaineering literature history, depicting the philosophical origins behind human climbing behavior.
Attempting to answer an age-old question—why do we take risks?