Rocky Horrors, Frozen Smiles: A Mountaineer at the End of His Rope

Monika Rohlmann is an environmental consultant in Victoria, B.C.

Peter Austen has over 40 years of climbing experience. He is a veteran
of roughly 200 successful climbs, based on his own ten-to-one ratio of
successes versus horror stories. These “rocky horrors” are a natural
part of the peril and unpredictability of this extreme sport.

The book describes 19 cliff/ice/mountain climbs that presented serious
threats to the author’s life. Each chapter discusses a different kind
of terror: falling off, lightning, grizzly bears, hypothermia, and so
on. We are invited into the culture and personality of the rock climber,
and learn the terror and exhilaration that is shared by this unique
bunch of adventure-seekers.

Austen’s love for the outdoors shines through this book. Riveting,
often hilarious, and infused with a refreshing humility, his stories
provide an intimate look at the world of rock climbing. At the same
time, they help us to understand what sets the rock climber apart from
the sedentary, stress-filled urban dweller. Austen puts it best when he
says that “he never heard of a climber dying of an ulcer caused by
adventure.”