All and Nothing, Jeff Smoot
All and Nothing, Jeff Smoot
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

All and Nothing
Inside Free Soloing

Author: Jeff Smoot

Narrator: Eric Smies

Unabridged: 12 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/13/2022

Synopsis

Once considered a fringe activity, climbing without a rope has entered the mainstream consciousness, largely because of the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo featuring professional climber Alex Honnold. Yet climbers have been free soloing all along—motivated by reasons as varied as the climbers themselves.

All and Nothing delves into the cultural history of free soloing, ranging across the storied climbing cultures of the Alps, Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, Joshua Tree, Yosemite, the Gunks, Eldorado Canyon, and several other locales. Writer and climber Jeff Smoot explores the interplay of climbing and risk, as well as psychological theories, evolving ethics, the effect of media coverage (particularly the portrayal of extreme sports), and shares original interviews with dozens of free soloists. Smoot also recounts his personal experiences climbing without a rope in the same era as talented climbers like Mark Twight and Peter Croft.

From inside his complex connection to free soloing, he examines our relationship with risk, how we perceive our sense of control, and our perspective on mortality.

About Jeff Smoot

Jeff Smoot has always lived close to his outdoor passion, from writing for climbing magazines to researching and writing guidebooks, to serving on Seattle's Camp Long Advisory Council, which supports outdoor education and opportunities for disadvantaged and underserved youth. He is the founder of Camp Long's annual Mountain Fest, celebrating Seattle's rich climbing history and culture. A semi-retired attorney, he has served as Chair of the Washington State Bar Association Law Clerk Board and is a regular speaker at legal education seminars. Jeff lives in Seattle.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Stefano on August 02, 2023

At the time of writing this review, I have been climbing for almost eight years. It was not until I moved to British Columbia several years ago that I had witnessed someone free solo a proper 5th class route in the flesh (Klahanie Crack, 5.7, in Squamish BC). I vividly remember watching this complet......more

Goodreads review by Gino on October 31, 2023

A must read for all fans of rock climbing......more

Goodreads review by Jerry on November 13, 2022

Having taken up free soloing late in my climbing "career", I found the insights proffered in Jeff's work to be of great value to me personally in balancing my approach (haha) to soloing and not just the soloing aspect of it but my overall relationship to climbing. After free soloing several hundred......more

Goodreads review by Momchil on June 13, 2024

There are definitely some interesting segments in the book, and I do consider it worth reading, but it was quite a hard read, it took me Four Months! To finish the audiobook, which is very rarely the case. I am an avid climbing/ mountain book reader and have rarely encounter a book that took me so l......more

Goodreads review by Gabe on January 16, 2023

This is about the audiobook version: The narrator clearly had not before encountered names and words within the book which makes their pronunciations very difficult to listen to for those who have. (John) Muir, carabiner & piton are all mispronounced. You'd think the author of the book would have to p......more

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