Get psyched to get vertical!

Each rock generation brings new vision and new focus to ultimate climbing challenges. In Vertical World, Katie Brown, herself one of the world’s greatest climbers, introduces nine of America’s best and brightest masters of rock climbing. Through engaging interviews and stunning action photographs taken by top climbing photographers, the most gifted climbers of this generation bring style, grace, skill, and strength to the hardest and most beautiful rock climbs on planet Earth. They talk about their successes and failures, their training secrets, their favorite crags, their climbing partners, their wildest dreams, and their craziest adventures. These are today’s cutting-edge climbers touching the vertical dream and climbing without limits.

Table of Contents
Foreword by Pete Takeda, Senior Contributing Editor to Rock & Ice
1. Beth Rodden, First American woman to establish a 5.14b (The Optimist, Smith Rock, OR).
2. Chris Sharma, First person to climb 5.15a Realization, Ceuse France).
3. Dave Graham, Has climbed more 5.14s than anyone else in the world, with 100+ routes under his belt.
4. Dean Potter, First person to free climb both El Cap and Half Dome in a day. Dean also free-soloed the Supercanaleta on Fitz Roy in 6.5 hours and soloed the Compressor route on Cerro Torre in 11 hours.
5. Jason Kehl, Unrepeated ascent of Evilution (V11) which stands 55 ft. tall, first ascent of After Midnight (V10/11, 25 ft. high) and The Fly (V13, 25 ft. high).
6. Josh Wharton, Bold ascent of The Flame in northeastern Pakistan under great odds and first ascent of the world's longest route called The Great Trango Tower in Pakistan.
7. Lisa Rands, First American woman to climb V11 (Plain High Drifter, Buttermilks, CA). First woman to lead E8 6C (The End of the Affair, Curbar Edge, England).
8. Steph Davis, Second woman, behind Lynn Hill to free climb a route on El Cap in a day (The Freerider, 5.12d/13a). Steph was also the first woman to have climbed all seven of the major peaks in Patagonia's Fitz Roy Range.
9. Tommy Caldwell, established the world's most difficult big wall free climb (The Dihedral Wall, 5.14a, El Cap, Yosemite, CA).

EXCERPTS

"In the following chapters, Katie Brown interviews nine climbers who have made significant contributions to the sport. "These contributions will stand the test of time," she says. Her intent-besides inaugurating a career as an author-is to portray the leading activists of the new generation. She's chosen three women and six men who represent America's current cutting edge of bouldering, sport, trad, big wall free, and alpine rock climbing."

"Chris had fallen off the crux of the Biographie Extension over 30 times, each time taking enormous falls. His tenacity on the route, however, not only proved his talent, but also proved he had the ability to stick with it when success did not come as easily as he was accustomed to. Chris named the extension, Realization, saying that "in French, to realize a route means to send it. Plus, it was very difficult for me mentally, emotionally and physically, so in order to be ultimately successful, I had to 'realize' a lot of things about myself during the process." The climb was given the rating of 5.15a, a level that was previously thought to quite possibly be unreachable."

The Author Katie Brown, 24, from Boulder, CO: First woman to onsight both 5.13d and 5.14a (Omaha Beach, Red River Gorge, KY and Hydrophobia, Mont Sant, Spain).

Vertical World® is a registered trademark of Vertical World, Inc., America's first climbing gym, www.verticalworld.com. Used by permission.

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