Mountaineers Books
Chosen from a field of more than 170 international titles, The Climbers by photographer Jim Herrington was awarded the prestigious Grand Prize at the recent 2017 Banff Mountain Book Competition in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The Climbers was also named the competition's Category Winner for Mountaineering History.
Recently released by Mountaineers Books, this collectors volume of 60 black and white portraits features iconic figures from climbing's 'Golden Age' from the 1930s to 1970s. It includes images of Fred Beckey, Riccardo Cassin, Reinhold Messner, and Royal Robbins, among other notables. The book includes a 35,000-word essay from award-winning author Greg Child and a foreword from climber Alex Honnold.
“The portraits in The Climbers document in searing detail many of the preeminent founders of the sport. Now aged beyond their most active years, the visible mortality and frailty of the subjects alerts us to a reality often glossed over by the dominant cult of youth in adventure sports. As survivors of intense experiences, the effects of lives spent in pursuit of extremes is made obvious. Jim Herrington renders in images captured on nostalgic black and white film a simulacrum of the subjects' groundbreaking spirit.” - Banff Mountain Book Competition jury member, Ian Welsted.
The Banff Mountain Book Competition awards recognize the best books in such categories as adventure and mountain literature, mountain travel, mountain environment and natural history, mountain image, and mountaineering history. The awards are given once a year.
The Climbers is part of Mountaineers Books’ Legends and Lore Series created to honor the lives and adventures of mountaineers from around the world. Its publications are made possible through the generosity of donors and through book sales.
