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"A treasured read."The Naked Mountaineer recounts a series of solo journeys to some of the world's most exotic peaks in places such as Switzerland, Japan, and Borneo. However, it is far from the typical heroic mountain-expedition book. Although Steve Sieberson did reach many summits, in most cases his travels were more memorable for what he encountered along the way than for the actual climbing. His real adventures involved peculiar people, strange foods, and tropical diseases, rather than pitons and carabiners. On the Matterhorn he met an English alpinist who reveled in naked selfies, he stumbled into a cockfight in a Balinese village, and on a volcano in Italy he was mistaken for a famous singer by an insistent fan. The Naked Mountaineer offers mountain-themed travel stories with a wide-eyed view of the world, while presenting irreverent commentary on climbers and their peculiar sport. These are rollicking tales, filled with the unexpected.
Praise for The Naked Mountaineer• One of Booklist's 2015 Top Ten Sports Books• 2016 Finalist, One Book One Nebraska AwardSieberson . . . is hardly an amateur climber. Yet, in his absorbing and often humorous memoir, he conveys the sense of wonder, enthusiasm, and pure love of mountain climbing characteristic of a newcomer to the sport. He offers a series of vignettes that combine the genres of history and travel narrative, and then returns to his enduring passion for the ascent of the mountain. For climbing and travel enthusiasts, this will be a treasured read. • Jay Freeman, Booklist (starred review)
He makes his adventures seem possible, and his account might even convince some readers to put on a pair of hiking boots. Fans of Bill Bryson and anyone who has thought about climbing a mountain will enjoy this charming account of one man’s trek to various parts of the world. • Sara Miller Rohan, Library Journal
It is Sieberson’s unabashed enthusiasm for climbing that is exposed here, and his bare appraisal of it all is engagingly straightforward. The Naked Mountaineer guides us up mountains – including his beloved Matterhorn – and offers an insightful travelogue. The observations are fresh and yet familiar, as welcome as clean socks from a well-worn rucksack at the end of a long day’s hike. • Kyle Wagner, The Denver Post
Before long we feel like we're traveling with Paul Theroux. • The Wall Street Journal
The Naked Mountaineer is quite literally off the beaten track, and it's a delightful journey Steve invites us on. • Brent Spencer, author of Rattlesnake Daddy
One of 16 books every outdoor enthusiast needs to read. • LoveHiking blog
Take a walk on the weirder side of mountain life with Sieberson, whose alpine misadventures include bizarre local cuisine, insistent music fans, and oh yes, the Englishman who revels in taking naked selfies . . . . This delightfully anecdotal memoir hops from Norway to Japan to Greece, among other high altitude locales . . . . One of 6 new books that backpackers will love this season. • Backpacker
The Naked Mountaineer captures the essence of what lures us into the mountains . . . . I have read countless mountain books, but I literally couldn’t put this one down. Steve is an explorer and a climber, but more important, he is a great storyteller. . . . With so much philosophy and humor in this book, I could have read another dozen chapters. • Lou Whittaker, mountain guide
From Western Washington to Italy to Indonesia this is a delightful book. For anyone who has traveled or wished to travel to remote places, Steve Sieberson's The Naked Mountaineer gives an entertaining and humorous account of his mountain adventures. • Mike Mahanay, Washington Alpine Club, President
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