On Thursday, June 21st at 7pm we will be hosting a special book event at the shop with Chris Kalman, celebrating his new book As Above, So Below: A Climbing Story. The event will include a reading followed by discussion and Q&A with Kalman.
As Above, So Below is a short (roughly 100 pages) fictional story about a tragic mountain climbing accident. Set in Argentine Patagonia, much of the drama of the story actually takes place within the mind of the story’s protagonist. Finding himself alone on the mountain with no ropes or equipment to safely descend, the emotionally distraught climber is forced to face his inner demons by continuing upwards in hopes of finding help on the summit to get safely back down. Along the way, he toes the inevitable line between not just life and death, but the temptation of the void itself in the aftermath of this horrific tragedy.
As Above, So Below was written in 2015, and edited and revised at the prestigious Mountain and Wilderness Writing Workshop at The Banff Centre in 2016. It has been described as “Jack London’s To Build a Fire for climbing”, and reminiscent of James Salter’s Solo Faces. It is a pulse-quickening, exciting, and beautiful story.
To learn more about Kalman, check out his website!
Check out the Facebook Event and invite your friends. We look forward to seeing you!
