Always Climb Higher

Story of the comeback from a devastating spinal cord injury in 1984 to Jeff Pagels and how he came back to be the fastest USA Nordic Disabled Skier in the world and then abandoned competition against others to just compete with himself by climbing mountains and other extreme outdoor pursuits.

Television icon and New York Times bestselling author Montel Williams reveals his true story of struggle and triumph in this frank and compelling memoir. In 1999, after almost twenty years of symptoms, Montel Williams, a decorated naval officer and Emmy Award-winning talk show host, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Like others suffering from the devastating disease, he was struck with denial, fear, depression, and anger—but he is battling back. Graced with strong values, courage, and hard-won wisdom, he shares his insights in this powerful book on the divergent roads a life can take, and recounts how he rose to meet the challenges he's faced. Surprising, searing, and deeply personal, Climbing Higher is as honest and inspiring as its author.

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER NEW YORK TIMES MONTHLY BESTSELLER One of the 10 Best Books of March, Paste Magazine A deeply reported insider perspective of Alex Honnold’s historic achievement and the culture and history of climbing. “One of the most compelling accounts of a climb and the climbing ethos that I've ever read.”—Sebastian Junger In Mark Synnott’s unique window on the ethos of climbing, his friend Alex Honnold’s astonishing free solo ascent of El Capitan’s 3,000 feet of sheer granite is the central act. When Honnold topped out at 9:28 A.M. on June 3, 2017, having spent fewer than four hours on his historic ascent, the world gave a collective gasp. The New York Times described it as “one of the great athletic feats of any kind, ever.” Synnott’s personal history of his own obsession with climbing since he was a teenager—through professional climbing triumphs and defeats, and the dilemmas they render—makes this a deeply reported, enchanting revelation about living life to the fullest. What are we doing if not an impossible climb? Synnott delves into a raggedy culture that emerged decades earlier during Yosemite’s Golden Age, when pioneering climbers like Royal Robbins and Warren Harding invented the sport that Honnold would turn on its ear. Painting an authentic, wry portrait of climbing history and profiling Yosemite heroes and the harlequin tribes of climbers known as the Stonemasters and the Stone Monkeys, Synnott weaves in his own experiences with poignant insight and wit: tensions burst on the mile-high northwest face of Pakistan’s Great Trango Tower; fellow climber Jimmy Chin miraculously persuades an official in the Borneo jungle to allow Honnold’s first foreign expedition, led by Synnott, to continue; armed bandits accost the same trio at the foot of a tower in the Chad desert . . . The Impossible Climb is an emotional drama driven by people exploring the limits of human potential and seeking a perfect, choreographed dance with nature. Honnold dared far beyond the ordinary, beyond any climber in history. But this story of sublime heights is really about all of us. Who doesn’t need to face down fear and make the most of the time we have?

On May 10, 1996, Lene Gammelgaard became the first Scandinavian woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. But a raging storm and human error conspired to turn triumph into catastrophe. Eight of her team's climbers, including its renowned leader Scott Fischer, perished in a tragedy that would make headlines around the world. In her riveting account, Gammelgaard takes us from her weeks of determined training to the exhilaration of arriving in Nepal to the arduous climb and deadly storm that forced her and her fellow climbers to huddle throughout the night, hoping to stay alive. Gammelgaard also writes movingly of Everest's awesome beauty; of the passion and commitment required to face the daunting challenge of climbing to high altitudes; and of the complex personal relationships forged in the pursuit of such dangerous ventures. Arlene Blum, author of the classic account of women and mountaineering, Annapurna: A Woman's Place, calls Climbing High "an honest and deeply personal account."

"Leaders who are truly committed to substantive and lasting change will find that RESULTS coaching is one of the definitive actions they can take." —Stephanie Hirsh, Executive Director, National Staff Development Council "RESULTS Coaching incorporates the best from many models of coaching, including cognitive coaching, and provides a valuable resource for leaders to clearly articulate the work of schools." —Robert J. Garmston, Professor Emeritus, California State University, Sacramento, Co-Developer, Cognitive Coaching Discover how RESULTS Coaching can foster continuous growth and improvement in your entire staff! RESULTS Coaching is a leadership model based on building coaching relationships with staff members to help them develop as professionals. Being a "coach-leader" is a new identity that challenges leaders to "walk the talk," continuously growing and improving themselves before leading and modeling for others. Built upon the International Coach Federation standards and competencies for coaching, this exciting new resource empowers you to maximize the potential of everyone around you. This book offers: A navigation system for promoting creative thinking and solution finding at every level of school systems Language that builds trust, confidence, and competence Methods for effective communication, such as committed listening, powerful paraphrasing, presuming positive intent, and reflective feedback Testimonials of coach-leaders describing the results they have achieved in their schools Strategies, tools, and questions that provide a model for conducting open and reflective conversations Use this successful blueprint to guide teachers, staff, and students in creating productive school cultures that grow from within!

Hill describes her famous climb and meditates on how she harnesses the strength and courage to push herself to such extremes.

Inspired to Climb Higher: The Challenges, Questions, Struggles, and Joy of Earning Your Doctoral Degree invites readers to experience the personal stories of eight women with unique doctoral journeys who, while facing or overcoming the sometimes-mountainous challenges of everyday life, accepted the call to seek the highest level of academic achievement. Inspired to Climb Higher is a "know before you go" guide written to help prepare anyone thinking of obtaining a doctorate for the challenges their journey might present. It provides answers to questions students might have about pursuing a doctorate. The book contains chapters devoted to questions, answers, and advice for anyone considering earning a doctoral degree, as well as a chapter meant to help prepare future candidates for the rigors and requirements of writing a doctoral dissertation.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • This gripping and triumphant memoir from the author of The Mountain follows a living legend of extreme mountaineering as he makes his assault on history, one 8,000-meter summit at a time. “From the drama of the peaks, to the struggle of making a living as a professional climber, to the basic how-tos of life at 26,000 feet, No Shortcuts to the Top is fascinating reading.”—Aron Ralston, author of Between a Rock and a Hard Place and subject of the film 127 Hours For eighteen years Ed Viesturs pursued climbing’s holy grail: to stand atop the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter peaks, without the aid of bottled oxygen. But No Shortcuts to the Top is as much about the man who would become the first American to achieve that goal as it is about his stunning quest. As Viesturs recounts the stories of his most harrowing climbs, he reveals a man torn between the flat, safe world he and his loved ones share and the majestic and deadly places where only he can go. A preternaturally cautious climber who once turned back 300 feet from the top of Everest but who would not shrink from a peak (Annapurna) known to claim the life of one climber for every two who reached its summit, Viesturs lives by an unyielding motto, “Reaching the summit is optional. Getting down is mandatory.” It is with this philosophy that he vividly describes fatal errors in judgment made by his fellow climbers as well as a few of his own close calls and gallant rescues. And, for the first time, he details his own pivotal and heroic role in the 1996 Everest disaster made famous in Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air. In addition to the raw excitement of Viesturs’s odyssey, No Shortcuts to the Top is leavened with many funny moments revealing the camaraderie between climbers. It is more than the first full account of one of the staggering accomplishments of our time; it is a portrait of a brave and devoted family man and his beliefs that shaped this most perilous and magnificent pursuit.

MOST PEOPLE REACH A POINT IN LIFE when they feel compelled to do more and be more. Perhaps they have redefined what is meaningful in life and begin investing their time in things that matter. Perhaps they realize they have been stuck in a rut for far too long and finally choose to do something about it. Or perhaps they reached a milestone birthday and decided to pursue a grand ambition. In this book, the follow-up to his award-winning Climbing Your Personal Everest, author Mitch Lewis combines motivational strategies, practical steps, and riveting true-life stories to empower you to pursue the passion that is burning within you. Featured story subjects candidly share what prompted them to take a giant step toward realizing their dreams, how they leveraged their support network, and what they learned along the way that can equip others to fulfill their ambitions. You have probably heard the phrase ordinary people achieving extraordinary things, which may sound simplistic and even trite. But theres nothing simple or clich when the description aptly applies to actual individualspeople much like youwho overcame hardships and conquered fears on the way to achieving their vision. Everyone has something significant they want to do in this life, and this book will inspire you to push yourself toward greatness.

The perfect kids activity book for every parent looking for ways to help their children learn about the incredible world around us. In a time when children are too often coddled, 50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do) reminds readers that climbing trees is good for the soul, and that a pocket knife is not a weapon. Full of exciting ways children can explore the world around them, this book explains how to “Play with Fire” and “Taste Electricity” while learning about safety. With easy-to-follow instructions, it includes: • Activities, like walking a tightrope • Skills, like throwing a spear • Projects, like melting glass • Experiences, like sleeping in the wild As it guides you through these childlike challenges and more, 50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do) will inspire the whole household to embrace a little danger.