Bookmarks & Staff Picks

The Art of Shralpinism

By Jeremy Jones

Jeremy Jones. Photo by Ming Ping.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s most legendary alpinists, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Jeremy Jones is an award-winning snowboarder, environmentalist, and entrepreneur. The founder of climate nonprofit Protect Our Winters (POW) and owner of Jones Snowboards, Jones has starred in dozens of snowboard films, including his highly acclaimed trilogy Deeper, Further, and Higher, and received 11 “Big Mountain Rider of the Year” awards from Snowboarder Magazine. His first book The Art of Shralpinism: Lessons from the Mountains (Mountaineers Books, 2022) explores the life-changing power of time in the mountains, the value of stoke, and how beauty and openness underscore all outdoor adventure. Please enjoy the following excerpt.

Two years into backcountry filming, Ryland and I are poised to drop into the biggest spine wall of our lives. We had climbed and bivied at the top of the face, waiting for morning to come. Picking up speed, I find my flow. Even though I’m in total control, there is no way I can stop. The slope is too steep and each turn creates small sluffs that build into small avalanches. These are predictable slides, and depending on my appetite, I mix it up and play with them like a surfer plays with a wave. We call this “sluff management.” But my internal Spidey sense knows that I have monster sluff building above me and to my left. Moving at the same speed as the sluff, I feel the weight starting to grab the tail of my snowboard. An essential rule in sluff management is to never sluff your exit - or at least get to your exit before your sluff does or find a safe spot to pull up on an “island of safety” while the sluff cascades through your line. This is poor sluff management, something I try to avoid at all costs. My exit is to my right, off the smallest part of the cliff. I purposefully do not ride above it until the end of my line in order to leave it clean. This means that the majority of my line is over the biggest part of the cliff. Cut over too early and I sluff my exit, too late and I’m dragged off a huge cliff and get seriously hurt or worse. As much as I wrestled with this in the days leading up to my line, my mind is totally free of any such thought. I bounce down the spines and dabble with a rare “white moment.” Everything is quiet, despite the rush of my sluff and the wind. Hundreds of micro-decisions and adjustments are being made, but I give them no thought. My mind and body are one. I perfectly position myself over my exit air just as my sluff reaches it. Together we fly through the air like I am jumping a snow waterfall. The landing is soft and steep, and although it is now partially hidden from the explosion of my sluff off the cliff, I stomp the landing. Coming out of the smoke, I wait a few seconds and then lean into a few celebratory powder turns before straight running

toward the glacier valley below. My body shakes. Uncontrollable screams are followed by sobs and tears. Ryland and I have just ridden one of the best lines of our lives, all under our own power. A huge achievement for the time. That line will stay with me forever, but all I can really think about is that I will see my infant daughter and wife again. That I will live to ride another day. The sad truth is that too many of my friends, heroes, and mentors have not lived to ride another day. What follows in the pages of this book are the people and experiences that define me. I’m not proud of every decision I’ve made in the mountains, but often we learn the most from our mistakes. The trick is not dying in the process. I’m not better than those who’ve fallen to the mountains. I’ve tried to be honest about the risks, stack the deck as much as possible, pick the right time to walk on the moon and with the right plan and the right people. I’ve tried to be present enough to know when the mountains lie down and welcome you, or when the danger scale tilts too far in the wrong direction and it is time to back off. At the heart of this passion is the ability to push through significant mental and physical barriers when the struggle is grand but also to have the wherewithal and awareness to recognize nature’s subtle signs that turn a green light to red in an instant, requiring you to abandon one of your life’s greatest goals. This mix of gusto and humility, fearlessness and fear, grit and sensitivity, requires a deep understanding of who you are as a person at your innermost core, as well as an intimate connection with nature and your partners, plus a deep understanding of the behaviors, characteristics, and subtleties of all things snow. This is the Art of Shralpinism.

The Art of Shralpinism: Lessons from the Mountains is available for purchase at our Seattle Program Center Bookstore, online at mountaineersbooks.org, and everywhere books are sold.

Trees of the West: An Artist’s Guide

By Molly Hashimoto

Art and natural history combine to create the perfect read for tree and nature lovers of all stripes. Artist and author Molly Hashimoto has appreciated trees all her life - they have shaped her as a hiker, outdoors enthusiast, gardener, traveler, and of course artist. In her new book Trees of the West, she pays homage to 46 of the West’s iconic species through many different media, each revealing different aspects of these stalwart companions: crisp lines, imposing silhouettes, the varied hues of foliage. Each featured species also includes a rich natural history and brief ethnobotanical notes alongside sidebars offering art tips and techniques, poems, and quotes from wellknown writers celebrating our connection to trees. Much like her other popular books Colors of the West and Birds of the West, Hashimoto emphasizes her personal experiences with nature, telling stories about her encounters with trees from her Seattle backyard to national parks and forests throughout the West.

Fruits of the Forest: A Field Guide to Pacific Northwest Edible Mushrooms

By Daniel Winkler

From the ever-popular golden chanterelles to the redcracked bolete, Fruits of the Forest has something for the novice and avid mushroom hunter alike. As a lifelong mushroom researcher and educator with extensive experience foraging in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere, author Daniel Winkler presents more than 170 edible wild mushrooms commonly found across the region. Comprehensive yet accessible and full of personality, this full-color field guide features clear identification guidance for each species, look-alike species to watch for, habitat and seasonality, permits and land management information, preparation and storage guidance, recipe suggestions to please every palate, and more. High quality photos for clarity and ease of identification and a recognized and respected regional expert author make this comprehensive and up-todate guide the clear choice for mushroom aficionados.

Unraveled: A Climber’s Journey through Darkness and Back

By Katie Brown As a teenager in the 1990s, Katie Brown redefined the image of a strong and successful climber as she won World Cups, X Games, Rock Masters, and more. Yet even as she reigned on the podium, her life was coming apart. Struggling with an unstable and abusive household, young fame, and an eating disorder, the Katie portrayed by the media was not the full reality. Since her departure from the public arena, she has faced her past and built a new life for herself. Unraveled is her chance to paint the whole picture. In a moment when the mental and physical health of young female athletes is in the national spotlight, Unraveled takes aim at the adults who turn a blind eye to the challenges these athletes face and celebrates the power of reclaiming your story.