THE GAP YEARS

Drawn to high places.

Early on in this entertaining memoir about mountain climbing, French writes that climbing Denali in Alaska was a “defining experience of my life: up there with my marriage and the births of my children.” He recounts growing up with skiing and a high school year abroad in Sweden. After skiing in college at the highest levels came graduation and the “gap years.” Working as a bicycle tour guide led to tours in China, followed by time as an expedition leader on a small cruise ship visiting exotic places—a “dream life.” Business school secured him a job at a global management consulting firm. Retirement at 60 meant the freedom to do what he loved. He returned to rigorous training. First up was a guided climb of Argentina’s Aconcagua, offering up 22,837 feet of high altitude, bitterly cold weather and a 50-pound load. As the group climbed, they could see the effects of climate change. French was getting tired but was able to reach the summit. His plans were temporarily wrecked with the rise of Covid-19. Finally, he was able to go to Kathmandu in Nepal and join seven climbers and two guides to climb Everest. French does a fine job exploring the world of serious mountain climbing. He settled into the “largest base camp in the mountaineering world” near the famous Khumbu Glacier, adjusting to its 17,600-foot elevation, seven weeks of preparation in separate camps and miserable physical issues. At camp two, he was at the highest he had ever been—23,500 feet. He worried that a bad weather window might make reaching the summit impossible. It did. French was deeply disappointed but eventually did reach Everest’s summit on another climb, along with other challenging climbs, including Cholatse, in Everest’s shadow.

A riveting personal adventure story.