Climbing by Hil Malatino

Climbing by Hil Malatino

Written by longtime climber Hil Malatino, Climbing explores the why of the sport, asking what pushes him and so many others to drag themselves to the gym and the crag time and again; to restructure their intimate lives around the pursuit of a new goal; and to devote thousands of hours forging their nerves to perform physical and mental feats while dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of feet off the ground. In chapters that explore gender, class, and sizeism in climbing culture, as well as grief, addiction, queer and trans-worldmaking, and the tensions between conservation and recreation, Climbing teases out how the art of navigating across rock can help us learn how to revel in being weird, vulnerable, and radically interdependent animals temporarily gifted the complicated tragicomedy of a body. It is a story of collective obsession and transformation that tracks how holding yourself on the wall helps you learn how to hold onto the ambiguities of life on earth.

"Hil Malatino's Climbing is a beautifully personal and scholarly journey of grief and growthHil's relationship with climbing is the thread that holds the story, and often Hil, together. The book is an honest and ultimately uplifting view of the ways that climbing can help navigate everchanging landscapes, both within and without." --Steph Davis, winner, 2024 American Alpine Club Pinnacle Award for lifetime achievement

“Hil Malatino’s Climbing is a beautifully personal and scholarly journey of grief and growth. Hil’s relationship with climbing is the thread that holds the story, and often Hil, together. The book is an honest and ultimately uplifting view of the ways that climbing can help navigate everchanging landscapes, both within and without.”—Steph Davis, Winner, 2024 American Alpine Club Pinnacle Award for Lifetime Achievement

"Like Peter Matthiessen’s Snow Leopard, Hil Malatino’s Climbing is as much the story of the spirit as it is centered on its titular subject. Climbing is certainly a large part of Climbing, but this is a book with so much more on its mind. Deftly wrought and finely researched, this is a masterpiece of the genre."—Christian Kiefer, climber and author of The Heart of It All

Hil Malatino is Associate Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Philosophy at Pennsylvania State University. He is also the author of Side Affects: On Being Trans and Feeling Bad and Trans Care.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781478033929
ISBN 10	1478033924
Title	Climbing
Author	Hil Malatino
Series	Practices
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Duke University Press
Year published	2026-07-07
Number of pages	128
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.