'Peak Experiences' shows you're never too old to start climbing mountains

If you don’t think a child’s birthday party can change your life forever, then I invite you to read “Peak Experiences” by Manson Boze of Richmond, Va.

Published in June by Dementi Milestone Publishing, this 246-page book details the sport climbing adventures of the author and his young son, Austin. Between its covers, Manson tells of how a chance birthday party at a local climbing gym when his son was six resulted his attempt to climb one of the highest mountains in the world. Thanks to the small taste of climbing he and his son received at a chance birthday party, Manson, who was 43 years old at the time, started climbing because he thought it would be a good way to bond with his young son.

At the time, Manson, who is now in his late 50s, was admittedly a little out of shape, but as he and his son got more involved in the climbing lifestyle, he got in better shape, their skills improved and his son began to grow into one of the nation’s top youth climbers. Not only did they join the local climbing gym, but Manson eventually began teaching classes there and soon became one of the area’s best known climbers. Austin would go on to win a youth climbing national championship, and he competed for many more before entering college at the University of Colorado.

Together, Manson and Austin let their climbing adventures take them all over the U.S. and the world as they participated in climbs in Alaska, California, Colorado, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. Before it was all said and done, Manson joined a group attempting to summit Argentina’s Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the world outside of Asia at 22,837 feet. Along the way, Manson and Austin encounter a wide variety of colorful characters, and they also get into more than a few close calls.

I also enjoyed “Peak Experiences” because it serves as a great primer for readers (like me) who have never rock climbed. In a very conversational way, Manson explains the many aspects of climbing and mountaineering, and when you’re done, you might be ready to climb Mt. Everest, but you’ll be more familiar with such terms as acclimatization, belay, cirques, fourteener, trad routes, pitch and multi-pitch. You’ll definitely finish the book with a better understanding of the basics of climbing and mountaineering.

“Peak Experiences” was so good that I think it deserves serious consideration for this year’s National Outdoor Book Awards. These awards honor the best in outdoor writing and publishing each year, and “Peak Experiences” would be a worthy nominee in a number of categories, especially Outdoor Literature and Works of Significance. When “Peak Experiences” wins a NOBA in November, I’ll try not to act surprised.

In the end, booklovers with a taste for adventure will enjoy this book, and I highly recommend that you check it out if you’re interested in the outdoors, climbing and sport traveling. Copies of the book are available for purchase through Amazon, Barns & Noble, and www.peakexperiencesthebook.com.