Kiss or Kill

Kiss or Kill: Confessions of a Serial Climber is raw, unfiltered Twight who makes it clear that climbing is only distantly about the summit. Whether railing against the spinelessness of siege-style mountaineering, admitting addiction to pushing the bounds of the possible, or revelling in his ability to cut away anything in life that holds him back, Twight never blinks. Along the way, there is the drama of new and epic routes, unbreakable bonds between climbing partners, and Twight's evolution as a climber and a man. He tells every story in a unique, in-your-face style.

Mark Twight is one of America's leading alpinists. His gripping accounts have been published around the world, translated into five languages. Sports Illustrated, Outside Magazine, Rock and Ice (and a host of European magazines) have profiled him. Twight was the first and fastest to solo the "Czech Route" on Peak Communism (10,000 feet up and down in 36 hours). He made the first ascent of "Deprivation" on Alaska's Mount Hunter (in 72 hours round-trip), climbed five extremely difficult new routes in the French Alps, and made a non-stop, 60-hour ascent of Mount McKinley's "Czech Direct" (the previous fastest party took seven days). Twight works as a technical advisor for several climbing gear manufacturers and teaches climbing and crisis nutrition to U.S. Special Forces operatives. Home is wherever his wife, Lisa, and an 85-pound Akita named Zuma happen to be, which is in Colorado for now