Just wanted to extend a heartfelt thanks to both of you for writing Training for the New Alpinism. I was able to realize my long-held goal of climbing the Grand Teton this summer thanks in large part to the training framework that your book provided. The very high (for me) level of fitness I had developed over the past 8 months allowed me to solo the Owen-Spalding route (5.4, 7 miles and +7000 ft one way) on the Grand Teton car-to-car in just over 13 hours, without depleting my mental or physical reserves in a dangerous way. Perhaps not an objectively impressive time, but as a flatlander who had never seen the route before except in pictures and who had only been above 13k feet once before, I’m quite proud.
The book didn’t give me the dream, or the motivation, but it shaped that energy into its most useful form. And for that I have to say thank you.