Thank you to Johanna Garton for providing me with a copy of her biography of mountain climber Christine Boskoff, Edge of the Map: The Mountain Life of Christine Boskoff, in exchange for an honest review.
Growing up in the small-town of Appleton, Wisconsin, Christine Boskoff didn’t get her first taste of mountain climbing until she was in her 20’s, working as an electrical engineer in Atlanta. That first taste of the sport would soon have Boskoff traveling the world in search of higher peaks and incredible challenges.
Eventually, Boskoff left engineering to devote her life to climbing with her husband, fellow climber, Keith Boskoff. The Boskoff’s purchased the Seattle-based company “Mountain Madness” when one of the founders, Scott Fischer, died while climbing Everest. After Keith’s death, Christine kept running the company, while chasing greater climbing challenges. She eventually found love again with Charlie Fowler and the two went missing during a 2006 climb of Genyen Peak in China.
Garton pays tribute to Boskoff’s incredible life, which includes being the only American female to reach six different 8000m peaks. Boskoff’s achievements included many firsts and she proved that she was equally capable, often more capable, than many of the top male athletes in climbing. The sport is certainly not without risks and Boskoff lost many friends due to avalanches and other dangers, yet she was an intelligent athlete who had a deep understanding of the terrain and how to navigate it. She led many people to fulfill their climbing goals and achieved her own dreams without the sponsorships and media fanfare that many of her peers courted. Boskoff was modest, talented and loved by many.
I’m not athletic or particularly “outdoorsy,” yet Garton’s writing allowed me to understand Boskoff’s love of mountain climbing. I could appreciate her passion and I was swept up by her excitement. The world of elite climbers is small and the athletes involved are not household names to the general public. However, Boskoff’s accomplishments are extraordinary and should be an inspiration to anyone who has any type of dream that they are chasing.
I read that Garton was inspired to write Edge of the Map, when her mother told her of Boskoff’s death. Although Garton and Boskoff did not know each other, they had attended the same high school in Wisconsin. Garton heard more about Boskoff’s accomplishments and felt that her story should be shared. I certainly feel that my life is richer from having learned about Boskoff.
I’m unlikely to try my hand at climbing, but, I was nevertheless, fascinated by Edge of the Map. This biography is intense, heartbreaking, and exhilarating. Garton transports the reader to remote locations around the world and on risky expeditions where the difference between life and death is razor thin. I was gripped!