If you have been climbing for a while you have no doubt heard of the Burgess twins. They have quite a reputation. Extremely talented and hardworking alpinists, Alan and Adrian Burgess have been at the limits of alpine climbing since the late 60's. If you have been fortunate enough to attend one of their slide shows, then you know that their climbing resume is a virtual tick list for the world of alpinism. You also know their knack for being able to tell and embellish the stories of their climbing, and you probably left the room with a stomach aching from laughter. All of this is chronicled in their book "The Burgess Book of Lies." "The Burgess Book of Lies" is about drinking, brawling, womanizing, and ... oh yeah some climbing mixed in too. The book begins with the twins' introduction to climbing on the Grit Stone of Northern England in the 60's. With a driven force that few of us exhibit, they climbed quickly through the grades. They unknowingly trained themselves for alpine extremes with sketchy run-out climbing on wet stone that is typical of English climbing. In Chamonix the twins put their training to the test. Traveling to the heart of alpine climbing every summer, they soon found themselves seconding many of the hardest climbs in the Alps. This is also where they got their reputation for their quick fists, trouble making, and being masters of scrounging. Tales of barroom brawls, stolen cars, and stolen food permeate this section of the book. Working just enough to support their climbing habit, Alan and Adrian Burgess continued to travel the world climbing and drinking. Expeditions to climb the hard routes on Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Everest, K2, McKinley, Fitzroy, Lhotse, and Manaslu appear in the book, not once but several times. Details of winter attempts on the highest Himalayan peaks are mixed with the mixed with the descriptions of climbers and Sherpa the twins shared these experiences with.
Throughout their climbing experiences, the twins are able to live exotic parts of the world and meet wonderful people. The book is full of reflections of the love of being able to travel the world doing what they enjoy and relationships they have been able to develop with the people they have climbed with. Death permeates the alpine climbing world and the Burgess twins recount their near misses. Friends, with whom the twins have shared the most trying circumstances, are memorialized in the pages of the book. Alan Burgess reflects on the experience of comforting a dying Sherpa friend who fell on a climb of Cheo Himal, and the triumph of being able to help save a fallen German climber on Ganchempmo Peak, both 20,000+ foot peaks. The Burgess Twins have been at the forefront of alpine climbing for 30 years. The fact they have lived this long is a tribute to their legendary strength and climbing ability. "The Book of Lies" is full of the stories that the twins have been able to live. Initially the book was difficult to follow because the twins are English and the humor is a bit dry. But once you are immersed into the book, you will find it hard to put down. Reviewed by John Walter | 
