Читать книгу Edge of the Map. The Mountain Life of Christine Boskoff онлайн

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“I just didn’t feel like I was guiding her. Not at all,” Ponce de Leon said. Thor had asked the Mexican guide to help him lead their small group on climbs of several peaks in Bolivia, and he recalled being surprised by their tenacity. “Chris and Keith wanted more than regular clients. They asked for an extension of the normal itinerary. She wanted extra climbs everywhere we went. Her physical and mental strength were outstanding. I was impressed.” Ponce de Leon remembered her laughing a ton, “having a great time . . . she was just all over the place. She was putting up tents and doing things that we weren’t expecting clients to do. After that, I knew I needed to keep track of her.”

Guides often gripe about high-maintenance clients, but Chris brought lightness to the team. Still a beginner in the world of climbing, she inhaled everything about it. Wrapping her arms around the sport, she was learning that climbing wasn’t always comfortable. It was full of snow, cold temperatures, and potentially sleepless nights in thin air. But she relished the hardships that scared away many mountaineers. In South America, Chris hit her stride while Keith and the guides watched with admiration.