Highest and Hardest : A Mountain Climber’s Lifetime Odyssey to the Top of the World

At age 16 Chris Kopczynski carved into the handle of his ice axe the words “Everest/Eiger”, marking his goal to climb the two mountains known as the highest and the hardest. He accomplished that goal by the age of 33, becoming the ninth American to summit Everest and the first American to summit both the North Face of the Eiger and Mt. Everest. With the climbing addiction in his blood, he set new goals and became the twelfth in the world to climb the highest peaks on seven continents.

Chris’ lifelong odyssey to the top of the world includes the climbs, attempts and summits of every continent’s highest, hardest, and most significant mountains. He gives us the details, the stories of perseverance and survival as he achieved his dreams on Robson in the Canadian Rockies, Chimney Rock in Idaho, the Pamirs and Elbrus in the USSR, Denali in Alaska, Makalu in Nepal, Antarctica’s Vinson, Chile’s Aconcagua, Kosciuszko in Australia, and Africa’s Kilimanjaro and Carstensz.

Kopczynski has climbed with John Roskelley for over 55 years becoming all-around mountaineers from their early days bouldering around Spokane and tackling the vertical and technical big walls of the Pacific Northwest to more challenging peaks around the world. Roskelley calls Chris the most underrated American mountaineer. With the publication of Chris’ life story, the climbing world can recognize and applaud the accomplishments of this premier world climber.