This is the same author as the other book that I read recently called The Third Pole. I read this one on my Kobo while also reading two other books. I was switching between three books at one point, focussing on my main one and switching to a simpler read when I got bored or fatigued and then reading The Impossible Climb at night in bed. I actually started the book way back in May of 2025 while on our trip to the Azores. I started it on the last day of our vacation and read 30% while in the airport and on the plane. I continued to read it slowly over the summer and got up to 70%, but then I took a long hiatus when I started doing my home renovations. I didn't pick it back up until February 2026. I only read the last 30% of it this year but since it is now complete I'm counting it as a book read in 2026.
Mark Synnott is a good writer and this story was an interesting read for me. Its essentially a biography of a free solo climber named Alex Honnold and his journey to free solo El Capitan. You might know him from the recent Netflix special where he free soloed a skyscraper. The book isn't just about Alex but also weaves in personal accounts of Synotts climbing experiences as well as the history of big wall climbing in Yosemite Park and beyond. Its an engaging read, its fun, the characters are likeable and its interesting overall. I'd give it a 4 out of 5 stars myself.
My one minor criticism is that the book felt long and at times a little repetitive, like reading the same climbing experience over and over again with only the setting or mountain changing. That is a very minor critique though, it didn't detract from my reading experience overall. Synnott used the climbing scenarios to highlight a different aspect of the psychology, physiology, or science related to Alex Honnold and mountain climbing in general. So there was a purpose for each climbing story. That being said I do remember at one point thinking, "I get it, you went to a location and you climbed a mountain, then another location and climbed a mountain. Let's wrap this up already." I wasn't bored reading it at any point, I just really think that I was ready to move on and that I wanted to start another book at the time.
This isn't a survival story but it definilty falls into the mountain climbing and adventure story genre that I'm used to reading. I liked this one better than Synotts other book, The Third Pole also, so I would recommend it over that book if you wanted to him a go as an author. I don't have any more to say about it other than its a good read. This was my 5th book read this year out of my goal for 12, so I'm actually clipping along nicely.
