The book is published only in Italian.

Alpinismo Estremo speaks to both novice climbers and experienced mountaineers who aspire to world fame. It is up to the individual reader to decide what can be useful to them and what not. The book is divided into four sections: the first addresses the fundamental aspect of a mountaineer's character, and the mental attitude with which one faces the mountain. The second section illustrates how to prepare for a challenging climb: mental and physical training, strength, cardiovascular strengthening, nutrition. The third part deals with equipment: the most suitable clothing, the most reliable material and the choice of the best equipment. The final chapters, focused on mountaineering technique, are the heart of the book. Since the use and choice of equipment are two inseparable aspects, we have also included some discussion of the material in this part. These last chapters on technique will take you to the top of the mountain, and then back to the base, through a series of notions on safety on the wall, bivouacs, and communication within the roped party.

Page after page you will find some mountain stories that illustrate the various aspects of extreme mountaineering. Mark has lived most of these adventures, while friends and acquaintances the rest. Think of Extreme Mountaineering as a report from the edge of the imaginable.

Mark Twight is one of the leading American mountaineers. He was the first to climb the Czech Route on Pik Communism alone and the fastest to climb, also alone, Slipstream, a 900-meter high frozen waterfall in the Canadian Rockies. He has made the first ascent of Deprivation on Mount Hunter in Alaska and extremely difficult climbs in the Mont Blanc group as well as a sixty-hour non-stop ascent of the Czech Direct on Mc Kinley. He has worked as a consultant and distributor for some important companies in the sector, studying the creation of technical clothing for the United States Department of Defense and as a climbing and survival techniques teacher for the Army Special Forces. With his book Kiss or Kill (Italian edition Confessioni di un serial climber, Versante Sud, 2004), he won the award for best mountain book at the 2001 Banff Mountain Festival.