I am re-reading this quite engaging novel which I had read about a decade ago. It has some very quotable passage ...
"For me, as for the others, there was a time for climbing mountains, a time to earn money for getting to the mountains, a time for refurbishing my gear, a time for testing ropes, a time for getting in shape, and a time for reading about mountaineering."
It was quite a while ago, but I can still remember those days when climbing was the sum total of my life.