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Life Lived Wild: Adventures at the Edge of the Map
A life worth living is lived at the edges where it is wild
At the beginning of his memoir Life Lived Wild, Adventures at the Edge of the Map, Rick Ridgeway tells us that if you add up all his many expeditions, he’s spent over five years of his life sleeping in tents: “And most of that in small tents pitched in the world’s most remote regions.� It’s not a boast so much as an explanation. Whether at elevation or raising a family back at sea level, those years taught him, he writes, “to distinguish matters of consequence from matters of inconsequence.� He leaves it to his readers, though, to do the final sort of which is which.
Some of his travels made, and remain, news: the first American ascent of K2; the first direct coast-to-coast traverse of Borneo; the first crossing on foot of a 300-mile corner of Tibet so remote no outsider had ever seen it. Big as these trips were, Rick keeps an eye out for the quiet surprises, like the butterflies he encounters at 23,000 feet on K2 or the furtive silhouettes of wild-eared pheasants in Tibet.
What really comes through best in Life Lived Wild, though, are his fellow travelers. There’s Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, and Doug Tompkins, best known for cofounding The North Face but better remembered for his conservation throughout South America. Some companions don’t make the return journey. Rick treats them all with candor and straightforward tenderness. And through their commitments to protecting the wild places they shared, he discovers his own.
A master storyteller, this long-awaited memoir is the book end to Ridgeway’s impressive list of publications, including Seven Summits (Grand Central Publishing, 1988), The Shadow of Kilmanjaro (Holt, 1999), and The Big Open (National Geographic, 2005).
At the beginning of his memoir Life Lived Wild, Adventures at the Edge of the Map, Rick Ridgeway tells us that if you add up all his many expeditions, he’s spent over five years of his life sleeping in tents: “And most of that in small tents pitched in the world’s most remote regions.� It’s not a boast so much as an explanation. Whether at elevation or raising a family back at sea level, those years taught him, he writes, “to distinguish matters of consequence from matters of inconsequence.� He leaves it to his readers, though, to do the final sort of which is which.
Some of his travels made, and remain, news: the first American ascent of K2; the first direct coast-to-coast traverse of Borneo; the first crossing on foot of a 300-mile corner of Tibet so remote no outsider had ever seen it. Big as these trips were, Rick keeps an eye out for the quiet surprises, like the butterflies he encounters at 23,000 feet on K2 or the furtive silhouettes of wild-eared pheasants in Tibet.
What really comes through best in Life Lived Wild, though, are his fellow travelers. There’s Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, and Doug Tompkins, best known for cofounding The North Face but better remembered for his conservation throughout South America. Some companions don’t make the return journey. Rick treats them all with candor and straightforward tenderness. And through their commitments to protecting the wild places they shared, he discovers his own.
A master storyteller, this long-awaited memoir is the book end to Ridgeway’s impressive list of publications, including Seven Summits (Grand Central Publishing, 1988), The Shadow of Kilmanjaro (Holt, 1999), and The Big Open (National Geographic, 2005).
400 pages, Hardcover
First published October 26, 2021
167 people are currently reading
2,785 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
December 17, 2021
I mean� this one was just right up my alley. Tales from the golden age of mountaineering and adventure (70s,80s), intertwined with Rick’s beautiful meditations on life and death. Also the best and most personal recount of Doug Tompkins� incredible legacy that I have heard. I listened as an audio book and it had me totally engaged for every single second. Feeling inspired.
October 1, 2022
Books like this always make me sob. How can I be nostalgic for times I was never a part of, expeditions that I’ll never parallel, places I’ll never go, sights I’ll never see, people I’ll never know, experiences I’ll never grasp?
September 8, 2022
I first met Rick Ridgeway during my time at the University of Georgia. He was visiting Athens while on tour with Patagonia's "Worn Wear". At that time, I was working towards finishing my degree in ecology and Rick was Patagonia's current VP of sustainability/environmental initiatives. Since then, Rick has always been my answer to the question of "if you could share a meal with anyone...".
This is the second of Rick's books I have enjoyed. His stories read as though they are combination of fiction and encyclopedia. Fiction, because his life is so wonderfully absurd that it is hard to believe. Encyclopedia, because his knowledge of ecology, culture, and mountaineering, among other things, is robust. I would think it hard not to find yourself inspired flipping through these pages. Toward the end of the book, I found myself in tears at Doug and Jennifer's passings. Like Rick, they both indeed led Lives Lived Wild.
This is the second of Rick's books I have enjoyed. His stories read as though they are combination of fiction and encyclopedia. Fiction, because his life is so wonderfully absurd that it is hard to believe. Encyclopedia, because his knowledge of ecology, culture, and mountaineering, among other things, is robust. I would think it hard not to find yourself inspired flipping through these pages. Toward the end of the book, I found myself in tears at Doug and Jennifer's passings. Like Rick, they both indeed led Lives Lived Wild.
February 9, 2025
10 stars
May 2, 2022
Updated edit: I forget if it was during my listening of the audiobook or I read in a review, but I decided to pick up a hard copy to see the photos that were mentioned. The hard copy was very nicely crafted- heavy, but so many great pictures from a time when not everything was as easily Instagramable, recommend you check them out- perhaps listening while reading would be the best for this one.
Okay, so tbh I wanted to read this book to hate on it because for an event I was working on we asked Patagonia to speak and they offered Rick Ridgeway, who wanted a chance during the speaking opportunity to talk about this book- so why I knew about it. Then he bailed on us a month or so after confirming. So yeah, wasn't overly happy. But... Am very happy I found this book. I listened to the audio, and not sure Rick is the best orator, but that didn't distract from the overwhelmingly interesting stories he shared.
As a potential spoiler- though this is memoir and these stories are real, so not really a spoiler- perhaps the title should have been, People I Knew Who Died While I Was With Them. Or something like that. So it got a bit sad at times, but it was amazing to hear the various adventures he has been on, and the people he knows. But most importantly that these people all care about the environment that is the 'playground' they love. I knew in general some of this background, as why we wanted Patagonia to speak at our event was for their environmental aspects of doing business, as well as inclusivity, but I wasn't aware of the small group of friends who ran some of these major brands and the grand outdoor adventures they had. I would say the only thing that irked me in the back of my mind while reading was this was that he was a white guy who obviously had privilege - met his friends at Harvard- so they all were successfull and I assume more easily able to do these adventures without a lot of other pressures. But they did then build businesses and have very successful careers, while still seeming to be very down to earth and knowing they needed to do right by the places they enjoy trekking through. So couldn't entirely hate or fault them for the original privilege.
A lot of these stories too are from a different time, so none of us now could ever have these opportunities even if we had the same privilege and tried. There are very few remaining uncharted territories, and many we have we're losing to climate change. Too bad potentially a similar gang these days would be Bezos, Musk and Branson's space adventures, but too bad they don't seem to have the same ethics of the 'Do Boys' in the book. Incredibly jealous of Rick and his friends' lives. And though many died, from what I heard I don't think any would have any regrets, and that's the best we can ask for.
Okay, so tbh I wanted to read this book to hate on it because for an event I was working on we asked Patagonia to speak and they offered Rick Ridgeway, who wanted a chance during the speaking opportunity to talk about this book- so why I knew about it. Then he bailed on us a month or so after confirming. So yeah, wasn't overly happy. But... Am very happy I found this book. I listened to the audio, and not sure Rick is the best orator, but that didn't distract from the overwhelmingly interesting stories he shared.
As a potential spoiler- though this is memoir and these stories are real, so not really a spoiler- perhaps the title should have been, People I Knew Who Died While I Was With Them. Or something like that. So it got a bit sad at times, but it was amazing to hear the various adventures he has been on, and the people he knows. But most importantly that these people all care about the environment that is the 'playground' they love. I knew in general some of this background, as why we wanted Patagonia to speak at our event was for their environmental aspects of doing business, as well as inclusivity, but I wasn't aware of the small group of friends who ran some of these major brands and the grand outdoor adventures they had. I would say the only thing that irked me in the back of my mind while reading was this was that he was a white guy who obviously had privilege - met his friends at Harvard- so they all were successfull and I assume more easily able to do these adventures without a lot of other pressures. But they did then build businesses and have very successful careers, while still seeming to be very down to earth and knowing they needed to do right by the places they enjoy trekking through. So couldn't entirely hate or fault them for the original privilege.
A lot of these stories too are from a different time, so none of us now could ever have these opportunities even if we had the same privilege and tried. There are very few remaining uncharted territories, and many we have we're losing to climate change. Too bad potentially a similar gang these days would be Bezos, Musk and Branson's space adventures, but too bad they don't seem to have the same ethics of the 'Do Boys' in the book. Incredibly jealous of Rick and his friends' lives. And though many died, from what I heard I don't think any would have any regrets, and that's the best we can ask for.
August 11, 2022
This was a really, really, good book. Rick Ridgeway is an incredible storyteller and writes about the outdoors in a way that is raw and real. He beautifully describes the joy that comes with spending time in these isolated areas but does so in a way that is still very pragmatic. He has suffered unimaginable loss time and time again and does not shy away from these stories in his memoir as they are pivotal to his growth. He writes of these deaths in a very thought-provoking manner, which left me feeling very intimately connected with the stories and the people (aka I cried like 4 times and now feel like I’m BFFs with Yvon Chouinard). My biggest takeaway from this book is its reinforcement of the care and attention to detail that needs to exist outside. I still have a lot of work to do as I gain experience in the outdoor industry as an avid enjoyer (and hopefully an educator!). This book reignited my desire to be a more meticulous steward of the environment, especially as I start to pursue these more dangerous adventures. Basically Mr. Ridgeway can we get coffee?
December 16, 2021
My brother turned me onto this book after listening to the author speak at the Explorers� Club in NYC. This adventure memoir is masterfully written. I felt like I was in the faraway places the author was writing about. While the stories are entertaining and engaging, it’s the retrospection and perspective that the author adds that takes it to the next level. That next step takes it from more than a book of adventure stories and a recounting of a life, to a book that makes the reader examine their own life and living it to the fullest.
April 2, 2023
Rick Ridgeway is the definition of wild, not the wild type where u get on the piss and run a muck but the wild where you head into the unknown within nature and explore with friends. A great book full of great motivation
October 31, 2021
"Life Lived Wild" is an amazing collection of the real episodes of exploration and adventure experienced by Rick Ridgeway throughout his life. Ridgeway shares his journeys to far away places like Tibet, Patagonia, Bhutan, Africa, Antarctica, Russia, Nepal, Indonesia, and many others to climb inaccessible mountains, kayak remote waterways, sail, ski, camp, surf, explore, perform scientific observations, create documentaries, photograph, and encourage conservation over a period of 40 years. This book is very readable, enhanced with photographs, and interspersed with danger, death, romance, humor, boundless determination, entertaining anecdotes, and famous people.
This book is very likely to become a classic for people interested in the great outdoors. It is also a broad introduction to other books and experiences the author has written about in more detail. As a person who has enjoyed milder outdoor experiences camping, hiking, caving, and traveling, I recommend this book to fellow enthusiasts.
I would like to thank the author and publisher for kindly providing an electronic review copy. Thanks and Happy Trails!
This book is very likely to become a classic for people interested in the great outdoors. It is also a broad introduction to other books and experiences the author has written about in more detail. As a person who has enjoyed milder outdoor experiences camping, hiking, caving, and traveling, I recommend this book to fellow enthusiasts.
I would like to thank the author and publisher for kindly providing an electronic review copy. Thanks and Happy Trails!
January 7, 2022
"The best journeys answer questions that at the outset you never thought to ask."
My first book read in 2022 and what a way to kick off my reading year. This book will definitely stay at the very top of my favorites list and one I highly recommend to anyone who loves adventure, nature and the outdoors.
There's so much to love about this book. Rick takes us not only all over the world through his incredible travels and adventures but also through his life and friendships and family through the most difficult to the celebratory.
An evolution of self and how we all change as we grow. And how to love and cherish your closest people and to love and cherish this beautiful planet.
I was sad when it was over and wanted more but also thought it was a perfect journey. A must read.
My first book read in 2022 and what a way to kick off my reading year. This book will definitely stay at the very top of my favorites list and one I highly recommend to anyone who loves adventure, nature and the outdoors.
There's so much to love about this book. Rick takes us not only all over the world through his incredible travels and adventures but also through his life and friendships and family through the most difficult to the celebratory.
An evolution of self and how we all change as we grow. And how to love and cherish your closest people and to love and cherish this beautiful planet.
I was sad when it was over and wanted more but also thought it was a perfect journey. A must read.
January 17, 2022
Incredible. As a climber I knew some of the histories and characters already, but didn’t realize how intertwined they were. These are the kinds of stories I heard while working in the climbing industry that I treasured. Stories like this, often told over drinks in a hotel bar, sound too wild to be true.
Rick’s stories collected here in an audiobook, told in his own voice give me the same feeling. The privilege of hearing history told by those who lived it. I never re-listen to audiobooks but I absolutely will for this one.
The nuance and detail were magnificent. I didn’t know you could have that many audacious adventures in one life time. Definitely “five stars.�
Rick’s stories collected here in an audiobook, told in his own voice give me the same feeling. The privilege of hearing history told by those who lived it. I never re-listen to audiobooks but I absolutely will for this one.
The nuance and detail were magnificent. I didn’t know you could have that many audacious adventures in one life time. Definitely “five stars.�
May 3, 2022
This is a book of memoirs by a guy who did lots of big, adventurous, dangerous stuff. The author doesn't come across as an adrenaline junkie sort at all, but rather as someone who just really likes to climb and take adventures and managed to have the funds and connections to get work that allowed him to take many of the trips. He covers lots of climbing trips, including some that ended with triumphs, some that fell short of their goal, and some that brought pain.
There's one story where he tells of seeing a statue in a Salt Lake City hotel of a pioneer pulling a cart and how it inspired him to try a wilderness trek in China using a hand-pulled rickshaw of sorts to carry gear. Despite relating exhausting trips up Everest and other peaks, he mentions this cart pull trek as the most physically demanding he experienced.
The author relates trips with a group of friends who are willing to take these risky trips. Many of them are rich executives (of companies like Patagonia, North Face, and the Solitude ski resort), and that enables much of the experience, but they come across as good people who care about the environment. The latter part of the book, which is arranged basically chronologically, has a lot more detail about the conservation efforts of these folks. At one point I started to feel the disconnect between folks who were saying they care so much when they were taking these expensive trips and flying all over the world, but then just a few pages later the author related a conversation where one of them acknowledged that very disconnect by saying basically that despite their conservation efforts their environmental impact from all the flights was unjustifiable. It helped to see their awareness of that sort incongruity.
The author has connections through National Geographic assignments where he served as filmmaker, among other things, or assisted others who did similar work, like David Breshears, who filmed the documentary Everest, for example. He talked about one of the guys who was the living inspiration for the character Hayduke from The Monkey Wrench Gang--who actually was that person. I read that one years ago, so it was fun to read about the real-life connection.
Overall, the reading experience was enjoyable and unexpected. It gives a nice glimpse into things most of us will likely never do--bringing, perhaps, a bit of understanding, a bit of envy, and a bit of reflection in the process.
There's one story where he tells of seeing a statue in a Salt Lake City hotel of a pioneer pulling a cart and how it inspired him to try a wilderness trek in China using a hand-pulled rickshaw of sorts to carry gear. Despite relating exhausting trips up Everest and other peaks, he mentions this cart pull trek as the most physically demanding he experienced.
The author relates trips with a group of friends who are willing to take these risky trips. Many of them are rich executives (of companies like Patagonia, North Face, and the Solitude ski resort), and that enables much of the experience, but they come across as good people who care about the environment. The latter part of the book, which is arranged basically chronologically, has a lot more detail about the conservation efforts of these folks. At one point I started to feel the disconnect between folks who were saying they care so much when they were taking these expensive trips and flying all over the world, but then just a few pages later the author related a conversation where one of them acknowledged that very disconnect by saying basically that despite their conservation efforts their environmental impact from all the flights was unjustifiable. It helped to see their awareness of that sort incongruity.
The author has connections through National Geographic assignments where he served as filmmaker, among other things, or assisted others who did similar work, like David Breshears, who filmed the documentary Everest, for example. He talked about one of the guys who was the living inspiration for the character Hayduke from The Monkey Wrench Gang--who actually was that person. I read that one years ago, so it was fun to read about the real-life connection.
Overall, the reading experience was enjoyable and unexpected. It gives a nice glimpse into things most of us will likely never do--bringing, perhaps, a bit of understanding, a bit of envy, and a bit of reflection in the process.
March 15, 2025
I just finished this book. It was less a adventure book, but a combination of adventure and preservation the idea of preservation in itself is a great one, but I found the book gets lost in Rick really bragging about what a cool guy he is and how cool his friends are and how rich they are and how much their preserving of nature which gets old it reads as if his life is better than everyone else’s. It doesn’t talk anything about how these guys got rich and who was exploited or what resources were exploited for their wealth and who was left behind in creation of these parks. I’m a fan of national parks and of nature, but I felt that these parks were created as backyards for the wealthyversus a park to be enjoyed by all. I don’t recommend this book.
January 10, 2023
The best journeys answer the questions that at the outset you never thought to ask
Truly a stunning panorama of wild places and wildlife and their influence upon men with mind-boggling grit and wonderful dreams for what is possible - just my cup of tea and a gathering of so much that feeds my own passions in life. The twist, though, was a nagging sadness with which I have been left at the rather aimless spiritual premise upon which the memoir was built and the conclusion to which it came, not unexpected, but full of drifting melancholy all the same.
Love is the truest balm against the pain of the loss of love
Truly a stunning panorama of wild places and wildlife and their influence upon men with mind-boggling grit and wonderful dreams for what is possible - just my cup of tea and a gathering of so much that feeds my own passions in life. The twist, though, was a nagging sadness with which I have been left at the rather aimless spiritual premise upon which the memoir was built and the conclusion to which it came, not unexpected, but full of drifting melancholy all the same.
Love is the truest balm against the pain of the loss of love
December 11, 2023
Finished this book awhile ago and have not stopped recommending it to people since. Rick and his friends had a huge influence on the outdoor industry and we’re trailblazers for almost all of their adventures. Dope ass dudes. Made me want to GO.
January 22, 2024
Probably my favorite book I have ever read, it’s a detailed account of about 25 stories from his life as an aspiring mountaineer to his pursuits with the “Do Boys� including Doug Tompkins, Yvon Chouinard and the likes. I really enjoyed the style in which he wrote.
June 4, 2024
Lots of good life lessons within crazy adventure stories. So exciting to read as they discover parts of the world not previously recorded. I’ll never do stuff as wild as the Do Boys, but at the heart of it all is protecting/preserving the beautiful places we like to enjoy and explore.
January 30, 2024
Great stories of a life of adventures in wild places and an evolution of the author from adventurer to conservationist.
May 26, 2024
Great read!
September 1, 2024
Such a beautiful book full of amazing stories!! It’s amazing what he and his friends have done for conservation and sustainability
January 22, 2025
Stof tot nadenken
April 19, 2024
This book was great. On of those books I would listen to to treat myself because I didn't want it to end. I'm noticing I'm a big fan of biographies/memoirs.
July 27, 2024
I love books like this. Although I took a full year reading his stories-I never got bored and appreciated the intricacy of detail and how he pulls you in to the amazing experiences he’s had (and he’s had MANY). I don’t think I’ll be able to go on the crazy adventures Rick did in his lifetime-but he has certainly inspired me🫶
December 6, 2024
This may be my favourite book ever.
September 15, 2024
I listened to this book and the experience was really enhanced by hearing it in Rick’s voice. I Really enjoyed his stories and perspective on his incredible adventures.
September 16, 2024
An inspiring and poignant exploration of adventure, love, life and death. This book has slotted straight into my list of most thoroughly enjoyed books.
May 10, 2024
On June 14th 2022 I emailed Rick Ridgeway. The subject: “just to say thanks�.
When I first read Rick Ridgeway’s book, I had quite a lot going on. I had just graduated from university and settled into a new job, but then had a pretty rough breakup with my girlfriend (and unfortunately, therefore some mutual friends too).
Rick’s book doesn’t touch on any related matters, in fact it hardly touches on such events. Things that seem like major life events, like getting your first job, or having a young family, having to balance finances, or choose a path in life, Rick seems to breeze straight through. He writes with clarity: while he’s plain that such things are challenges, he gets through them relatively unscathed, which he repeatedly attributes to various mantras and truisms across the chapters.
I think upon re-reading, this was the initial appeal to me, and remains the main appeal now. Rick not only has brilliant stories to tell but also wisdom by the bucket. I don’t think Rick’s life is particularly relatable, and some of the events feel potentially tone-deaf (being able to buy a house on the beach in California “as a dirt bag climber�, or having multimillionaire friends who are concerned about the environment that fly around in their personal planes). The writing can also be a bit clunky at points, and I sense some recency bias in the description of the events of the final chapters. But, the fact that these events are real and all happened to one person is extraordinary. Indeed, Rick and his friends seem like people who could make things happen, and it does not seem that they were born with a silver spoon.
To that end and given the wisdom imparted, Life Lived Wild reads to me not just as a memoir, but also as a self-help book: a book with lessons to share; tales of problems and solutions; advice on how to navigate life. Rick’s stories don’t show that you can avoid bad things, but his memoir shows us that if you do the right thing you can affect change and make the world a better place - all you have to do is do it. And, you’ll certainly leave this book with a few new favourite sayings in your vocabulary.
A few weeks after I sent my email, I got one back from Rick, saying that he really appreciated my letter, inviting me to meet in person if I’m ever in California. What a cool guy.
When I first read Rick Ridgeway’s book, I had quite a lot going on. I had just graduated from university and settled into a new job, but then had a pretty rough breakup with my girlfriend (and unfortunately, therefore some mutual friends too).
Rick’s book doesn’t touch on any related matters, in fact it hardly touches on such events. Things that seem like major life events, like getting your first job, or having a young family, having to balance finances, or choose a path in life, Rick seems to breeze straight through. He writes with clarity: while he’s plain that such things are challenges, he gets through them relatively unscathed, which he repeatedly attributes to various mantras and truisms across the chapters.
I think upon re-reading, this was the initial appeal to me, and remains the main appeal now. Rick not only has brilliant stories to tell but also wisdom by the bucket. I don’t think Rick’s life is particularly relatable, and some of the events feel potentially tone-deaf (being able to buy a house on the beach in California “as a dirt bag climber�, or having multimillionaire friends who are concerned about the environment that fly around in their personal planes). The writing can also be a bit clunky at points, and I sense some recency bias in the description of the events of the final chapters. But, the fact that these events are real and all happened to one person is extraordinary. Indeed, Rick and his friends seem like people who could make things happen, and it does not seem that they were born with a silver spoon.
To that end and given the wisdom imparted, Life Lived Wild reads to me not just as a memoir, but also as a self-help book: a book with lessons to share; tales of problems and solutions; advice on how to navigate life. Rick’s stories don’t show that you can avoid bad things, but his memoir shows us that if you do the right thing you can affect change and make the world a better place - all you have to do is do it. And, you’ll certainly leave this book with a few new favourite sayings in your vocabulary.
A few weeks after I sent my email, I got one back from Rick, saying that he really appreciated my letter, inviting me to meet in person if I’m ever in California. What a cool guy.
September 23, 2022
I have seen his name on the spines of a handful of books and his picture in Patagonia catalogues but haven’t really understood why that was. His mountaineering exploits never stood out front and center and he seemed more of a travel writer. I didn’t actually understand why he kept coming up. Now I know.
Ridgeway has written his autobiography, A Life Lived Wild: Adventures at the Edge of the Map, published by Patagonia Books in 2021, and it’s beautiful, both for the cover, the photographs, and his life’s story. It could almost be mistaken for a coffee table book, like many of new volumes from Patagonia Books today. It could easily have been a paperback without all of the coffee table elements and have become a dogged-eared copy in a young person’s backpack guiding them on an unconventional path to success.
Despite climbing Everest and being among the first Americans to summit K2 in 1978, Ridgeway was never the most important person in the events he was part of and witnessed. He was a team player. He grew into the role of mentor and coach, doling opportunity freely, including to Jimmy Chin, and he guided characters like Dick Bass and Frank Wells to climb the Seven Summits (the Kosciuszko version) for the first time, regardless of which Pacific-Australia peak they climbed. From there, he filmed for television and documentaries, including Patagonia’s 180° South, and fostered his love for birds into wildlife in general and took to advocacy. But the lasting impact on me, has been his lasting relationships, often expressing gratitude to people, like Chris Chandler, who invited him to climb Everest.
Chandler’s invitation changed Ridgeway’s life course. Ridgeway’s life was off to a difficult start: During his high school years, his father burned down the house his family called home, committing insurance fraud for his mother’s and his sake and vanished into the South Seas. Ridgeway moved into his best friends parent’s Airstream trailer while he finished school. Ridgeway’s mother saw her son’s interest in mountain climbing (through applying his book learning from Freedom of the Hills on Mount Baldy,) and needing somewhere to send him during the summer, enrolled him in Outward Bound.
Everest started a great journey of friendship for Ridgeway, during his expeditions to Everest, K2, and into once-forbidden China to attempt Minya Konka. On Everest expedition, Ridgeway met Jonathan Wright. Wright took Ridgeway on a significant detour prior to the ascent to visit a monastery. Ridgeway learned meditation and found inner peace, or at least the seeds of it, within himself. Wright would also speak up for the less experienced Ridgeway during the climb and gave him advice, as if he were sharing tips for being a good factory worker together: Be patient and don’t slack when it’s your turn. It later got Ridgeway to the summit of K2.
Ridgeway also became a documentary filmmaker on K2 by happenstance. He filled in for an absent teammate on the factory-work-like slope of the seige-style expedition, learned a new skill, and grew a new branch in his career. He would go on to film for CBS, Patagonia, and other nature documentations.
When Ridgeway met his wife Jennifer, she was a jet-setter of the 1970s and early 1980s like he was, both traveled widely to exotic places but for contrasting lifestyles. Jennifer was a purchaser for Calvin Klein. Ridgeway and a friend tried coaxing her to join them on a trek for a National Geographic assignment. They even offered that they could get her good boots in a nearby neighborhood of Kathmandu; but she declined gracefully, explaining that the farthest she walks is from a New York City taxi to the doors of Bergdorf Goodman. They made it to dinner instead and rendezvoused on other occasions. They both learned that had lost important people in their lives and supported each other in healing. They later married at his beach shack near Montecito, California.
Rodgeway knew Doug Tompkins and Kris McDivitt Tompkins before they were married, and before establishing Esprit. Kris and Doug would sell Esprit, with its brand The North Face, to save millions of acres in Patagonia for conservation. Doug was a friend and adventure buddy with Yvon Chouinard, and Ridgeway was with them on the fateful kayaking trip in 2016 when Doug’s boat flipped and he died of hypothermia.
The story that touches me the most about Ridgeway was the extended story of Jonathan Wright. Shortly after the Everest expedition, and Ridgeway’s historic K2 summit, Ridgeway and Wright joined Yvon Chouinard and others to climb in China for the first time since the People’s Republic of China closed Its borders from Western travelers. They’re destination was Minya Konka, the Tibetan name for Gongga Shan, which its summit was 7,556 m./24,700 ft. above sea level. It had only been climbed twice before, once by Americans in 1932 and the Chinese in 1957. This time, they were going to put up a new route.
There is some dispute about the avalanche risk assessment or whether there was one, but above Camp II Ridgeway and others glissaded down the slope to show off and return, hallering yahoo as they went. The subtle yet unmistakable and dreadful whump sound from the snow released the snow sheet on the slope and threatened everyone. Jonathan Wright, Ridgeway’s best friend, was killed. They buried him on the mountain.
The team retreated home and Chouinard shouted and cursed the mountains for what happened. He even complained that, “These mountains are too high,� which made me consider whether they were (still am, actually.) A guide from the Tetons blamed Ridgeway for triggering the avalanche because he was too preoccupied making the documentary of the climb to assess the risk.
Jonathan Wright was survived by his wife and infant daughter Asia Wright. Ridgeway wrote about Asia’s request to him that he take her to the slopes of Minya Konka to visit her father’s resting place in his book, Below Another Sky: A Mountain Adventure in Search of a Lost Father (1998.) I saw this book in paperback in 2000 when I started reading climbing books but quickly dismissed it; it appeared too sentimental and not adventurous enough. After reading A Life Lived Wild I now think that I was too young to understand. Now that I am 43 and a father, I am planning on reading it.
So Rick Ridgeway is more than I expected. My friends, Alex and Caleb in Alexandria, have been involved with Patagonia stores in Washington, DC and the newer shop across the Potomac in Alexandria, VA for the last 20 years. One of them is an assistant manager. They have met many of the filmmakers, authors, and subjects of the company’s communications when they have come through for employee and public events. They were first introduced to Ridgeway just after 2000 and speak fondly of him and hold him in high regard. He seems to hold a different place compared to the other athletes that tour their shops. As they mention to me that when they first met him that he wasn’t as tall as they expected, they brush past that facet and talk about 180° South or the initiatives at the company he lead since 2005. They talk about his life’s work, the work on his book, that I recommend, A Life Lived Wild.
Ridgeway has written his autobiography, A Life Lived Wild: Adventures at the Edge of the Map, published by Patagonia Books in 2021, and it’s beautiful, both for the cover, the photographs, and his life’s story. It could almost be mistaken for a coffee table book, like many of new volumes from Patagonia Books today. It could easily have been a paperback without all of the coffee table elements and have become a dogged-eared copy in a young person’s backpack guiding them on an unconventional path to success.
Despite climbing Everest and being among the first Americans to summit K2 in 1978, Ridgeway was never the most important person in the events he was part of and witnessed. He was a team player. He grew into the role of mentor and coach, doling opportunity freely, including to Jimmy Chin, and he guided characters like Dick Bass and Frank Wells to climb the Seven Summits (the Kosciuszko version) for the first time, regardless of which Pacific-Australia peak they climbed. From there, he filmed for television and documentaries, including Patagonia’s 180° South, and fostered his love for birds into wildlife in general and took to advocacy. But the lasting impact on me, has been his lasting relationships, often expressing gratitude to people, like Chris Chandler, who invited him to climb Everest.
Chandler’s invitation changed Ridgeway’s life course. Ridgeway’s life was off to a difficult start: During his high school years, his father burned down the house his family called home, committing insurance fraud for his mother’s and his sake and vanished into the South Seas. Ridgeway moved into his best friends parent’s Airstream trailer while he finished school. Ridgeway’s mother saw her son’s interest in mountain climbing (through applying his book learning from Freedom of the Hills on Mount Baldy,) and needing somewhere to send him during the summer, enrolled him in Outward Bound.
Everest started a great journey of friendship for Ridgeway, during his expeditions to Everest, K2, and into once-forbidden China to attempt Minya Konka. On Everest expedition, Ridgeway met Jonathan Wright. Wright took Ridgeway on a significant detour prior to the ascent to visit a monastery. Ridgeway learned meditation and found inner peace, or at least the seeds of it, within himself. Wright would also speak up for the less experienced Ridgeway during the climb and gave him advice, as if he were sharing tips for being a good factory worker together: Be patient and don’t slack when it’s your turn. It later got Ridgeway to the summit of K2.
Ridgeway also became a documentary filmmaker on K2 by happenstance. He filled in for an absent teammate on the factory-work-like slope of the seige-style expedition, learned a new skill, and grew a new branch in his career. He would go on to film for CBS, Patagonia, and other nature documentations.
When Ridgeway met his wife Jennifer, she was a jet-setter of the 1970s and early 1980s like he was, both traveled widely to exotic places but for contrasting lifestyles. Jennifer was a purchaser for Calvin Klein. Ridgeway and a friend tried coaxing her to join them on a trek for a National Geographic assignment. They even offered that they could get her good boots in a nearby neighborhood of Kathmandu; but she declined gracefully, explaining that the farthest she walks is from a New York City taxi to the doors of Bergdorf Goodman. They made it to dinner instead and rendezvoused on other occasions. They both learned that had lost important people in their lives and supported each other in healing. They later married at his beach shack near Montecito, California.
Rodgeway knew Doug Tompkins and Kris McDivitt Tompkins before they were married, and before establishing Esprit. Kris and Doug would sell Esprit, with its brand The North Face, to save millions of acres in Patagonia for conservation. Doug was a friend and adventure buddy with Yvon Chouinard, and Ridgeway was with them on the fateful kayaking trip in 2016 when Doug’s boat flipped and he died of hypothermia.
The story that touches me the most about Ridgeway was the extended story of Jonathan Wright. Shortly after the Everest expedition, and Ridgeway’s historic K2 summit, Ridgeway and Wright joined Yvon Chouinard and others to climb in China for the first time since the People’s Republic of China closed Its borders from Western travelers. They’re destination was Minya Konka, the Tibetan name for Gongga Shan, which its summit was 7,556 m./24,700 ft. above sea level. It had only been climbed twice before, once by Americans in 1932 and the Chinese in 1957. This time, they were going to put up a new route.
There is some dispute about the avalanche risk assessment or whether there was one, but above Camp II Ridgeway and others glissaded down the slope to show off and return, hallering yahoo as they went. The subtle yet unmistakable and dreadful whump sound from the snow released the snow sheet on the slope and threatened everyone. Jonathan Wright, Ridgeway’s best friend, was killed. They buried him on the mountain.
The team retreated home and Chouinard shouted and cursed the mountains for what happened. He even complained that, “These mountains are too high,� which made me consider whether they were (still am, actually.) A guide from the Tetons blamed Ridgeway for triggering the avalanche because he was too preoccupied making the documentary of the climb to assess the risk.
Jonathan Wright was survived by his wife and infant daughter Asia Wright. Ridgeway wrote about Asia’s request to him that he take her to the slopes of Minya Konka to visit her father’s resting place in his book, Below Another Sky: A Mountain Adventure in Search of a Lost Father (1998.) I saw this book in paperback in 2000 when I started reading climbing books but quickly dismissed it; it appeared too sentimental and not adventurous enough. After reading A Life Lived Wild I now think that I was too young to understand. Now that I am 43 and a father, I am planning on reading it.
So Rick Ridgeway is more than I expected. My friends, Alex and Caleb in Alexandria, have been involved with Patagonia stores in Washington, DC and the newer shop across the Potomac in Alexandria, VA for the last 20 years. One of them is an assistant manager. They have met many of the filmmakers, authors, and subjects of the company’s communications when they have come through for employee and public events. They were first introduced to Ridgeway just after 2000 and speak fondly of him and hold him in high regard. He seems to hold a different place compared to the other athletes that tour their shops. As they mention to me that when they first met him that he wasn’t as tall as they expected, they brush past that facet and talk about 180° South or the initiatives at the company he lead since 2005. They talk about his life’s work, the work on his book, that I recommend, A Life Lived Wild.
February 11, 2025
A little braggy, but some bright points. Author could cut out parts about how he's such a great business man, and just get on with the adventure vibes
March 2, 2022
A book firmly planted at the intersection of adventureful, environmental and authentic will earn 5 stars from me, even if the writing is not exceptionally noteworthy (don’t get me wrong, the writing is good, just not exceptional).
In this memoir, Rick Ridgeway narrates the story of his adventurous and soulful journey through his life, propelled by a deep love for the outdoors and, outdoor challenges. His generation was long after those who founded the Explorers club but before the adventure travel “package tour� phenomenon and professional climbers. An explorer, adventurer, outdoor-lover and hard scrabble guy who gave up a spot pursuing academia to join a party attempting Everest. This began one after another experiences on every continent, across multiple outdoor disciplines. Along the way, he meets his future wife in Tibet, Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, Dick Wells and Richard Bass, Tom Brokaw, Jimmy Chin and more. Along with the adventure come far too many accidents and the loss of dear friends. There’s no hint of hubris as he tells his accomplishment-filled stories, only humility and compassion. The same is true as he talks about his family.
A wonderful, soulful story I will now need to buy in hardcover now that I’ve enjoyed it (narrated by the author) on audio.
This review can’t possibly cover all of the elements that make this man and how he told his story special, so, if you love the outdoors, just go buy this book (or in the spirit of conservation - get it at the library).
In this memoir, Rick Ridgeway narrates the story of his adventurous and soulful journey through his life, propelled by a deep love for the outdoors and, outdoor challenges. His generation was long after those who founded the Explorers club but before the adventure travel “package tour� phenomenon and professional climbers. An explorer, adventurer, outdoor-lover and hard scrabble guy who gave up a spot pursuing academia to join a party attempting Everest. This began one after another experiences on every continent, across multiple outdoor disciplines. Along the way, he meets his future wife in Tibet, Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, Dick Wells and Richard Bass, Tom Brokaw, Jimmy Chin and more. Along with the adventure come far too many accidents and the loss of dear friends. There’s no hint of hubris as he tells his accomplishment-filled stories, only humility and compassion. The same is true as he talks about his family.
A wonderful, soulful story I will now need to buy in hardcover now that I’ve enjoyed it (narrated by the author) on audio.
This review can’t possibly cover all of the elements that make this man and how he told his story special, so, if you love the outdoors, just go buy this book (or in the spirit of conservation - get it at the library).
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