221. Lisa Thompson with Alexandra Oliva - Finding Elevation

Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series

Defiance had provoked Lisa Thompson to enter the male-dominated world of high-altitude mountaineering, but defiance could only take her so far.

After a harrowing battle with cancer, Lisa realized she needed to understand what motivated her to take greater and greater risks in the mountains. Finding Elevation chronicles Thompson’s path from novice climber to world-class mountaineer, as she becomes the second American woman to summit K2, which is considered by many to be the deadliest mountain in the world.

More than a climbing memoir, Finding Elevation is a deeply personal examination of motivation and the human spirit. It is a story of what can happen when we finally stop letting others define our limits and instead trust that we are capable of more. In this inspiring book, Thompson reaches beyond the mountain to tell a story of heartbreak, resilience, and the discovery that we are responsible for defining our own boundaries, finding our own happiness, and facing our fears head-on.

Lisa Thompson is a mountaineer, cancer survivor, and sought-after speaker and coach. Growing up in the flat, humid farmlands of Illinois, she relied on adventure as a distraction, always knowing that she’d someday leave her hometown for something bigger. She soon became the first person in her extended family to graduate from college. She worked for twenty-five years as an engineer and in leadership roles at technology companies.

Since she began climbing in 2008, Lisa has summited some of the most challenging mountains in the world, including Everest. She has completed the Seven Summits, reaching the top of the highest peak of each of the seven continents. Through her company, Alpine Athletics, and other platforms, Lisa shares her message of strength and resilience with corporate and private groups worldwide. She lives in Seattle with her golden retriever, Chevy, who loves the mountains almost as much as she does. You can learn more about Lisa at www.lisaclimbs.com.

Alexandra Oliva is the author of two novels, Forget Me Not and The Last One, which was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist as well as a Seattle Times Best Book of 2016. Her work has been translated into over twenty-five languages and her writing has appeared in The New York Times. Originally from the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, Ali was a first-generation college student, graduating from Yale University in 2005. She later earned her MFA in Creative Writing from The New School in New York City and soon afterward moved to the Pacific Northwest. She now lives on Seattle’s Eastside with her husband, dog, and young son.

Finding Elevation: Fear and Courage on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain Third Place Books