Climbing High Read Online Free Page A

days and we meet up,” Frankie said.
    “We started climbing together as students,” Lara explained. “Sig and Gretta live in Frankfurt, now. They took time off so we could do some climbing and reconnect. They climb all the time, and Siree loves this climbing a lot more than we do,” Lara added, “so she climbs wherever she goes and we only climb when she comes here.”
    Which explained the different levels of expertise .
    “Ernst works for Siree’s client and has tagged along all week,” Lara complained. Her eyes rolled. “We’re not sure how much experience he has.”
    Lara and Frankie both worked in the world of finance and knew Jake’s company and reputation.
    “Knock it off. You make me feel like an old man you’re going to have to help off the mountain,” he joked when Lara answered yet another question with exquisite politeness. Their constraint vanished after that, and they included him in their teasing.
    Once they’d broken out of the tree line and crossed the loose scree bridging it to the granite sheets rising above, Jake moved ahead so he could show Lara the best hand and foot holds. Above he could hear Siree directing Ernst in the same way. Free climbing meant no ropes or harnesses as safeguards, just plenty of nerve. Ernst seemed to be muscling through on more determination than skill. Siree’s patient instruction floated down to Jake, making him hunger for her to focus the same attention on him.
    It took two hours to hit the three hundred metre mark, over twice the time for a good climber. The slower pace worked against those having to hold themselves back to allow Lara and Frankie to keep up. Experienced climbers often accommodated beginners, allowing them to gain experience in turn. Jake didn’t begrudge doing this for other climbers. But with the mountain changing from gentle slopes to straight verticals, Lara had reached the high point of ability and invited an accident if she pushed beyond. Frankie too struggled. Thirty meters above him, Jake noted a ledge stretched across the incline. He estimated it to be long enough to hold them all.
    “Sig, we’re about ready for a rest,” he called up. “How about stopping on the ledge above you?”
    Sig pulled himself on to the ledge and turned to wave. Siree pivoted herself over the edge then rolled and sat up. She moved over, making room for Gretta, who’d passed Ernst on the steeper face. Ernst thrust his head above the ledge and put out a hand for Siree to haul him over. Sig reached down and jerked Ernst over the edge. When Jake reached the lip below the ledge he moved horizontally on the steep cliff to let Lara take advantage of the best toeholds, and gave her a boost when she hung half on, half off, her legs flailing. Frankie hoisted himself over without too much trouble. Men had such an advantage in upper body strength when it came to climbing that Jake admired the courage of the women who did it. They had to depend on the strength in their legs, which didn’t always help in a tight spot. He gripped the lip of the rock and chinned himself up to a narrow gap between Siree and Gretta.
    “Hi,” he said, settling his butt onto the rock, his legs dangling over the edge like the others.
    “Hi yourself,” she said, so no one else heard. Her gaze rested on Lara and Frankie, their faces flushed, their breathing harsh. “You guys are doing great. Thanks for suggesting a break. I didn’t think Sig would ever let up.” Her gaze came back to Jake. Thank you , she mouthed. And without saying anything further he knew she’d been monitoring them the whole time, watching as he helped her friends get this far.
    “They’re good sports and ballsy, but they’ve about had it.” He spoke next to her ear. She nodded acknowledgement. Then shrugged out of her daypack and reached back to get out a bottle of water and bag of trail mix. The others followed suit, creating a wobbly line along the ledge that looked like they were attempting the Wave. He