Hey folks,
A while back I posted on UKC and MP looking for a short story about mountaineering that I had read long ago. I didn't find it right away, but now, nearly a year later, somebody responded, and I found the story.
Here's a link to the original, archived UKC thread (can't post replies).
https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/expedition+alpine/help_me_find_a_short_st...
Here is a link to the MP thread.
https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/118142876/help-me-find-short-st...
And here are some notes about the story itself:
I hadn't remembered the story perfectly; the main character is a German climbing and dreaming in the Austrian Alps, but it's written by a rather well-known American writer, Mark Helprin.
It was first published in The New Yorker in 1977. If you buy a digital subscription, you can read the original. Here is a link with a short synopsis.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1977/01/10/the-schreuderspitze
It was later published in a collection of short stories entitled, Ellis Island. Here is an Amazon link where you can buy the book.
https://www.amazon.com/Ellis-Island-Other-Stories-Helprin-ebook/dp/B07263JL...
I don't know where I originally read it; considering I was only 5 when it was first published, it is unlikely but possible that I read it in an old copy of the The New Yorker. More likely, I read it in a collection, either Ellis Island or another. I know Helprin edited some short story collections, and he may have included his own work.
Anyway, I'm already a subscriber to The New Yorker, so I can read the original, but I also bought a copy of the book. The other stories seem interesting too.
So this is a story with a good ending--these moments restore my faith that perhaps the internet has some positive sides.
All the best,
Bruno