Rock Climbing Memoir and Jesus

Would you like to climb a cliff, hundreds or thousands of feet above safety? It requires a taste for the most adventurous aspects of life, and I wouldn’t do it, but Russell Fralick, a pastor in England, was hooked on rock climbing from his youth and tells about it in his highly readable rock climbing memoir, Over the Top: How One Move Changed a Climber’s Life.

Russell Fralick, Country Preacher.
Photo used with permission of the author.

Since I’m a Christian I was looking forward to reading his story about how he came to Christ, but most of the book was focused on rock climbing and what that was like.

Since I’m not a rock climber, I was plunged into a world of daring, cliff-defying teenage bravado. I had no idea a book about rock climbing could be so entertaining. I even found it educational as before I read this book, I knew nothing about rock climbing!

Cliff Scaling, Rock Climbing, Mountaineering

All he wanted to do was climb rocks. Big ones. Cliffs. Dangerous cliffs. The more dangerous the better!

“This was a guaranteed way of feeling a buzz, and it was most welcome grist to my adrenaline mill.” – Russell Fralick

Russell Fralick was very young when he started climbing cliffs in the UK. He had just graduated from high school and was about to start college. That summer his friend needed a climbing partner, so the two young men forged a climbing alliance. Together they scaled numerous cliffs in England, where they lived.

Over the Top by Russell Fralick - a Rock Climbing Memoir

Over The Top:
How One Move Changed a Climber’s Life

This is Russell Fralick’s memoir about rock climbing and meeting Jesus for the first time at a very opportune moment.

As someone who has never climbed a cliff and who probably never will, I wondered if the book would hold my interest for long. Well, I shouldn’t have worried. The book not only kept my attention, it educated me about many aspects of rock climbing. Before reading this, I had no idea how it was done, but now I understand the different classifications of difficulty of a climb and know something about the tools a rock climber uses, and even how it is done with a modicum of safety in mind.

That last thing, an understanding of the safety involved, helped a lot when recently my youngest son told me he’s started rock climbing at Mt. Shasta in Northern California.

If I hadn’t read Russell Fralick’s memoir first, I might have panicked. But my son was able to explain why what he was doing was safe enough, and I have confidence in him to be able to excel at that type of sport. After all, he was climbing trees, swing sets, and basketball standards when he was very, very young. Climbing was apparently an inborn skill he brought with him into this world. Knowing what Russell Fralick shared about rock climbing in his memoir set my mind at ease, somewhat.

He’s a Pastor Now

This book was written as a Christian testimonial, but it is about ninety percent rock climbing and mountaineering. You might think that would be hard to read, but no, it is fascinating in many ways and parts of it are even amusing.

Russell Fralick - His Rock Climbing Memoir

Russell Fralick and his two hunting dogs.
Source: Russell Fralick

Author Russell Fralick is now a pastor of a church in England, but when this story started, the last thing he was thinking about was becoming a Christian. He did not come from a family of believers, so it wasn’t part of his worldview at that time.

Why I Recommend Russell Fralick’s Memoir

Not only is this an outstanding book about rock climbing and mountaineering, it is also an inspiring story about what caused young Russell Fralick to find out from personal experience that there is a God.

I very much recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a great rock climbing story… to anyone who loves memoirs, and to those who would like to read an amazing Christian testimonial.

Pinnable Quotes by Russell Fralick

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“As I started to climb, the reflected heat from the sun felt wonderful. The rock was firm and rough to the touch and handholds abounded.” – Russell Fralick, “Over the Top”	“The dull, pleasant ache of tired muscles and the tingle of sore fingertips were therapy in themselves.” – Russell Fralick, “Over the Top”
My mind spun like a whirling dervish. A route like this, so bold, so impossible, so completely out of reach for a mere man. And yet . .” – Russell Fralick, “Over the Top”	“This new pattern of life was perfect. My personality was inextricably linked to what I did: I was a climber. It wasn’t something that I did. It defined me, and that felt good. No, it felt great. I was respected, I was interesting, and I always had stories to tell down at the pub.” – Russell Fralick, “Over the Top”
“To be a Christian, a real Christian, is to be completely over the top, at least in the eyes of the world.” – Russell Fralick, “Over the Top”	“I am identified with Christ that He may be glorified through me because He is worthy.” – Russell Fralick, “Over the Top”