Bone Games

Extreme Sports, Shamanism, Zen, and the Search for Transcendence

By: Rob Schultheis

Narrated by: Brian Sutherland

“You don’t have to engage in extreme sports or have a near-death experience on a mountain to appreciate the exhilaration of a heightened consciousness. You can simply listen to this amazing audio version of one of my favorite books by Rob Schultheis, a poetic adventurer who perfectly captures the ecstasy of living outside the 'everyday blather' of our lives. Brian Sutherland is the perfect narrator and guide for this journey to a place where we go beyond our limitations and find ‘a taste of heaven'.” (Judy Muller, Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist and professor emerita, USC Annenberg School of Journalism)

Extreme physical effort, especially when coupled with risk and deprivation, has been known to produce strong effects in people. These range from "runner's high" or being "in the zone" to far more mystical experiences: visions, hallucinations, and superhuman performance.

Bone Games is the story of Rob Schultheis' exploration of this strange terrain - the altered states of consciousness that can be an elusive product of extreme sports. He finds the paranormal in rock climbing, mountaineering, ultrarunning, kayaking, climbing and hang gliding. He finds the spiritual in accounts of Arctic explorers and shipwreck victims. And he finds deep parallels in shamanistic practices and Zen Buddhism.

©1984 Rob Schultheis (P)2021 Audible, Inc.

Ahead of its Time

Released in the 80's, Bone Games touches on extreme sports, the boundaries of consciousness and flow states way before they hit mainstream thought. In Bone Games, Rob Schultheis explores the benefits and effects of running through extreme conditions when many were first discovering the joys of jogging on roads. Through the present lense, the Bone Games may seem like old hat, but through the lense of time it's revolutionary. Anyone interested in adventuring, extreme running or flow states will enjoy this.

Bonus for Fight Club fans, keep an eye out for the "brass on titanic" quote.

reads like a novel

I was expecting this to sound like a non-fiction book (which it is), but it sounds like a novel (which I, regrettably, despise). Read Born to Run instead :)