WINNER OF THE 2016 EDWARD STANFORD ADVENTURE TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 'Levison Wood has breathed new life into adventure travel.' Michael Palin 'Levison Wood is a great adventurer and a wonderful storyteller.' Sir Ranulph Fiennes 'Britain's best-loved adventurer... he looks like a man who will stare danger in the face and soak up a lot of pain without complaint.' The Times Following in in the footsteps of the great explorers, WALKING THE HIMALAYAS is Levison Wood's enthralling account of crossing the Himalayas on foot. His journey of discovery along the path of the ancient trade route of the Silk Road to the forgotten kingdom of Bhutan led him beyond the safety of the tourist trail. There lies the real world of the Himalayas, where ex-paratrooper Levison Wood encountered natural disasters, extremists, nomadic goat herders, shamans (and the Dalai Lama) in his 1,700-mile trek across the roof of the world. WALKING THE HIMALAYAS is a tale of courage, stamina and the kindness of strangers that will appeal to the adventurer in us all.

Foreword by Levison Wood, presenter of Walking the Americas. A comprehensive, fascinating and inspiring gallery of the great adventures that changed our world. Throughout history there have been brave men and women who dared to go where few had gone before. They broke new ground by drawing on incredible reserves of courage, fortitude and intelligence in the face of terrible adversity. Their endeavours changed the world and inspired generations. Spanning several centuries and united by the common theme of the resilience of the human spirit, this is the ultimate collection of the stories of the intrepid explorers who forged new frontiers across land, sea, skies and space. 50 incredible journeys including; * Tenzing and Hillary's conquest of Everest * Neil Armstrong's giant leap * Christopher Columbus' new world * Amelia Earhart flying the Atlantic * gold fever in the Yukon * the hunt for a man-eating leopard in India Great Expeditions includes not only some of the most famous journeys in history but also introduces many more that ought to be more widely recognised and celebrated.

A rediscovered mountaineering classic and the extraordinary true story of a daring escape up Mount Kenya by three prisoners of war. When the clouds covering Mount Kenya part one morning to reveal its towering peaks for the first time, prisoner of war Felice Benuzzi is transfixed. The tedium of camp life is broken by the beginnings of a sudden idea - an outrageous, dangerous, brilliant idea. There are not many people who would break out of a P.O.W. camp, trek for days across perilous terrain before climbing the north face of Mount Kenya with improvised equipment, meagre rations, and with a picture of the mountain on a tin of beef among their more accurate guides. There are probably fewer still who would break back in to the camp on their return. But this is the remarkable story of three such men. No Picnic on Mount Kenya is a powerful testament to the human spirit of revolt and adventure in even the darkest of places. "The history of mountaineering can hardly present a parallel to this mad but thrilling escapade" - Saturday Review "A most extraordinary prisoner-of-war and escape story" - New Yorker "A mad venture and a gallant tribute to man's deep yearning for freedom" - Kirkus Reviews "The book crackles with the same dry humour as its title. It contains the prison-yard bartering and candlelight stitching that mark a classic jailbreak yarn; the encounters with wild beasts in Mount Kenya's forest belt are as gripping, and the descriptions of sparkling glaciers as awe-inspiring, as any passage in the great exploration diaries of the early 20th century" - The Economist

Mountaineering in the Ecrins Massif showcases the Ecrins' most beautiful summits through a selection of the area's best lower grade snow, rock and mixed climbs. Authors Frederic Chevaillot, Paul Grobel and Jean-Rene Minelli have chosen 25 classic Ecrins routes - graded between F and AD - that have come to be regarded as classics due to their quality, their altitude or, simply, their easy access. These routes provide the essential pleasures of mountaineering: getting off the beaten track, enjoying the pure mountain air and delighting in the charms of the high mountains. Most of these routes are at the boundary between hiking and technical alpinism and should be within the capabilities of any fit hiker-mountaineer. Routes and peaks featured include: the Aiguille du Goleon; the north ridge of the Aiguille Dibona; the south ridge of Pic Coolidge; the north-east face of the Meije Orientale; and the traverse of the Barre des Ecrins ridge, plus many more. Each route features a detailed and comprehensive route description, a sketch map and a route summary detailing the start point, difficulty, timings, height gain, best time of year and the gear required. A conscious decision was made to limit the selection to relatively easy climbs, and so the routes described in this book - a mere fraction of the climbs in the magnificent Ecrins Massif - should be within the capabilities of almost all mountaineers.

A book that will take you through the best Scottish winter journeys from the comfort of your favourite chair. There'll be detailed descriptions, accompanied by some fine photographs, of all the well-known winter classics such as the traverse of An Teallach, Ledge Route on the Ben Nevis, the Aonach Eagach Ridge and the Black Spout on Lochnagar. Some of the not so well-known schizzles included are Morrisons Gully on Beinn Eighe, Academy Ridge on Sgorr Ruadh, Summit Gully on Stob Coire nam Beith and the magnificent Deep South Gully on Beinn Alligin.

Northern Limestone : Yorkshire, Cumbria, Lancashire from Rockfax covers the premier limestone sport crags of the UK with the big three of Malham, Kilnsey and Gordale and their world class climbing. Alongside these titans are numerous other destinations that offer both sport and trad climbing throughout the grades, ranging from the intimidating walls of Blue Scar and Trow Gill to the long lines of newly developed low to mid-grade sport crags such as Moughton Nab and Giggleswick South. Low to mid-grade trad climbing is also well catered for on the walls and escarpments at the likes of Trowbarrow Quarry, Twistleton Scar, Attermire Scar and Witches Quarry.Virtually all of the crags in the book are set in beautiful countryside and are close to fabulous pubs, villages, camping and bunkhouse accommodation.Twistleton Scars, Trow Gill, Robin Proctor's Scar, Crummackdale, Panorama Crag, Moughton Nab, Pot Scar, Giggleswick North, Giggleswick South, Langcliffe, Castleberg Crag, Attermire Scar, Malham Cove, Gordale, Stony Bank, Yew Cogar Scar, Blue Scar, Kilnsey, Dib Scar, Loup Scar, Troller's Gill, Scout Scar, Mill Side Scar, Chapel Head Scar, Humphrey Head, Trowbarrow Quarry, Witches' Quarry.

Few things suggest rugged individualism as powerfully as the solitary mountaineer testing his or her mettle in the rough country. Yet the long history of wilderness sport complicates this image. In this surprising story of the premier rock-climbing venue in the United States, "Pilgrims of the Vertical" offers insight into the nature of wilderness adventure.

From the founding era of mountain climbing in Victorian Europe to present-day climbing gyms, Pilgrims of the Vertical shows how ever-changing alignments of nature, technology, gender, sport, and consumer culture have shaped climbers relations to nature and to each other. Even in Yosemite Valley, a premier site for sporting and environmental culture since the 1800s, elite athletes cannot be entirely disentangled from the many men and women seeking recreation and camaraderie.

Following these climbers through time, Joseph Taylor uncovers lessons about the relationship of individuals to groups, sport to society, and nature to culture. He also shows how social and historical contexts influenced adventurers choices and experiences, and why some became leading environmental activists including John Muir, David Brower, and Yvon Chouinard. In a world in which wild nature is increasingly associated with play, and virtuous play with environmental values, Pilgrims of the Vertical explains when and how these ideas developed, and why they became intimately linked to consumerism.

From little-known beauties like Coon Hill and Silver Plume Mountain to classic climbs like Peak 1 and Torreys Peak, Best Summit Hikes Denver to Vail provides detailed, accurate information on more than 60 summits that are within a 1.5-hour drive from the Denver/Boulder metro area. Local author James Dziezynski guides readers to rarely documented peaks and along wonderful adventures that are easy to access yet provide a true wilderness setting in a matter of minutes. This is a great resource for those who don't have the time to drive far away for other popular mountains and may want to learn more about the fantastic peaks that are closer than they think. Other Colorado guidebooks focus on specific ranges or peaks grouped by elevation, but Best Summit Hikes Denver to Vail focuses on the most heavily traveled part of Colorado and is as useful for tourists as it is for locals. The wealth of great adventures close to home is a bit of a secret, even for veteran outdoors explorers.

Climbers come from all over the world to experience the magic and beauty of climbing at Red Rocks, but they often have only a few days to climb and don't want to invest in a huge guidebook. That's why Todd Swain, author of the popular Rock Climbing Red Rocks, has taken the "best of the best" out of that volume and put it into this smaller book. At less than half the cost, Classic Rock Climbs: Red Rocks is perfectly suited to the traveling climber on a tight budget, providing information on 200 classic climbs at this world-renowned area. From one-pitch clip-ups in The Gallery to multi-pitch routes in Black Velvet Canyon, this book will keep you climbing for days, but leave you with enough cash to hit the casino buffets a few more times.

Kalymnos must be one of the world's best known sport climbing destinations and with good reason - friendly locals, glorious weather, a picturesque Aegean island setting and, of course, the truly fantastic climbing. There is approaching 3000 climbs at the last count and many of them are of impeccable quality. Climbers from all over the world now visit the place and its reputation has grown into a 'must visit' venue. There are many fantastic harder climbs but there is also a remarkable assemblage of high quality climbs in the ever-popular 4a to 6b range. This new Rockfax guidebook will cover all the climbing in the usual Rockfax style - huge phototopos, big maps, inspiring action photos and bang up-to-date as well. It is an update of the Kalymnos app version which has been available for a year and will be available in print and app format.

In 1985 mountain guide Martin Moran achieved the first completion of all 277 Munros* in a single winter with the support and companionship of his wife Joy. Their success was a feat of dedicated mountaineering and effective teamwork through the storms, snows and avalanches of an epic winter season in the Scottish Highlands. Martin's account of the winter journey became a classic mountain narrative, combining his passionate enthusiasm for the mountains with humorous insights into a marriage put to the test through three months of living in a camper van. It was described as 'the best guidebook to the Munros' by mountain writer Jim Perrin. The book inspired many other climbers and runners to pick up the gauntlet in pursuit of new feats of endurance on Scotland's hills, and is now reissued with full colour photographs plus an introductory update by the author on how the 'Munros in Winter' changed his life.

In a book that is part memoir and part history, David Roberts looks back at his personal relationship to extreme risk and tries to make sense of why so many have committed their lives to the desperate pursuit of adventure. In the wake of his diagnosis with throat cancer, Roberts seeks the answer with sharp new urgency. He explores his own lifelong commitment to adventuring, as well as the cultural contributions of explorers throughout history. He looks at what it meant in 1911 for Amundsen to reach the South Pole or in 1953 for Hillary and Norgay to summit the highest point on earth. And he asks what the future of adventure is in a world we have mapped and trodden all the way to the most remote corners of the wilderness.

2013 sees the 150th anniversary of the Alpine Journal, the oldest mountaineering journal in the world. It was created as a record of mountain exploration and has held to that tradition down the years. This 117th volume showcases first ascents from Alaska to Antarctica, from the Alps and Africa to the great ranges of Asia. Alpine Club president Mick Fowler describes his first ascent of the dramatic Prow of Shiva in the Indian Himalaya while Rick Allen recounts how he and Sandy Allan scooped one of mountaineering's most coveted prizes with the first full traverse of Nanga Parbat's awesome Mazeno Ridge. The AJ's brief roams wide. Mountain landscapes sacred to Tibetans are decoded by the anthropologist Hildegard Diemberger, and Professor Mike Searle explains the geological processes that give the Himalaya their physical majesty. This AJ also celebrates the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest; buoyed by his 11th ascent to the top of the world, guide Kenton Cool reflects on the mountain's continuing allure. New paintings by the artist-climber Julian Cooper, especially commissioned to mark the AJ's 150th birthday, book reviews and a comprehensive Area Notes section detailing significant climbs around the world complete this unrivalled panorama of the mountain world.

The two maps, Prespa - Mt Varnous - Mt Vitsi, on one side and Mt Voras, on the other, include border areas of Western Macedonia that were until recently off the beaten track. Nowadays these areas have become popular tourism destinations that offer literally everything, from recreation activities and nature attractions to adventure sports, including skiing (there are 3 ski resorts in the area), air sports, off-road touring, motocross, cycling, hiking (the European trails E4 and E6 cross the map area), mountain running, spas, even swimming(!) at the beaches of Vegoritis and Megali Prespa lakes and naturally birdwatching. Tourism infrastructure is well developed and there are even high standard resorts such as Nymphaio and Palaios Agios Athanasios villages.

North Wales is one of the most popular climbing areas in the country. The variety of crags, routes and styles is almost unmatched spanning the major mountain crags in Llanberis Pass, Cloggy, Ogwen, Moelwyns and the Carneddau; to the Llanberis Slate quarries, Tremadog, Mid-Wales, Gogarth and the Ormes of Llandudno. This book covers all the best climbing across this wide area. Areas covered - Llanberis Slate, Llanberis Pass, Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, Lliwedd, Gwynant, Ogwen, Carneddau, Tremadog, Betws-y-Coed, Moelwyns, Gogarth, Limestone, Mid-Wales.

Eisner Nominated 2021 At sixteen, bivouacked on a mountainside beneath a sky filled with stars, Jean-Marc Rochette has already begun measuring himself against some of Europe’s highest peaks. The Aiguille Dibona, the Coup de Saber, La Meije: the summits of the Massif des Écrins, to which he escapes as a teenager, spark both exhilaration and fear. At times, they are a playground for adventure. At others, they are a battlefield. The young climber is acutely aware that death lurks in the frozen corridors of the French Alps. In Altitude, Jean-Marc Rochette tells the story of his formative years, as a climber and as an artist. Part coming-of-age story, part love letter to the Alps, this autobiographical graphic novel captures the thrill and the terror invoked by high mountains, and considers one man’s obsession with getting to the top of them.

In 1999, Conrad Anker found the body of George Mallory on Mount Everest, casting an entirely new light on the mystery of the lost explorer. On 8 June 1924, George Leigh Mallory and Andrew 'Sandy' Irvine were last seen climbing towards the summit of Everest. The clouds closed around them and they were lost to history, leaving the world to wonder whether or not they actually reached the summit - some 29 years before Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay. On 1 May 1999, Conrad Anker, one of the world's foremost mountaineers, made the momentous discovery - Mallory's body, lying frozen into the scree at 27,000 feet on Everest's north face. Recounting this day, the authors go on to assess the clues provided by the body, its position, and the possibility that Mallory had successfully climbed the Second Step, a 90-foot sheer cliff that is the single hardest obstacle on the north face. This is a remarkable story of a charming and immensely able man, told by an equally talented modern climber.

'I felt like one who had first betrayed and then deserted a stricken friend; a friend with whom for the past fourteen years I had spent more time at sea than on land, and who, when not at sea, had seldom been out of my thoughts.' The first of the three voyages described in In Mischief's Wake gives H.W. 'Bill' Tilman's account of the final voyage and loss of Mischief, the Bristol Channel pilot cutter in which he had sailed over 100,000 miles to high latitudes in both Arctic and Antarctic waters. Back home, refusing to accept defeat and going against the advice of his surveyor, he takes ownership of Sea Breeze, built in 1899; 'a bit long in the tooth, but no more so, in fact a year less, than her prospective owner'. After extensive remedial work, his first attempt at departure had to be cut short when the crew 'enjoyed a view of the Isle of Wight between two of the waterline planks'. After yet more expense, Sea Breeze made landfall in Iceland before heading north toward the East Greenland coast in good shape and well stocked with supplies. A mere forty miles from the entrance to Scoresby Sound, Tilman's long-sought-after objective, 'a polite mutiny' forced him to abandon the voyage and head home. The following year, with a crew game for all challenges, a series of adventures on the west coast of Greenland gave Tilman a voyage he considered 'certainly the happiest', in a boat which was proving to be a worthy successor to his beloved Mischief.

Tackling the unclimbed west face of the remote Siula Grande in the Andes, Joe Simpson and his partner Simon Yates achieved the summit before disaster struck. A few days later, an exhausted Simon staggered into base camp to tell their non-climbing companion that Joe was dead. For three days he wrestled with guilt as they prepared to return home. Then a cry in the night took them out, where they found Joe, badly injured, crawling through the snowstorm. Far from causing Joe's death, Simon had saved his friend's life when he was forced into the appalling decision to cut the rope.