The Mountains Are Calling is the exhilarating story of the runners who go to high places. From its wild origins in the Highlands, hill running in Scotland remains as pure and traditional as sport gets. Jonny Muir explores the history and culture of the sport, and meets the legends of hill running who are revered for their extraordinary endurance. As he discovers the insatiable lure of the hills, a calling leads him to the supreme test of mountain running: Ramsay's Round - a continuous loop of 23 of Scotland highest mountains, to be completed within 24 hours. This book is lavishly illustrated with maps and two sections of delightful colour plates.

A trailblazing environmental educator raised his children in the heart of nature. His story shows other parents how they can counter today's pervasive "nature deficit." Updated wtih new essays. When David Sobel's children,Tara and Eli, were toddlers, he set out to integrate a wide range of nature experiences into their family life, play, and story telling. Blending his passion as a parent with his professional expertise, he created adventures tailored to their developmental stages: cultivating empathy with animals in early childhood, exploring the woods in middle childhood, and devising rites of passage in adolescence. Wild Play is Sobel's vivid and moving memoir of their journey and an in spiring guide for all parents who seek to help their children bond with the natural world. Through this family's experiences, we observe how free play in nature hones a sense of wonder, provides healthy challenges, and nurtures earth stewardship. "Parents need to support kids' access to independent outdoor play," says Sobel. "Of course they should use judgment, but the benefits outweigh the risks." Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods identified the urgent problem of "nature deficit" in today's children, sounding the alarm for parents, educators, and policy-makers. Wild Play is a hopeful response, offering families myriad ways to blaze their own trails.

This visually striking publication offers thorough insight into the history, technique and various disciplines of this contemporary winter sport. The book offers many lively experiences and anecdotes from the featured experts who took part in the sport's development over the last 30 years. They are the pioneers who pushed the limits of the (im)possible to embark on far-fetched snowy adventures. More than 100 artistic photographs allow the reader to dream-travel on vicarious snowkite journeys in polar or alpine regions, uniquely powered by the silent force of the wind to flow in a rarely-experienced state of total freedom.