Distant Snows
A Mountaineer's Odyssey
Published on 19. December 2016
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-1-898573-78-4 (ISBN)
Description
In Distant Snows, mountaineer John Harding recollects his worldwide adventures spanning sixty years across Europe, Iran, East Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Arctic. He climbed many classic peaks including Mont Blanc, Mount Kenya, and Mount Cook, explored obscure ranges, and pioneered ski mountaineering expeditions in Turkey, Spain and Greece.
Written with candour, a sharp eye for the tragicomic and with a sympathetic insight into the history and culture of indigenous mountain peoples, Harding's compelling narrative proclaims the power of nature, the glory of landscape and the spirit of the mountains. Distant Snows is a window into the mind and passions of a mountaineer while faithfully preserving the memory of the many characters who accompanied him on his mountain odyssey.
With a foreword by the celebrated explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison, Distant Snows offers tales of serious undertakings as well as more leisurely exploits, complemented by Harding's personal photographs and hand-drawn maps. This is a must-read for mountaineers, lovers of the natural world and those with aspirations of adventure.
Written with candour, a sharp eye for the tragicomic and with a sympathetic insight into the history and culture of indigenous mountain peoples, Harding's compelling narrative proclaims the power of nature, the glory of landscape and the spirit of the mountains. Distant Snows is a window into the mind and passions of a mountaineer while faithfully preserving the memory of the many characters who accompanied him on his mountain odyssey.
With a foreword by the celebrated explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison, Distant Snows offers tales of serious undertakings as well as more leisurely exploits, complemented by Harding's personal photographs and hand-drawn maps. This is a must-read for mountaineers, lovers of the natural world and those with aspirations of adventure.
Reviews / Votes
The book is a fantastic reminder that you can have great adventures without being a top flight, up to the moment Tiger. - Stevie Haston Harding's numerous achievements, and the fact that he still alive to tell the tale, are proof that much can be attained through determination, some degree of prudence and an open mind. Not only is this book a good read for anyone interested in mountains, Harding's knowledge of the history and culture of the places he visits, so eloquently woven into the narrative, brings a dimension to mountain adventure that will appeal to a wider audience than the mountaineer. - Adele Long, editor of the Alpine Club newsletter Whether you're an armchair adventurer, a ski mountaineer, or a travel fanatic you need to read Distant Snows. All 18 chapters will inspire you to get outside, explore the mountains, and chase your dreams. Add this one to your book shelf of mountaineering novels. - Derek Lennon, A Mountain Journey I think this book will become a classic of its genre, a life story packed with interest, adventure and history. - Dennis GrayWith over 300 pages packed with stories from all the corners of the earth Harding truly has had an insatiable thirst for travel and exploration. - Nick Carter, Alpha Mountaineering
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Macclesfield
United Kingdom
Product notice
With printed dust jacket
Illustrations
4x 16pp colour plates
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
840 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-898573-78-4 (9781898573784)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Persons
John Harding was born in 1934 and educated at Stowe and Trinity College, Cambridge. He did his National Service with the Welsh Guards and from 1960 to 1965 served as an administrator and political officer in Aden and the Aden Protectorate. After a spell working in an Australian university, he returned to England to qualify as a solicitor to follow a full-time legal career with City law firm Norton Rose. A former vice president of the Alpine Club and president of both the Alpine and Eagle ski clubs, he has written and lectured extensively about mountain adventure. His book Pyrenean High Route, an account of the first British ski traverse of the Pyrenees, was shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature, while his Roads to Nowhere, recording his service in South Arabia, was described in Asian Affairs as a 'classic'. John and his wife Georgina live on the Gower Peninsula and have three daughters and ten grandchildren.
Content
Preface; Foreword by Robin Hanbury-Tenison OBE; Chapter 1 The Persian Expedition; Chapter 2 At the Crossroads; Chapter 3 Snow on the Equator I: Mount Kenya; Chapter 4 Olympian Heights: Greece and Anatolia; Chapter 5 Snow on the Equator II: Mount Kenya and Ruwenzori; Chapter 6 Kurdish Hakkiari; Chapter 7 Antipodean Ventures I; Chapter 8 Mixed Fortunes; Chapter 9 Mountains of Paradise; Chapter 10 End of an Era; Chapter 11 'Ski mountaineering is mountaineering'; Chapter 12 Antipodean Ventures II; Chapter 13 The Taurus; Chapter 14 The Pontic Alps; Chapter 15 Mediterranean Snow to Arctic Ice; Chapter 16 Hellas Rears its Mountains; Chapter 17 Alpine Envoi; Chapter 18 Treks Far and Wide; Bibliography; Index.