The Longest Climb

This is a humorous and touching account about an ordinary woman with an extraordinary story. Her life and experiences on the Everestmax expedition will inspire, amuse and probably astonish all those who share her journey. Everestmax is a tale of endurance, comedy, culture, tragedy, geography, romance and just a bit of nudity in one epic adventure. In 2006, five individuals, as diverse in age as they were in lifestyles, were the first ever to undertake the world's longest climb. Accompanied by a support team of two, the team cycled over 8,000km from the Dead Sea in Jordan to the Base Camp of Mt Everest, journeying through Syria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Tibet in the process. At Base Camp, bikes were exchanged for climbing kit where the team successfully summitted the great mountain itself. The Everestmax team managed to get through a constant barrage of adversity with a surprising amount of hilarity. Extreme weather, bureaucracy, gun toting locals, sharp-toothed monkeys, political unrest, soggy crutches and illness are just a few of the obstacles they had to overcome. This unprecedented journey took the team through countries and cultures deemed 'anti-western' yet the reader will be inspired by the great faith demonstrated in human nature irrespective of religion or nationality. The book also gives an honest and frank insight into Pauline's life. The reader will understand why she was so driven to take part in such a huge undertaking at an age society often dismisses as 'past it' (aka middle aged).

The Longest Climb is the utterly compelling account of Dominic and his team's expedition from the Dead Sea to the peak of Everest. His team EverestMax were the first ever to make this extraordinary journey. Following an old Victorian route, Dominic cycled through Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India on his way to Tibet and the bottom of the world's highest mountain. From trying to find a wireless connection in Damascus and setting fire to the team's support vehicle in order to thaw the engine in Iran, to deciding whether or not to share the little oxygen they had and risk their own lives in order to try to save another climber, and beating their Austrian nemesis Gerry Winkler to the top, The Longest Climb is a high-octane combination of the huge personal risk, fascinating cultural insight, and momentary farce that make up a major expedition. But The Longest Climb is not simply a memoir of an expedition. It is also the moving account of Dominic's struggle to finally accept the heartbreaking loss of his father to cancer when Dominic was just six. As he fights illness, broken equipment, lack of money and the hardest season of Everest history to make the top, Dominic also discusses what has driven him up this mountain. The answers are as affecting as they are extraordinary.

An inspiring, moving, and unblinking view of a battered climber who refuses to turn his back on the mountains. Born in Bolton, England, Paul Pritchard started climbing when he was 16 years old. In time, he became one of the foremost British climbers of the 1980s and 1990s, climbing difficult routes across the United Kingdom and around the world, including the East Face of Central Tower in Torres del Paine, Patagonia, the first ascent of the West Face of Mount Asgard on Baffin Island, Trango Tower in northern Pakistan, and multiple attempts on the then-unclimbed Shark's Fin on Meru Peak, in the Indian Himalayan region. On Friday, February 13, 1998, Paul's life was dramatically altered when he was struck in the head by a falling boulder while climbing the Totem Pole, a slender sea stack off the coast of Tasmania. He received a traumatic head injury and was left suffering from hemiplegia, which has robbed his right side of movement and continues to play tricks with his speech and memory. A remarkable story that highlights life's surprising gifts and crucial lessons, The Longest Climb chronicles Paul's inspiring journey back to life and reminds us all that "When we spend time in the mountains, we do not escape from our woes. We come home and learn how to accept them."

Cycling is Britain’s biggest boom sport and nowhere is the boom more evident than on the road: once seen as the preserve of serious racers, the road bike has recently found a new lease of life due to the popularity of challenge rides and Sportives. It is now possible for cyclists of all abilities to ride a well marked, well marshalled event just about any weekend of the year, usually based around one, two or sometimes as many as ten fearsome hills. For the first time, here is a pocket-sized guide to the 100 greatest climbs in the land, the building blocks for these rides, written by a cyclist for cyclists. From lung busting city centre cobbles to leg breaking windswept mountain passes, this guide locates the roads that have tested riders for generations and worked their way into cycling folklore. Whether you’re a leisure cyclist looking for a challenge or an elite athlete trying to break records stick this book in your pocket and head for the hills. To watch a video of Simon Warren in action click here

"From the steep roadways of New England and the Mid-Atlantic States, to the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains of the Southeast and the high altitude assaults of the Mountain West, the most difficult climbs are all included in these pages. Information within the guide includes: climbing definitions and training tips; accounts of memorable climbing performances; accurate climb information including description, elevation, length adn average/maximum grade; appendices with climb rankings, profiles and other information; easy to follow directions."--

"The year 2000 is the fiftieth anniversary of the ascent of Annapurna, the first of the 8000-meter peaks to be climbed. In the decade following that first ascent in 1950, all but one of the world's fourteen highest mountains were climbed; the period from 1950 to 1960 can be considered the Golden Age for high altitude climbing. Only Shisha Pangma remained unclimbed until 1964 when a Chinese party led by Hsu Ching reached the summit." "This book brings together the stories behind the discovery, exploration and first successful ascents of each of the fourteen highest peaks, as well as accounts of the most important attempts and ascents that followed. Many of these stories illustrate how modern technology has enabled mountaineers to climb the previously unscaled peaks, while still demonstrating the importance of the human element."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Explore the thrill and intensity of the Tour de France's most challenging climbs as never before, through the breathtaking aerial photography of Google Earth. In this stunning book, 20 notorious Hors Categorie climbs from the race--ascents that are beyond classification--are captured in high-definition satellite imagery. They include the 2,715-meter ascent of Col de la Bonette, the historic Great St Bernard Pass, Col du Galibier's incredibly torturous 15 percent gradient climb, and Alpe de Huze's famous hairpins. As well as providing expertly annotated high-definition maps of these ascents, the book charts the daring Tour exploits of iconic Tour riders such as Fausto Coppi and Marco Pantani.

This handy, pocket-size manual provides easy-to-understand, step-by-step guidance to climbers transitioning from basic rock climbing to sport climbing, which involves scaling larger, more challenging rock walls that have fixed anchors.