"I hurt, therefore I am." With heart-pounding descriptions of avalanches and treacherous ascents, Barry Blanchard chronicles his transformation from a poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks to one of the most respected alpinists in the world.
At age 13, he learned to rappel when he joined the 1292 Lord Strathcona’s Horse Army Cadets. Soon kicked out for insubordination, he was already hooked on climbing and saw alpinism as a way to make his single mother proud and end his family’s cycle of poverty.
He describes early climbs attempted with nothing to guide him but written trail descriptions and the bravado of youth. He slowly acquires the skills, equipment and partners necessary to tackle more and more difficult climbs, farther and farther afield: throughout the Canadian Rockies, into Alaska and the French Alps and on to Everest, Peru, and the challenging mountains in Pakistan. From each he learns lessons that only nature and extreme endeavor can teach.
This is the story of the culture of climbing in the days of punk rock, spurred on by the rhythm of adrenaline and the arrogance of youth. It is also a portrait of the power of the mountains to lift us—physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually—and the depths of relationships based on total trust in the person at the other end of a rope.
With an accompanying playlist of classic punk and rock ’n’ roll, it includes climbs with renowned alpinists such as Kevin Doyle, Mark Twight, David Cheesmond, and Ward Robinson.
The Calling: A Life Rocked by Mountains (Patagonia hardcover book)
Details
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About the Author
Barry Blanchard is a world-renowned alpinist and mountain guide from Canada who has climbed the steepest and most complicated faces of the world’s great glaciated peaks. Among his many accomplishments are the first ascent of The Andromeda Strain, 1983; the North Ridge of Rakaposhi, 1984; the first ascent of the apocalyptic North Pillar of North Twin, 1985; the West Ridge of Mount Everest, 1986; surviving the Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat, 1988; a solo first ascent on the North Face of Kusum Kanguru, 1991; an attempt on K-2, 1993; first ascents in the St Elias mountains; M-16, a first ascent in winter on the East Face of Howse Peak, 1999; the third ascent of the Infinite Spur on Mount Foraker, 2000; the first ascent of Infinite Patience on the Emperor Face of Mount Robson, 2002. He is an internationally certified UIAGM mountain guide and has appeared as a climbing double in Hollywood features such as K-2, Cliffhanger, and The Vertical Limit. His life was recently profiled in the documentary Spindrift: The Barry Blanchard Story. He is the father of two adult daughters and lives with his partner in Canmore, Alberta.
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Awards
Winner of The Boardman-Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature, 2015; Finalist, Banff Mountain Book and Film Festival, Adventure Memoir, 2014
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From Will Gadd, Climber
"Conservative librarians are going to hate this book. The rest of us will love it. Sex (first time), drugs, (oxygen deprivation and others) and rock and roll (OK, more punk than pure rock, but definitely full volume), all against a backdrop of hard climbing on the world's wildest peaks. This is a story of brothers putting it all out there together, to a soundtrack of full-bore punk, sex and wild mountains."
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From Steve House: Climber, Author and Coach
"Blanchard the master-storyteller writes as Blanchard the young alpinist climbed: passionately, full of heart. These stories are raw and superbly entertaining. Blanchard chronicles the 'I hurt, therefore I am' era of mountain climbing."
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Specifications
Paperback book with 440 pages; printed in full color with photos throughout; 6 inches by 9.25 inches
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Publisher
Published by Patagonia
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Features
Includes 9 chapters, with photos throughout, a playlist
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Country of Origin
Made in Canada.
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Weight
1021g (36 oz)
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Last Season Color Offered at Full Price
Materials & Care Instructions
Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper
