The Calling: A Life Rocked by Mountains

by Barry Blanchard

With heart-pounding descriptions of avalanches and treacherous ascents, Barry Blanchard chronicles his transformation from a poor Native American/white kid from the wrong side of the tracks to one of the most respected alpinists in the world. At thirteen, he learned to rappel when he joined the 1292 Lord Strathcone’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 cajones of youth. He slowly acquires the skills, equipment and partners necessary to tackle more and more difficult climbs, farther and farther 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,

Genres: Climbing, Mountaineering, Adventure, Nonfiction, Memoir, Audiobook, Outdoors

440 pages, Hardcover

First published August 18, 2014

Reviews

[Daniel Fehrenbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this more than I did - I think that Blanchard's writing in other places (Apinist magazine especially) is great but stretched out to book length it just doesn't hit as hard. The books makes clear how fully he has devoted himself to climbing and especially to hard alpine climbs in Canada. His zeal and drive really do come through in his descriptions of how hard he has pushed himself to become one of the real greats at what he does. What hurts the book, and it's likely a flaw that comes through in any climbing book that tries to contain so many different climbs, mountains and era, is that things really start blending together and the descriptive language isn't enough to drive home how different all of these places (Canada, the Himalayas and more) are - ice and snow are very often 'plaster hard', shattering vertical ice comes off in 'discus shaped' chucks, falling rock is always 'rotating and speeding up.' Less talk about specific snow and rock conditions and more about what he was thinking and feeling would have make the book seem less like a map and more like a story. Blanchard does do real justice to his close friends and climbing partners - the people who really have seemed to have shaped his life and that makes for some really human spots in the stories that could have been way too much about ice screws and spindrift.

Also - the book itself as a physically thing gets in the way of enjoying the story, there are tons of typos (one on the very first page) and all sorts of weird layouts where a page will only have one part of paragraph and then the rest is empty space - maybe this was an advance or library copy or something but the publisher seemed to kind of drop the ball.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quit about halfway through. Bit of a bore after awhile. The climbs blend together after a while.

[Dom Dawe · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Maybe the real mountain climbing was the friends we made along the way" - Maincharacter McClimberman

[Lee Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was a bit of a mixed bag. The climbing stories were very inspirational, with beautiful photography, although I can't help thinking the book was front-loaded by starting with the epic Nanga Parbat descent. Maybe he thought everybody knew the story already, so best get it over with early? The book reads a little bit like a series of Alpinist articles and I would have liked to have seen a broader subject matter for a book totalling 440 pages. His personal life seemed off limits, and I found it odd how he mentioned his two marriages and two kids in passing in the latter parts of the book without any previous reference. The focus purely on the climbing meant it lacked the depth of Kiss or Kill or Psychovertical for example, but the shear volume of well-told hard ascents gets this four stars (or maybe 3.5 rounded up) nonetheless.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this guy and his interviews in documentaries. And the book is chock full of climbs, each of which could be an amazing vignette on its own. But I could not finish the book because it is just that, a collection of trip reports that don’t hold together well as a narrative. For me at least, I’d rather read short form versions of his stories or watch him talk live.

[Amar Pai · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok if you want tons of "then i climbed this... then I climbed that..." I guess that sufficed for me. for anyone not obsessed with alpine climbing though, this will be a snooze

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most enjoyable climbing books I have read as Blanchard relates a life of climbing and of the life that was the vehicle to pursue that climbing. Personally, his time of pursuit paralleled my ten year foray into rock and ice climbing and I related to much of what he went through—minus the big alpine. How surprised was I when he talked of climbing with Carl Tobin who in the mid-eighties I had trained and ice-climbed with when I lived in Alaska. I had met Carl climbing Bachar ladders in the university gym with a number of Alaska hard men (I am not including myself in this classification). After a training session, I ran into him in the locker room and noticed the long scar on his thigh and asked him where he got it. He said he had been in an avalanche in the Himalayas which had broken his femur and this was the also the cause of the scar on his face. Oh, I said, was that from ice or rock during the avalanche? He chuckled and said that it was from the crampon attached to the broken leg hitting him in the face!

[Viktoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Berry Blanchard book very much. His sense of humor and his tenacity in the mountains made for a wonderful read. My favorite chapter was The Cassin (on Denali). The young Canadian climbers made the whole ascent during a storm, and lived to tell about it.

Blanchard’s family and childhood story is a tough one, worth reading about. The book, however, is mostly a collection of his important climbs.

Though I am familiar with majority of the climbs Blanchard talks about, and have climbed or attempted a few of them, I got tired reading about one climb after another. In the second part of the book I mostly read chapters about the climbs I was personally familiar with, andI skimmed through the ones I only heard about but didn’t personally know their features. There was much more than description of the climbs: the climbers interactions were intense and entertaining, and Blanchard’s writing style enjoyable. I believe I would have enjoyed the book more had I read the chapters one at a time, picking the book now and then, rather than all at once.

[Hunter M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting first hand accounts of climbing epic faces and peaks around the world. The grit and determination needed to get up these mountains is truly staggering. Blanchard recalls his road of getting into mountaineering with great detail and chronicles each major expedition that he has been on, and shines a light on the tragedies that come with danger inherent to climbing. My only complaints are the structure of the book and the prolific use of obscure terminology. It reads more like a collection of stories than a coherent narrative, and I feel like a bit more structure could have made it an easier read. I've done some climbing and have basic familiarity with mountaineering gear and techniques, but there were frequent references to shorthand slang or french terms for things that are never defined. So when he describes how he climbed a certain crack line, I often got lost and wish he was more descriptive so you don't have to be a mountain guide yourself to understand.

[Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated this book. Barry Blanchard’s climbing autobiography details the life of man drawn to the mountains. He heeded the call, but not without consequence. Blanchard faced many near death experiences and lost friends in the process. He also suffered a lot. So much of the book describes the misery of being on a mountain: the cold, exhaustion, fear, etc. However, the mountains and his love of spending time in them shaped his life in many positive ways, as well. The pursuit organized his life when he was in need of structure. He excelled in mountaineering and the development and successes furnished him confidence. The content of the book was fascinating, particularly for someone also drawn to the mountains. I was impressed by the book, but the writing, while evocative, was frequently amateurish and overwrought. I recommend this book.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with others - that without experience climbing mountains or being familiar with climbing terms and language this book would have been a horrible read. I also agree with the reviewer that thought his climbs blended together at a point for the reader...but, all that being said, I couldn't put it down for some reason! He clearly has a passion for climbing and a level of bravery and drive that I will never match - but I loved being immersed in the mountains and the climbs with him. Barry, and those that paved the way for climbers like him are a special breed.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love clmbing stories these are good. A lot of juvenile banter, which gets old after the first chapter (and comes close to ruining the whole effort), is overshadowed with superb action filled moments of brillance in describing climb details. It helps if your've climbed and know the jargon as this book makes no effort to bring along the uninitiated.

[Nicholas Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love the mountains, you'll love this book. Barry is a great writer - he drew me in with every chapter. I couldn't wait to finish his next story and tell my friends and family all about his incredible life (which thankfully isn't over)
I also loved that he wrote about so many places I've been. He is an inspiration and his attitude and physical accomplishments are extraordinary.

[Andrej · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it's a "climbers' book", and even though I have only succeeded to dip a toe in this world, I can certainly enjoy this subject immensely, and even get some vicarious enjoyment out of it. For non-climbers, a lot of the best stuff can mean absolutely nothing to them and pass by totally unappreciated.

[Mihai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delectable read, and it went really fast for its length. The ending is rather abrupt, but overall I really enjoyed getting to know Barry Blanchard the man through the experiences of Barry Blanchard the alpinist. Thank you for sharing these experiences with us.

[Joseph Windsor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply brilliant...Blanchard's vivid detail and intimate writing bring you deep into the esoteric and frightening word of 'out-there' alpinism. His honesty and passion come through in every sentence. Supremely enjoyable.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barry has an excellent writing style. His thoughtful descriptions of his mountainous adventures make it easy to get lost in a world of rock and ice. He lays it all on the table; his mistakes, fears and arrogance and pain.

[Paul Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! I don't climb mountains...and the writing is technical. Barry's writing style is extremely descriptive and introspective. A memoir detailing how from a young age he was drawn to climbing. Throws in some humor.

[Austin Vosler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The climbs tend to run together and explained in great detail, which can be a good or a bad thing, but I enjoyed the detail more than I didn't. You climb with him...

[Tony Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read if you like the genre.

[Joey Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barry you're a legend.

[Joe Harrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Climbers often make great writers, sadly this is not the case for Mr Blanchard. I really wanted to like this bore but its just a mess, do yourself a favour and read sometime else.

[Amanda Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of poetic passages about alpine ascents. But without enough distinction between climbs. Too little arc, even for a memoir.

[John Sperling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blanchard is a sculptor, chiseling story out of stone.

[Carrera Banman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would recommend to anyone. Listened on Audible, loved how Barry emphasized and described everything they experienced. Enjoyed the entire book!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, from beginning to end, I was immersed. Nothing more to say really 🤷‍♀️

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional!

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as Kiss or Kill, but a good look at a Canadian icon. Pulls a few light punches.

[Bridget Fairbank · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wild ride- nice to read about peaks + climbing culture in the Rockies.

Also I love that dancing was so important….

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible, picked it up at the rock and snow annex in new paltz and read it as i started my first ski bum season in colorado and it was absolutely incredible