Beyond the Snow Leopard: Travels through the Himalayas, Buddhism, mountaineering and possible paths to enlightenment

by Bill Crozier

The sighting of snow leopard tracks in the depths of a Ladkhi winter set off a ten-year journey through a land of mountains, Buddhism, wild creatures and adventurers…
‘You should come with me to Dolpo next year,’ said Ade. No further encouragement was required. Dolpo was the land of the snow leopard immortalised by the American author Peter Matthiessen. Without hesitation I said I was going. I wanted to follow in the footsteps of Matthiessen and I dared to hope that I might see a snow leopard.


Australian-based, British-born doctor Bill Crozier sets out to seek the snow leopard in the Ladakh, Nepal and Tibet, and finds adventure, friendship, wonder and enlightenment. His guides are the twentieth-century writers of the Himalayas, Peter Matthiessen (The Snow Leopard), George B. Schaller (Stones of Silence), David Snellgrove (Himalayan Pilgrimage), Eric Shipton (That Untravelled World) and the profound writings of Buddhist monks over the centuries.


Beyond the Snow Leopard delves in particular into the ancient land of Dolpo, and journeys to the birthplace of the Buddha at Lumbini. Crozier captures the real side of travelling through this contested and harsh region with friends and family, and relates the joys of a lifetime loving the outdoors and mountains.

448 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 3, 2024

Reviews

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed trekking with the author through fabulous locations in Nepal. The descriptions made me feel like I was there and the prose was well written. I also found the insights into the Buddhist and Bon religions informative, without being too much. I would have liked a bit more introduction to the motivation and plan for each trek at the start of each, especially the third one with his son - I assume it was to share the same experiences with him. That shorter one read a bit like trail notes and could have done with a bit more fleshing out. But overall an enjoyable read, with lots of great detail for anyone planning a trek in the Dolpo region of Nepal. I especially appreciated the location, altitude and distance information at the start of each day of walking - it helped to keep track of the routes.

[Prabin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In-depth recollections of author trekking in remote far North Western part of Nepal in search of elusive snow leopard and spread of Tibetan Buddhism.

[Glynis Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read. I enjoyed trekking with the author, through the remote and awe-inspiring Dolpol region of Nepal.