What do you think?
Rate this book
Quest into the Unknown: My Life as a Climbing Nomad
We are all climbing where we are and with the gear we use in no small part due to Tony Howard's quest for adventure.
Tony Howard rose to fame in 1965 as a member of a group of young climbers from northern England who made the first British ascent of Norway's Troll Wall; a climb described by Joe Brown as, "One of the greatest ever achievements by British rock climbers." Tony went on to design the modern sit harness, now used universally by every climber in the world. He founded the company Troll Climbing Equipment but never stopped exploring.
Quest into the Unknown is his story.
Tony has dedicated his life to travelling the world in search of never before climbed rock faces and remote trekking adventures. The scale of his travels is vast. He has visited all of the North African countries, much of the Arab land of the Middle East, the mountainous regions of Scandinavia, Canada and the rocky spine of the Americas, the Himalaya, remote Indian provinces, South East Asia, South Georgia and Antarctica.
This audiobook, the last word in adventure travel, takes the listener from Tony's youth spent developing the crags of the English Peak District, via whaling ships in the Southern Ocean, thousand-mile canoe trips in the Canadian Arctic, and living amongst the Bedouin in the rocky mountains of Jordan to the isolated opium tribes of Thailand.
Tony Howard's Quest into the Unknown is the jaw-dropping account of a life of adventure that is the very definition of true exploration.
Tony Howard rose to fame in 1965 as a member of a group of young climbers from northern England who made the first British ascent of Norway's Troll Wall; a climb described by Joe Brown as, "One of the greatest ever achievements by British rock climbers." Tony went on to design the modern sit harness, now used universally by every climber in the world. He founded the company Troll Climbing Equipment but never stopped exploring.
Quest into the Unknown is his story.
Tony has dedicated his life to travelling the world in search of never before climbed rock faces and remote trekking adventures. The scale of his travels is vast. He has visited all of the North African countries, much of the Arab land of the Middle East, the mountainous regions of Scandinavia, Canada and the rocky spine of the Americas, the Himalaya, remote Indian provinces, South East Asia, South Georgia and Antarctica.
This audiobook, the last word in adventure travel, takes the listener from Tony's youth spent developing the crags of the English Peak District, via whaling ships in the Southern Ocean, thousand-mile canoe trips in the Canadian Arctic, and living amongst the Bedouin in the rocky mountains of Jordan to the isolated opium tribes of Thailand.
Tony Howard's Quest into the Unknown is the jaw-dropping account of a life of adventure that is the very definition of true exploration.
Audible Audio
Published March 21, 2019
6 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Tony Howard
7 booksFounder and ex-Director of Troll, one of the world's leading brands of climbing equipment from 1965 to 1995 when the company was successfully sold. During this period was the designer at Troll, largely responsible for the world's first sewn slings and harnesses for climbers. Tony was also an Ex-Outward Bound, National Mountain centre and Mountaineering Association Instructor and British Mountaineering Council Guide. Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Outdoor Writers' Guild member. Participant in the 1998 British Government DTI Tourism Trade Mission to Oman and Yemen. Invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace in 2012 "for those involved in Exploration and Adventure".
Over 60 years experience of rock climbing, mountaineering, caving, river, sea, jungle and desert travel. First ascents in the UK, Norway, Greenland, Canada, the Middle East and N. Africa, including the Troll Wall, Europe's biggest rock face (see publications). Opened a new trail through remote mountain villages in Nagaland on the India-Burma border with Di Taylor, and helped with trail development in Manas National Park in Bodoland, also in N E India.
Photos and articles published in UK and International press and specialist magazines. TV coverage in Jordan, Norway and the U.K. Radio coverage in the UK, Jordan and Oman. Wrote the Intro to the 2003 Edition of the classic W C Slingsby's guide to Norway, The Northern Playground. Received Geographical Award (1999) from Royal Geographical Society, on behalf of Troll Climbing Equipment, for design and supply of expedition equipment. Featured with Di Taylor in BBC series 'The Face' about the discovery and development of Wadi Rum.
Author of various climbing guide books to England and Norway and four guides to trekking, climbing, canyoning and caving in Jordan. Contributed to 'Rock Climbing in Oman' by Alec MacDonald and to the Egypt, Jordan and India Rough Guides. Joint author with Di Taylor of 'Walks in Palestine with The Nativity Trail'. Author of three books, the award winning 'Troll Wall' also 'Adventures in the Northlands' and Tony's autobiography, 'Quest into the Unknown'.
In the late 1990s, Tony and Di had the original idea for what became in 2016 the 650km Jordan Trail. From 2000, they worked with Mark Khano of Experience Jordan for a number of years until the Jordan Trail Association was formed to further develop and promote it.
2018 Climber ran a full page story on Tony as one of their Living Legends series.
Over 60 years experience of rock climbing, mountaineering, caving, river, sea, jungle and desert travel. First ascents in the UK, Norway, Greenland, Canada, the Middle East and N. Africa, including the Troll Wall, Europe's biggest rock face (see publications). Opened a new trail through remote mountain villages in Nagaland on the India-Burma border with Di Taylor, and helped with trail development in Manas National Park in Bodoland, also in N E India.
Photos and articles published in UK and International press and specialist magazines. TV coverage in Jordan, Norway and the U.K. Radio coverage in the UK, Jordan and Oman. Wrote the Intro to the 2003 Edition of the classic W C Slingsby's guide to Norway, The Northern Playground. Received Geographical Award (1999) from Royal Geographical Society, on behalf of Troll Climbing Equipment, for design and supply of expedition equipment. Featured with Di Taylor in BBC series 'The Face' about the discovery and development of Wadi Rum.
Author of various climbing guide books to England and Norway and four guides to trekking, climbing, canyoning and caving in Jordan. Contributed to 'Rock Climbing in Oman' by Alec MacDonald and to the Egypt, Jordan and India Rough Guides. Joint author with Di Taylor of 'Walks in Palestine with The Nativity Trail'. Author of three books, the award winning 'Troll Wall' also 'Adventures in the Northlands' and Tony's autobiography, 'Quest into the Unknown'.
In the late 1990s, Tony and Di had the original idea for what became in 2016 the 650km Jordan Trail. From 2000, they worked with Mark Khano of Experience Jordan for a number of years until the Jordan Trail Association was formed to further develop and promote it.
2018 Climber ran a full page story on Tony as one of their Living Legends series.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 2, 2019
Tony Howard has crammed more adventures into one lifetime (and still counting) than most people could fit into five. ‘Quest into the Unknown’ is a vast and sprawling work, moving quickly from country to country in an attempt to keep up with Tony’s exploration schedule.
After a quick trip through his childhood, the earlier chapters portray a striking dedication to climbing. Tony and his partners head out Scottish winter climber regardless of the weather or conditions or equipment (on one noteable occasion, even without crampons), and on very little food all day. Routes and misadventures that would leave many of us shaking are written about quickly and succinctly – just another day completed. Most of Tony’s writing stands free from emotion; the climbing speaks for itself.
Even within such a large book, there is not enough space to fully describe all of his adventures. An epic on the East Pillar of Semletind is passed over in a couple of pages, and soon after an expedition to Greenland clearly holds enough stories to fill a book. I would have loved to read more about both expeditions – and many others – but suspect practicality and book length prevented too much detail on each one! His adventures on Troll Wall are described in a separate book, which I’m now looking forward to reading.
Tony writes with honesty, humility and passion; his enthusiasm for exploration shines from the pages and cannot fail to inspire. It’s a vivid depiction of a wild yet simple life, shaped around mountains and exploration at every opportunity. Even the travel to get to the countries is filled with interest – his earlier trips in particular are undertaken by public transport across land rather than a quick flight, the journey itself becoming an integral part of the trip. He is noticeably at his happiest when exploring new places, and his writing is best when describing them – some beautiful turns of phrase are sparked by desert sunsets or a view glimpsed on the way to a summit of a new peak. He is constantly deeply aware and observant of the landscape around him.
The second half of the book moves away from climbing routes to focus more on exploration, particular of Jordan. Tony’s clear passion for the country is evident in the stories of his many treks around the country, and in the careful and vivid descriptions of his surroundings. He shows real warmth for the locals, nearly always describing their interactions with sensitivity and respect. There is one instance where Tony talks about ‘finding trails that would soon be part of the country length Jordan trail’; it would have been good to see more acknowledgement here that a lot of it was originally Bedouin thoroughfares which they have pieced together. On a trip to Sudan, they stumble upon the fallout from the war in Ethiopa, and recognise it is ‘no place for the frivolity of climbing’ – a tough decision having travelled so far, and one that lesser climbers may have been tempted to ignore.
There are interesting glimpses of history interspersed throughout the book – the creation of the Penine Way, stumbling across what’s believed to be the world’s oldest rock climb, a trip to the Festival in the Desert in Mali, and snippets of history on the names of varying famous rock climbs. There’s plenty of stories, too, about the development of climbing gear - a fascinating journey as it is easy to forget how recently equipment has transformed into that used today.
Overall, an enjoyable and inspiring read that has left me with less excuses for not spending more time in the mountains, and suddenly keen to visit some of these beautiful and remote places. Tony’s adventures and exploration are a long over-due contribution to the realms of adventure literature.
After a quick trip through his childhood, the earlier chapters portray a striking dedication to climbing. Tony and his partners head out Scottish winter climber regardless of the weather or conditions or equipment (on one noteable occasion, even without crampons), and on very little food all day. Routes and misadventures that would leave many of us shaking are written about quickly and succinctly – just another day completed. Most of Tony’s writing stands free from emotion; the climbing speaks for itself.
Even within such a large book, there is not enough space to fully describe all of his adventures. An epic on the East Pillar of Semletind is passed over in a couple of pages, and soon after an expedition to Greenland clearly holds enough stories to fill a book. I would have loved to read more about both expeditions – and many others – but suspect practicality and book length prevented too much detail on each one! His adventures on Troll Wall are described in a separate book, which I’m now looking forward to reading.
Tony writes with honesty, humility and passion; his enthusiasm for exploration shines from the pages and cannot fail to inspire. It’s a vivid depiction of a wild yet simple life, shaped around mountains and exploration at every opportunity. Even the travel to get to the countries is filled with interest – his earlier trips in particular are undertaken by public transport across land rather than a quick flight, the journey itself becoming an integral part of the trip. He is noticeably at his happiest when exploring new places, and his writing is best when describing them – some beautiful turns of phrase are sparked by desert sunsets or a view glimpsed on the way to a summit of a new peak. He is constantly deeply aware and observant of the landscape around him.
The second half of the book moves away from climbing routes to focus more on exploration, particular of Jordan. Tony’s clear passion for the country is evident in the stories of his many treks around the country, and in the careful and vivid descriptions of his surroundings. He shows real warmth for the locals, nearly always describing their interactions with sensitivity and respect. There is one instance where Tony talks about ‘finding trails that would soon be part of the country length Jordan trail’; it would have been good to see more acknowledgement here that a lot of it was originally Bedouin thoroughfares which they have pieced together. On a trip to Sudan, they stumble upon the fallout from the war in Ethiopa, and recognise it is ‘no place for the frivolity of climbing’ – a tough decision having travelled so far, and one that lesser climbers may have been tempted to ignore.
There are interesting glimpses of history interspersed throughout the book – the creation of the Penine Way, stumbling across what’s believed to be the world’s oldest rock climb, a trip to the Festival in the Desert in Mali, and snippets of history on the names of varying famous rock climbs. There’s plenty of stories, too, about the development of climbing gear - a fascinating journey as it is easy to forget how recently equipment has transformed into that used today.
Overall, an enjoyable and inspiring read that has left me with less excuses for not spending more time in the mountains, and suddenly keen to visit some of these beautiful and remote places. Tony’s adventures and exploration are a long over-due contribution to the realms of adventure literature.
December 29, 2022
No idea how I ended up on this website as "currently reading" my own book. Sorry about that. But anyway, I hope others will enjoy it - happy to see my Amazon reviews are good :)
July 28, 2019
Tony Howard was very lucky to be able to access many places before mass tourism, to explore places only locals, or no one had been to before. He has had many amazing adventures all over the world, even in the 21st century when it seems impossible to go anywhere where people have not gone before. He refreshingly proves it is still possible to find quiet, unspoilt areas in the world.
Being only a casual climber I really enjoyed reading about his quest for adventure through treks in amazing surroundings, but found the book a little slow when he was talking too much about purely climbing routes. I enjoyed reading about the hidden treasures in countries such as Mali.
I have climbed in both Jordan and Oman so it was really interesting to read about how it was before my trips, and since.
Being only a casual climber I really enjoyed reading about his quest for adventure through treks in amazing surroundings, but found the book a little slow when he was talking too much about purely climbing routes. I enjoyed reading about the hidden treasures in countries such as Mali.
I have climbed in both Jordan and Oman so it was really interesting to read about how it was before my trips, and since.
October 7, 2020
l'ho amato, purtroppo a differenza del più grande documento sull'alpinismo (I Falliti di Motti) non vi è una vera e propria riflessione su quello che ti ritrovi a vivere in quella che può essere una scalata o una escursione (purtroppo mai scalato, ma l'urgenza si sente ed è questo che mi porta a leggere testi del genere) bwensì una biografia ricca di avventure a mio parere incredibili di uno che ha anche rivoluzionato il mondo stesso dell'alpinismo. Per quanto ad uno possa non interessare il personaggio penso che il fascino dei racconti che vanno dal Canada al Madagascar possano essere l'input per abbandonare le 4 mura domestiche per sempre o quasi
July 28, 2019
It is probably testament to the man’s character that the name of Tony Howard was not one that I was familiar with despite the fact that I was using some of his Troll equipment in my early climbing days in the 1970’s. Reading Tony Howard’s biography, Quest into the Unknown, is like sitting in the pub listening to an “old timer” telling stories one after another pausing only briefly to work out whose round it is.
The book is over 400 pages of climbing history and adventure travel divided into 68 handy sized chapters. Part one of the book deals mainly with Tony’s early climbing and travel exploits such as abseiling from a pair of boot laces in the Dolomites, being naked on a train in France to the impressive first ascent of the Troll Wall in Norway. Disappointingly the latter only receives one page of the book, probably because it has already been published in the excellent book “Troll Wall: The untold story of the British first ascent of Europe’s tallest rock face”.
The stories continue to tell of Tony’s early career on whaling ships in the Southern Atlantic, trawling off Iceland and mining in the Yukon before slipping into early travel adventures like canoe trips, driving the full length of North and Central America and visits to Greenland, Iran (then Persia), Sudan and North Africa.
Part two of the book concentrates mainly on the early exploration of Jordan and the writing of the guide to Wadi Rum and Petra to promote the area to bring climbers and trekkers to the area for the benefit of the local Bedouin people.
The book then morphs into a cross between Tony’s diary and a “Lonely Planet” guide as we travel the globe from the Gulf States, Egypt, India, Ethiopia, Palestine, Madagascar and Palestine in search of more desert trekking and climbing adventures. The book concludes where part two starts, in Jordan 30 years later, with the completion of the country long, 400 mile, Jordan Trail.
This is a long read but a thoroughly enjoyable one in which we, the readers, are transported to lands and people that most of us will never visit.
The book is over 400 pages of climbing history and adventure travel divided into 68 handy sized chapters. Part one of the book deals mainly with Tony’s early climbing and travel exploits such as abseiling from a pair of boot laces in the Dolomites, being naked on a train in France to the impressive first ascent of the Troll Wall in Norway. Disappointingly the latter only receives one page of the book, probably because it has already been published in the excellent book “Troll Wall: The untold story of the British first ascent of Europe’s tallest rock face”.
The stories continue to tell of Tony’s early career on whaling ships in the Southern Atlantic, trawling off Iceland and mining in the Yukon before slipping into early travel adventures like canoe trips, driving the full length of North and Central America and visits to Greenland, Iran (then Persia), Sudan and North Africa.
Part two of the book concentrates mainly on the early exploration of Jordan and the writing of the guide to Wadi Rum and Petra to promote the area to bring climbers and trekkers to the area for the benefit of the local Bedouin people.
The book then morphs into a cross between Tony’s diary and a “Lonely Planet” guide as we travel the globe from the Gulf States, Egypt, India, Ethiopia, Palestine, Madagascar and Palestine in search of more desert trekking and climbing adventures. The book concludes where part two starts, in Jordan 30 years later, with the completion of the country long, 400 mile, Jordan Trail.
This is a long read but a thoroughly enjoyable one in which we, the readers, are transported to lands and people that most of us will never visit.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews