Higher Ground: A Mountain Guide's Life

by Martin Moran

Martin Moran has been a man of the mountains since youth. Famously, he made the first solo ascent of the Scottish Munros in the winter months, as described in his great book, The Munros in Winter. For decades now he has made his living as a mountain guide based in Strathcarron, Wester Ross. The Scottish hills have by no means bound or defined him though. It was after his ascent of the North Face of the Eiger that he made his decision to take the mountain guide qualifications. Martin has climbed and guided in the Alps, Norway, and the Himalayas, experiencing life changing adventures, near death experiences, meeting and guiding many interesting people. Humour has never been far away, but neither has excitement and interest. Martin Moran has lived life in the mountains to the full and this is his story.

Genres: Travel

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 20, 2014

Reviews

[Tamara Covacevich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure mountaineering gold. An inspiring life, well lived and well told - munros, sea stacks, cuillin, sailing, scottish ice, alps, norway, himalayas - what a treat

[David JW Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hugely inspirational account of a life well-lived. The book includes beautifully written accounts of climbing, mountaineering and trekking adventures in Scotland, the European alps, Norway and the Himalaya. Martin’s passion for the mountains and drive to explore unclimbed/less-travelled regions of the greater ranges is clear. His account also touches on the personal cost of these endeavours, and the challenges associated with negotiating the fine line between personal ambition and responsibility to family and clients. While reading the book, I was struck by the seemingly high number of near misses experienced, but I wonder if this was only an artefact of having included accounts of only the most memorable or formative outings!

[Paul Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read, containing details of many trips around the UK and the world. An overview of his climbing from the early days towards the end of his career, while avoiding repeating details contained in other books and making them still a worth while read.

[andrew mclay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, a bit too much irrelative detail.

A bit too much unnecessary chaff, and for a qualified Guide seemed to be disorganised. More of a hobby than career.

[Stevan · Rating 4 out of 5]

His thoughts about the role of the wilderness and adventure in our lives seem all the more poignant in the light of the events of 2019

[Oscar Burslem · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked this book, found it very inspiring. especially the parts about the alps and scotland.

[Steve Chilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read if you are into climbing. The book covers climbs from his long career including Scotland, Norway, the Alps and Himalayas. As well as the very hard climbs it also has a chapter on his speed traverse of the Cuillin Ridge in Skye. The book was good at making you feel you are there on each climb, but I did feel the detail took over in places.