Mountain: A Life on the Rocks

by Steve Backshall

Steve Backshall has been climbing since his teens and has a genuine love affair with the mountains, and with an environment that has the power to make a human being feel very small, very vulnerable and very alive.

Mountain: A Life on the Rocks is the dramatic account of a life of daring, a narrative peppered with memorable anecdotes. In 2008 Steve broke his back climbing in Wales. It gave him the motivation to contend with his devils and seek new challenges. His gripping memoir flashes back to his advanced Himalayan mountaineer qualification with the Indian army, surrounded by soaring lammergeiers (which the Tibetans use to crunch down the bones of their dead and bear their spirits skywards), chough and ravens. It also describes the first ascent of Mount Kuli in the Bornean rainforest in search of new species of animals, and tells of the traumas and near-death experiences Steve went through summiting this menacing peak. He tells of Karakoram, and the foothills around K2, the world's second-highest mountain, and the other Himalayan challenges of Lhotse and Cho Oyu, and of his climbing companion's fall into a crevasse on the trail of a snow leopard. Another marvellous episode is the first ascent of the Venezuelan sandstone massif, Tepuis, and sleeping out on the rockface for five days.

Mountain: A Life on the Rocks is both a quest and a wonderfully absorbing autobiography by one of Britain's most intrepid climbers.

Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography, Travel

356 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2015

Reviews

[Rory Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suprisingly entertaining.
A series of reports from Steve Backshall's TV and personal exhibitions showcasing his adventures in Jungles, Himalyas and even on local crags in the UK.
Some of the chapters read on a similar level to university students exhibition reports from a climbing club while others are fantastic reads (such as the rock climb part of the Lost Lands of the Jaguar). It follows a typical hero's journey arc where there is a crisis chapter near the middle with each subsequent chapter describing the aftermath.
Steve Backshall seems like a very interesting and very down to earth person which comes across in his writing. He is however exceedingly English with his excessive humbleness and need to apologise for his lack of ability.
What I took away is that what he lacks in ability he makes up for in just raw determination, drive and the need have grand adventures.
Recommended for average climbers like myself. It's not up there with the greats of the genre, but it was still enjoyable.

[Lee Hulme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mountains for the mind

An inspirational book, this book covers the highs and lows of adventure along with a nature lesson thrown in, would highly recommend. “One Life Live It”

[Jonny Ambrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. On a par with - & in many places better than - Bear Grylls. Loved way SB adds insights & personal philosphy to events as they happen in the field. Also very funny in parts too.

[Ben Hayward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best non-fiction book I've ever read

[Kat Noble · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Backshall shares his travels and life as a mountaineer. He has worked for National Geographic and the BBC.

He shares tales of climbing in the Himalayas, jungles, Arctic and the UK. The stories are linear, following his training and preparation for certain climbs, and his recovery from injury after a bad fall while climbing in the Wye Valley.

His enthusiasm for his work and the natural world is clear, he is drawn to the mountains and loves what he does. He is self-aware of his shortcomings and mistakes, sharing them openly and what he learned from them, in some cases they were almost more valuable and memorable to him than his successes.

The tone encourages readers to get out into the world and explore for themselves. The variety of stories and situations made for an interesting and engaging read, opening up a new world of sport and adventure for me.

[Danny Whatmough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the final chapter and afterword while watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall... That was surreal.

I wanted to give the book 5 stars, I really did.
I liked Steve's humour, his writing style was easy and my level of jealousy towards his adventures is untrue, but somehow the book just didn't grab me.

Had I not been pushing to finish it before Christmas I'm sure it would have taken me far longer to read... Would still recommend happily though.

[Steve Chilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining read. These are stories from Steve Backshall's life around the world and back in the UK. Backshall seems like a very interesting and very down to earth person who comes across well in his writing. My take is that what he is not the best at anything, but he makes up for in his determination and drive on his adventures. It's not up there with the greats, but it was still enjoyable.

[Ben Shepherd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite an interesting account of some of Steve Backshall's recent adventures, and a bit of an insight into his very driven personality. Downright terrifying in parts!