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Tides: A Climber's Voyage
Nick Bullock is a climber who lives in a small green van, flitting between Llanberis, Wales, and Chamonix in the French Alps. Tides, Nick’s second book, is the much-anticipated follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut Echoes.
Now retired from the strain of work as a prison officer, Nick is free to climb. A lot. Tides is a treasury of his antics and adventures with some of the world’s leading climbers, including Steve House, Kenton Cool, Nico Favresse, Andy Houseman and James McHaffie. Follow Nick and his partners as they push the limits on some of the world’s most serious routes: The Bells! The Bells! and The Hollow Man on Gogarth’s North Stack Wall; the Slovak Direct on Denali; Guerdon Grooves on Buachaille Etive Mor; and the north faces of Chang Himal and Mount Alberta, among countless others.
Nick’s life can be equated to the rhythm of the sea. At high tide, he climbs, he loves it, he is good at it; he laughs and jokes, scares himself, falls, gets back up and climbs some more. Then the tide goes out and he finds himself alone, exposed, all questions and no answers. Self-doubt, grieving for friends or family, fearful, sometimes opinionated, occasionally angry – his writing more honest and exposed than in any account of a climb. Only when the tide turns is he able to forget once more.
Tides is a gripping memoir that captures the very essence of what it means to dedicate one’s life to climbing.
Now retired from the strain of work as a prison officer, Nick is free to climb. A lot. Tides is a treasury of his antics and adventures with some of the world’s leading climbers, including Steve House, Kenton Cool, Nico Favresse, Andy Houseman and James McHaffie. Follow Nick and his partners as they push the limits on some of the world’s most serious routes: The Bells! The Bells! and The Hollow Man on Gogarth’s North Stack Wall; the Slovak Direct on Denali; Guerdon Grooves on Buachaille Etive Mor; and the north faces of Chang Himal and Mount Alberta, among countless others.
Nick’s life can be equated to the rhythm of the sea. At high tide, he climbs, he loves it, he is good at it; he laughs and jokes, scares himself, falls, gets back up and climbs some more. Then the tide goes out and he finds himself alone, exposed, all questions and no answers. Self-doubt, grieving for friends or family, fearful, sometimes opinionated, occasionally angry – his writing more honest and exposed than in any account of a climb. Only when the tide turns is he able to forget once more.
Tides is a gripping memoir that captures the very essence of what it means to dedicate one’s life to climbing.
389 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 17, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 29, 2019
This is an excellent book, highly recommended. Nick Bullock’s well received first book, Echoes, published in 2012 also by Vertebrate Publishing chronicled his journey from prison warder in a high security prison to becoming a full time climber at the relatively late age of 28. Tides follows a different structure, essentially episodic with chapters on alpine winter climbing, expeditions to the Himalaya, South America and Alaska, interspersed with hard rock climbing adventures, mostly in North Wales.
This is not just a record of hard climbing. Nick has a keen eye for observing and recording nature and wildlife. He is excellent at capturing the mundane and the familiar, such as a ferry crossing or a motorway journey with its curious respite in a service station surrounded by the mundane.
There are regular flashbacks to his earlier life, with frank but sympathetic portraits of his mother and father, early family camping trips and visits to the narrow boat which his parents had bought in their retirement.
There is plenty of climbing. Nick’s thirst for crumbling rock on sea cliffs and mountain adventures further afield is astonishing. Hardship, danger and technical difficulty are described vividly, sometimes unsentimentally and occasionally with emotion. Failures are not overlooked, Nick ponders on why he is driven to climb so intensively as he sees his motivations gradually alter as he approaches middle-age.
You could easily read this in a couple of sittings or enjoy it one chapter at a time. Some essays work better than others. Highlights include The pitfalls of a Peroni supermodel which is genuinely funny and Dawn to dusk to dawn, a nightmare encounter with a grizzly bear in Alberta. A late chapter featuring Paul Ramsden which wins them the coveted Piolet D’Or for a first ascent in the Himalaya is almost understated and mixed with painful memories following the recent death of his mother.
Personal relationships come and go as might be expected from such a committed climber. No mountaineer exists solely in climbing bubble and Nick manages to convey passion, regret and sometimes yearning for a more conventional life, told, emotionally but sensitively.
Occasionally Nick tries a little too hard to be poetic although his writing has undoubtedly matured since Echoes. He recognises that a climbing book must be much more than a mere logbook of ascents. No time is wasted explaining grades or the technicalities of climbing; this should in no way deter the armchair mountaineer. Deaths of climbing partners and friends are not overlooked, it is understood that climbing at this level will have consequences. Poignantly Nick admits that he feels lucky and relieved to have outlived his mother.
One irritation to me at least. The conferring of nicknames to people previously formally introduced. So we have “The Youth” and then “Not-So-Youth” and most annoyingly “The Hippy” for Graham Desroy, used interminably. This seems like an unnecessary affectation, but no matter it’s still a very good book.
This is not just a record of hard climbing. Nick has a keen eye for observing and recording nature and wildlife. He is excellent at capturing the mundane and the familiar, such as a ferry crossing or a motorway journey with its curious respite in a service station surrounded by the mundane.
There are regular flashbacks to his earlier life, with frank but sympathetic portraits of his mother and father, early family camping trips and visits to the narrow boat which his parents had bought in their retirement.
There is plenty of climbing. Nick’s thirst for crumbling rock on sea cliffs and mountain adventures further afield is astonishing. Hardship, danger and technical difficulty are described vividly, sometimes unsentimentally and occasionally with emotion. Failures are not overlooked, Nick ponders on why he is driven to climb so intensively as he sees his motivations gradually alter as he approaches middle-age.
You could easily read this in a couple of sittings or enjoy it one chapter at a time. Some essays work better than others. Highlights include The pitfalls of a Peroni supermodel which is genuinely funny and Dawn to dusk to dawn, a nightmare encounter with a grizzly bear in Alberta. A late chapter featuring Paul Ramsden which wins them the coveted Piolet D’Or for a first ascent in the Himalaya is almost understated and mixed with painful memories following the recent death of his mother.
Personal relationships come and go as might be expected from such a committed climber. No mountaineer exists solely in climbing bubble and Nick manages to convey passion, regret and sometimes yearning for a more conventional life, told, emotionally but sensitively.
Occasionally Nick tries a little too hard to be poetic although his writing has undoubtedly matured since Echoes. He recognises that a climbing book must be much more than a mere logbook of ascents. No time is wasted explaining grades or the technicalities of climbing; this should in no way deter the armchair mountaineer. Deaths of climbing partners and friends are not overlooked, it is understood that climbing at this level will have consequences. Poignantly Nick admits that he feels lucky and relieved to have outlived his mother.
One irritation to me at least. The conferring of nicknames to people previously formally introduced. So we have “The Youth” and then “Not-So-Youth” and most annoyingly “The Hippy” for Graham Desroy, used interminably. This seems like an unnecessary affectation, but no matter it’s still a very good book.
June 12, 2019
The title of this book is very good! As the original description suggests, the mood and thoughts of the author in this book does change just like the tides of the sea. 'Tides' is a collection of essays which form a memoir of the authors life climbing.
I did enjoy reading this book although I did find I liked some chapters more than others. From the very start the author begins with the story of leaving his job of many years in the prison service in order to pursue his passion of climbing. Each chapter of the book, or essay, is a on a seperate story of climbing, with many of the stories featuring flash backs to the authors earlier life. I liked the way this was done, the 'fash back' moments are printed in a different font and give you a deeper sense into the author's past and how that could have affected his climbs.
Something I found interesting about this book compared to others I've read is the way that Nick Bullock does at times criticise his own climbing ability and down plays his achievements and does it with good humour. These moments are part of deep self-reflection and with certain chapters you feel the sadness and darkness that he feels over certain experiences including with some relationships. But at other times his stories take on a humorous air, I especially liked one particular tale about his climb with a well-known individual and his own behaviour in trying to show off, I couldn't help but laugh at that last part about kissing his boots! And the amazing story about what happened with a bear! It was a very engaging story, an obviously scary moment but described in a way that was funny.
Chapters which featured what happened to Nick's family, among the stories of his climbs, make you feel more connected with him, I think I enjoyed reading this book much more because of these extra moments, than if it had been purely about the climbing.
I hadn't read the author's first book 'Echos' before reading this one but I have liked this and there's no need to read the first book in order to enjoy this one. There are some glossy pages with photographs of some of Nick's cliimbs and both of him and his climbing partners. As someone who doesn't climb it was good to see these as it really gives you more of a sense of exactly how amazing the climbs are and the beautiful landscape. I also loved the picture of the narrowboat!
Overall I did enjoy this book although there were a few chapters that I found harder to get into than others. I'm not sure why, sometimes I really enjoyed some of the essays, but at other times there were texts I just wasn't so engaged in, but overall this was a good book and I did enjoy reading it.
-Thanks to Vertebrate Publishing for a free copy for review.
I did enjoy reading this book although I did find I liked some chapters more than others. From the very start the author begins with the story of leaving his job of many years in the prison service in order to pursue his passion of climbing. Each chapter of the book, or essay, is a on a seperate story of climbing, with many of the stories featuring flash backs to the authors earlier life. I liked the way this was done, the 'fash back' moments are printed in a different font and give you a deeper sense into the author's past and how that could have affected his climbs.
Something I found interesting about this book compared to others I've read is the way that Nick Bullock does at times criticise his own climbing ability and down plays his achievements and does it with good humour. These moments are part of deep self-reflection and with certain chapters you feel the sadness and darkness that he feels over certain experiences including with some relationships. But at other times his stories take on a humorous air, I especially liked one particular tale about his climb with a well-known individual and his own behaviour in trying to show off, I couldn't help but laugh at that last part about kissing his boots! And the amazing story about what happened with a bear! It was a very engaging story, an obviously scary moment but described in a way that was funny.
Chapters which featured what happened to Nick's family, among the stories of his climbs, make you feel more connected with him, I think I enjoyed reading this book much more because of these extra moments, than if it had been purely about the climbing.
I hadn't read the author's first book 'Echos' before reading this one but I have liked this and there's no need to read the first book in order to enjoy this one. There are some glossy pages with photographs of some of Nick's cliimbs and both of him and his climbing partners. As someone who doesn't climb it was good to see these as it really gives you more of a sense of exactly how amazing the climbs are and the beautiful landscape. I also loved the picture of the narrowboat!
Overall I did enjoy this book although there were a few chapters that I found harder to get into than others. I'm not sure why, sometimes I really enjoyed some of the essays, but at other times there were texts I just wasn't so engaged in, but overall this was a good book and I did enjoy reading it.
-Thanks to Vertebrate Publishing for a free copy for review.
October 10, 2019
Bullock aims high, which is great. (Ironically, many climbing memoirs don't.) But, from my vantage, I don't think he even reached the ridgeline. The climbing descriptions didn't work for me—too technical. I never really identified with, or understood, his personal issues.
> All night in our small cave, while Houseman appears to sleep, I make conversation in my head. "Why did you fail?" We failed because of bad conditions, poor weather, dangerous climbing, sickness; because we went the wrong way, because the gear was stolen. Because we weren’t strong enough, hard enough, good enough; because we are useless dreamers. For once, after a trip, all I want is to answer the question, "Did you summit?" with a simple "Yes".
> Some of the less honest things I have said or done, of which I am less than proud, still haunt me, and I have learnt that my life is more healthy with honesty. I have stripped myself to skin, bone and sinew to make myself light. Ego and the fear of failure could, at one time, weigh me down, but fortunately not that often any more.
> I had lost Mum and I had already crossed the halfway point in my own life and as I lay on the bench looking at the stars, I knew this queue was the same queue that we all stood in. Realising this almost made me weep, but it also made this life time-expanding, and the sacrifice to live it, even more worthwhile
> Mountains once seemed to protect me from such realities. There was always some part of me that wanted to be a hero…
> All night in our small cave, while Houseman appears to sleep, I make conversation in my head. "Why did you fail?" We failed because of bad conditions, poor weather, dangerous climbing, sickness; because we went the wrong way, because the gear was stolen. Because we weren’t strong enough, hard enough, good enough; because we are useless dreamers. For once, after a trip, all I want is to answer the question, "Did you summit?" with a simple "Yes".
> Some of the less honest things I have said or done, of which I am less than proud, still haunt me, and I have learnt that my life is more healthy with honesty. I have stripped myself to skin, bone and sinew to make myself light. Ego and the fear of failure could, at one time, weigh me down, but fortunately not that often any more.
> I had lost Mum and I had already crossed the halfway point in my own life and as I lay on the bench looking at the stars, I knew this queue was the same queue that we all stood in. Realising this almost made me weep, but it also made this life time-expanding, and the sacrifice to live it, even more worthwhile
> Mountains once seemed to protect me from such realities. There was always some part of me that wanted to be a hero…
April 30, 2019
A fantastic read for climbers and non-climbers alike. We all have our passions, and whilst Nick’s may seem to some as extreme, he makes the challenges he faced during them so relatable - whether that be a penchant for lager the night before a big route with a tight deadline, or getting into arguments about who was there first...
A life full of colourful characters, awe inspiring locations, and brushes with death. Everything I could want in a book, packaged beautifully, and written with Nick’s usual honest and relatable style.
A life full of colourful characters, awe inspiring locations, and brushes with death. Everything I could want in a book, packaged beautifully, and written with Nick’s usual honest and relatable style.
March 20, 2019
Brilliant book about life, climbing, and the internal challenges we all face
February 14, 2020
Wow. Avrei voluto/vorrei scriverlo io un libro così. Una bellissima raccolta di ricordi di scalate e di grandi imprese inframmezzate con riflessioni sulla vita che passa, sulla scala delle priorità, sul mezzo del cammin di nostra vita, sull’amore, sulla difficoltà dei rapporti, su quello che si cerca veramente nella vita, su quello che ottiene dalla vita e come lo gestiamo, sui nostri genitori che invecchiano e poi muoiono, sulla social pressure, sul rapporto tra alpinismo e social, sui risultati/fallimenti/ambizioni e social. Ogni scalata, ogni passo in montagna è stato un passaggio di maturità per Nick Bullock, alpinista britannico di punta con una storia particolare: lascia la scuola a 16 anni e presto diventa un secondino in un carcere di massima sicurezza in Inghilterra: quello che voleva di più da questo lavoro era la stabilità economica per comprarsi una casa e la sicurezza di una pensione. A vent’otto anni scopre l’arrampicata e dopo quindici anni al servizio della regina, abbandona per dedicarsi all’alpinismo in maniera professionale. E ci riesce alla grandissima cimentandosi poi in parallelo con la scrittura ottenendo anche in questo campo grandi risultati. Veramente un gran bel libro che offre tanti spunti interessanti e profondi di riflessione: sebbene non mi sia ritrovata sempre nelle considerazioni o conclusioni di Nick Bullock ho apprezzato molto il suo desiderio di ricerca personale, altrettanto importante per lui quanto l’alpinismo.
July 29, 2023
3.5
I'm not a climber and picked this up from an Oxfam bookshop as something different to read.
It's an interesting insight into the psyche of climbers, my hobby of birding can be similarly addictive if usually less dangerous and I understood a lot of the points being made.
Nick writes well, exceptionally so in places. Ultimately though it gets a bit repetitive and the book could have been shorter without losing the arc of the changes in the author's outlook and perspective.
I'm not a climber and picked this up from an Oxfam bookshop as something different to read.
It's an interesting insight into the psyche of climbers, my hobby of birding can be similarly addictive if usually less dangerous and I understood a lot of the points being made.
Nick writes well, exceptionally so in places. Ultimately though it gets a bit repetitive and the book could have been shorter without losing the arc of the changes in the author's outlook and perspective.
January 7, 2021
I thought this was better than Nick Bullock's first book Echoes. The prison wardon chapters in Echoes provided a nice story arc, but I found them a little dull to be honest. Tides on the other hand focuses more on the climbing and is better for it in my opinion. It lacks the structure of the first book, but the variety of climbing is still there, from sea cliff adventures at Gogarth to climbing in the Greater Ranges. It is very well written, as expected from Nick Bullock - funny at times and poignant at others.
June 29, 2018
Excellent
Fantastic read. Very thought provoking and powerful. Nick has a great skill to transfer the reader to various terrifying situations around the world.
Fantastic read. Very thought provoking and powerful. Nick has a great skill to transfer the reader to various terrifying situations around the world.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews