Riding the Ice Wind: By Kite and Sledge across Antarctica

by Bear Grylls (Foreword), Alastair Vere Nicoll

Leaving the security of friends, work, and a wife, Alastair Vere Nicoll joined a team of young men to harness the katabatic winds and haul and kite-surf across Antarctica: the coldest, windiest, most violent continent on earth. Not since Shackleton nearly perished attempting the same thing in his Endurance expedition had such a crossing been attempted. This is the story not only of the first West-to-East traverse of the continent of Antarctica, but of the crossing of two phases in the author’s life—from youth into manhood,  fantasy into reality. It is also the story of a race against time, as he fought to get home for the birth of his first child. As Alastair battled through the freezing wastes, exploring the earth’s wildest continent and his deepest self, he was haunted by the ghosts of past explorers and by the question of what it is to be a “modern man.”

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Bear Grylls has become known around the world as one of the most recognized faces of survival and outdoor adventure. His journey to this acclaim started in the UK on the Isle of Wight, where his late father taught him to climb and sail. Trained from a young age in martial arts, Bear went on to spend three years as a soldier in the British Special Forces, serving with 21 SAS. It was here that he perfected many of the skills that his fans all over the world enjoy watching him pit against mother-nature. Despite a free-fall parachuting accident in Africa, where he broke his back in three places, and after enduring months in military rehabilitation, Bear went on to become one of the youngest ever climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Bear went on to star in Discovery Channel's Emmy nominated Man Vs Wild and Born Survivor TV series, which has become one of the most watched shows on the planet. Off screen, Bear has lead record-breaking expeditions, from Antarctica to the Arctic, which in turn have raised over £2.5million for children around the world. In recognition of his expertise and service, Bear was appointed as the youngest ever Chief Scout to 28 million Scouts worldwide, awarded an honorary commission as a Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy, and has authored 10 books, including To My Sons.

Reviews

[☼Bookish in Virginia☼]

If you have read Krakauer's "Into Thin Air", Tabor's "Blind Descent", Viesturs' "K2" or even "Danziger's Travels", then you should know that "Riding the Ice Wind" is nothing like them. Whereas those books maintained a certain tone of detachment, what you find Alastair Nicoll's book is a very personal, almost intimate account of his journey across Antarctica.

In some ways Nicoll's introspection brings a new light to cold-weather expeditions as the author opens a window which allows us to see into the intricate maneuvering that's necessary to 'pull it all off'. The problems of finding the right team members, doing the right training, and finally finding the funding. Not to mention the angst that comes from uprooting yourself, throwing your life into a tizzy as you say goodbye to your family -- in this case, the author has to leave his new bride who will probably have their first baby while he is gone.

In many ways, these 'human' elements override the landscape and wretched conditions. I came away from the book admiring the men and how important humor and openness was to the expedition. But I was frustrated by the less than solid grasp I had of the kiting aspect of the trip. And alas, there wasn't a single picture in the book of what the blasted kites looked like. (Though the pictures that were there were phenomenal.)

Overall, well written. It's rather apparent that the author had a top notch British education and I enjoyed his quotes and ruminations. The adventure was interesting and the perspective that the bleak loneliness produced was fascinating. But all-in-all I wasn't quite as awestruck with this book as any of the ones previously listed. To be honest and fair though, I must note that the problem lies not with the book, but with my own preferences in narrative styles. I'm not a fan of first person nor excessive angst. At times I felt that it was just TMI (too much information). BUT just as this makes this only a middlin' read for me, it will probably be a great 'hit' and stunningly good read for others.

[Toby · Rating 4 out of 5]

All in all, I'd say in general that this isn't a great adventure book. But it is a good book and enjoyable to read. Lots of books are written nowadays about gimmicky adventures that are 'the first this' and 'the biggest that' type derivatives of adventures that have already been done. You know, you've heard of a celebrated adventure that amounted to something like "the first rock climber to jump on his left foot while singing 'away in a manger' in Spanish on top of Mount McKinley." While Riding the Ice wind isn't quite that absurd, the adventure itself, while still a huge accomplishment, wasn't terribly unique from a readers' perspective. [return][return]However, I found the human element to be very interesting. Alistair Nicoll had a kind of mid-life crisis a few years early and had to do something drastic to understand himself and his path. He was racing to try and get home for the birth of his first child and was fighting his own internal dialogue the whole way. Something in me resonated with "Ali's" position in life. Also, I found a lot in common with him that made the story really hit home for me.[return][return]The writing itself is a bit better than the average adventure book, and was enjoyable especially because he writes some rather literary and interesting things into the text. For example, comparing the Katabatic winds to the winds in the lower circles of Dante's Inferno. A bit effete, and too much for some people, but right up my alley!

[Rick Bach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely inspiring and relatable book although maybe it helps if you were in the author's A level French class at school.

[Waven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. In turns funny, touching, inspiring, and painful, it was a wonderful story that only got better with a second reading. Like so many men before him, Alastair Nicoll looked at the encroaching mediocrity and predictability of his life and felt the pull of wilderness, of open skies and untamed wind. And what more pristine continent, what wider sky and wilder wind than Antarctica? So after two years of planning in England and two weeks on an ice shelf waiting out bad weather and plane repairs, Alastair's expedition struck off across the "blank space on the map."

The book begins in England, jumps quickly to a time near the end of their stay in Antartica, then backtracks to help lay out the framework of how three strangers and a lawyer converged to conquer a continent. With echoes of the famous Scott, Shackleton, and Amundsen expeditions, Riding the Ice Wind's traveling quartet of Alastair, Paul, Pat, and David face more than just brutal physical conditions in their push for the Pole and beyond. They found a land where bad decisions and bad luck can mean injury, evacuation, or death; where success is measured first in survival, second in how many limbs and appendages survived with you, and only much later in whether or not the original plan was completed; and where your traveling companions are your first and only safety net against complete disaster.

Throughout these trials, Alastair - who admits he is not a polar explorer and never will be - shares openly his thoughts, hopes, fears, and experiences ... whether petty, profane, embarrassing, or otherwise. This way, the reader occupies an intimate position, seeing and experiencing the journey much as Alastair did, even privy to the privy. It may be "too much information" for some, but it is an authentic portrait of life on the ice and is offered up in good humor. This isn't a macho tale of a snowy Rambo but the story of an ordinary man - ordinary men - called to extraordinary places, trying to make sense of life and survive fickle and often alien environments.

For many, Alastair's journey across Antarctica seems about as far removed from their day-to-day life as imaginable. And yet the heart of the journey, the impetus to go and the challenges he faces within himself, are found in just about every facet of the human condition. He begins in a terribly common position, lost in his own life, stifled by predictability, numbed by routine, restless and searching for something to make him feel alive again. "Like ants, we have an infinite capacity to create pointless occupations for ourselves ... a world of endless cycles; circles within circles ... all rotating and counter-rotating ... a powerful vortex that spins in an endless gyre," he explains. "I wanted to break away." And not just on an extended holiday to follow well-worn trails with a McDonald's lurking somewhere nearby. Longing for adventure and something big enough to be seen as a real achievement, torn by social expectations and responsibilities to family, facing the threats of public failure and financial ruin, Alastair explores the same themes of life we all face and finds answers to many of his questions in unexpected places. Full of humor and wisdom, yearning and disillusionment, victory and failure, it is a wonderful book and a worthy read for anyone.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living and working in London in his late twenties, Nicoll found himself discontent with life and thinking more and more about doing something about it. And then a friend passed away in a tragic accident. It was at the funeral that he made the decision to change. To do something to make his friend proud. He told his girlfriend, who later became his wife, that he was leaving his job and organizing an expedition across Antarctica.

And then he set out to make it happen.

For two years he planned and organized and searched for money and studied the routes of famous polar explorers Amundsen and Scott and Shackleton. And he put together a team of 4, two who had been to Antarctica before and two who had not. He was one of the two who had not.

In Riding the Ice Wind, Nicoll shares the entire process of his expedition, from making the decision, to returning home at the end of it. Along the way, he writes brilliant description of one of the planet's most desolate places and shares a lot of his own thoughts on the nature of what our lives have become, full of racing from one busy place to the next, never stopping to just be.

It's a fascinating story full of physical strain and frostbite and every hardship you can imagine, and he tells the story in such a way that I simultaneously long to go to and never want to see Antarctica. I really enjoyed this book and found myself flipping to the epilogue on more than one occasion just to make sure that everything turned out okay.

What I loved most about this book was the fact that it's the story of a normal, average guy. He graduated from college and had a job and a wife and a baby on the way. By all accounts, he had a successful life. The kind of life most people aspire to. And yet, he wanted to do something more. Something that mattered. To leave his mark on the world somehow.

I could relate to that in so many ways. I think most people can. We all have dreams. And along the way we give up those dreams for experiences that are socially acceptable and average. But through this book, I felt awakened. Like it's really possible to go out and live those dreams.

Of course, there is also the not-so-veiled warning that the romanticized view of our dreams isn't always the reality. But I've always believed the things that are worth it are usually difficult. And Riding the Ice Wind is the story of a really difficult experience that was worth it in the end.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alistair's goal was not to just dip his toes into the icy depths of the South Pole, testing his limits of physical and mental endurance, but also to write and publish a book detailing the highs and lows experienced along the way. This shows as the book is well written with a reoccurring philosophical and introspective theme. Alistair not only tells the story of the day to day struggles they encounter but also gives their journey a regular historical reference point, tracing the footsteps of those who have walked before him. He also explores how more and more people, himself included, justify their need to try their hand at being explorers themselves in the modern age. I thoroughly enjoyed this book which was made all the better for being read by headtorch on cold winters nights.