Description
Book SynopsisIn Distant Snows, mountaineer John Harding recollects his worldwide adventures spanning sixty years across Europe, Iran, East Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Arctic. He climbed many classic peaks including Mont Blanc, Mount Kenya, and Mount Cook, explored obscure ranges, and pioneered ski mountaineering expeditions in Turkey, Spain and Greece.
Written with candour, a sharp eye for the tragicomic and with a sympathetic insight into the history and culture of indigenous mountain peoples, Harding’s compelling narrative proclaims the power of nature, the glory of landscape and the spirit of the mountains. Distant Snows is a window into the mind and passions of a mountaineer while faithfully preserving the memory of the many characters who accompanied him on his mountain odyssey.
With a foreword by the celebrated explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison, Distant Snows offers tales of serious undertakings as well as more leisurely exploits, complemented by Harding’s personal photographs and hand-drawn maps. This is a must-read for mountaineers, lovers of the natural world and those with aspirations of adventure.
Trade ReviewThe book is a fantastic reminder that you can have great adventures without being a top flight, up to the moment Tiger. – Stevie Haston
Harding’s numerous achievements, and the fact that he still alive to tell the tale, are proof that much can be attained through determination, some degree of prudence and an open mind. Not only is this book a good read for anyone interested in mountains, Harding's knowledge of the history and culture of the places he visits, so eloquently woven into the narrative, brings a dimension to mountain adventure that will appeal to a wider audience than the mountaineer. – Adele Long, editor of the Alpine Club newsletter
Whether you’re an armchair adventurer, a ski mountaineer, or a travel fanatic you need to read Distant Snows. All 18 chapters will inspire you to get outside, explore the mountains, and chase your dreams. Add this one to your book shelf of mountaineering novels. – Derek Lennon, A Mountain Journey
I think this book will become a classic of its genre, a life story packed with interest, adventure and history. – Dennis Gray
With over 300 pages packed with stories from all the corners of the earth Harding truly has had an insatiable thirst for travel and exploration. – Nick Carter, Alpha Mountaineering
Table of ContentsPreface; Foreword by Robin Hanbury-Tenison OBE; Chapter 1 The Persian Expedition; Chapter 2 At the Crossroads; Chapter 3 Snow on the Equator I: Mount Kenya; Chapter 4 Olympian Heights: Greece and Anatolia; Chapter 5 Snow on the Equator II: Mount Kenya and Ruwenzori; Chapter 6 Kurdish Hakkiari; Chapter 7 Antipodean Ventures I; Chapter 8 Mixed Fortunes; Chapter 9 Mountains of Paradise; Chapter 10 End of an Era; Chapter 11 'Ski mountaineering is mountaineering'; Chapter 12 Antipodean Ventures II; Chapter 13 The Taurus; Chapter 14 The Pontic Alps; Chapter 15 Mediterranean Snow to Arctic Ice; Chapter 16 Hellas Rears its Mountains; Chapter 17 Alpine Envoi; Chapter 18 Treks Far and Wide; Bibliography; Index.
