Description
Book SynopsisWhat are the rules of etiquette in a bothy full of strangers?
How cold, exactly, can a Scottish summer get?
And how many cans of beer can a man carry whilst fording a swollen river?
Second Man on the Rope tackles all these questions and more, a celebrating Scotland’s mountains come sun, sleet or snow, through the stories of a great climbing partnership.
Ranging from the Cairngorms to Glencoe, from Nevis to Knoydart and from the Cuillin to the Cobbler, this book weaves the story of a friendship amongst witty – and often alarming – tales of mountaineering mishaps. These richly entertaining tales will delight all who love the Scottish hills – be they mountaineers, day-outers, Munro-baggers (like the author) or merely armchair ramblers.
Written with a wealth of knowledge, this mountaineering classic is a warm and witty celebration of friendship, forged over many years, between the author and his ‘first man’ – Davie. Together they form one of the great double acts of climbing literature. They face with humour and fortitude all that the mountains can pit against them – winter avalanches, raging rivers, rats in bothies and Brummies in baseball boots.
Trade ReviewOne of Scotland’s most distinguished mountain writers. - THE GREAT OUTDOORS MAGAZINE
He knows his mountains and his history and that awareness informs almost every page. - SCOTS MAGAZINE
Table of ContentsPreface: Mountain Days in Thatcherzeit
Chapter 1 Rover’s Return
Chapter 2 Lagan Behind
Chapter 3 A Hourn Escape
Chapter 4 A Torrid Affair
Chapter 5 The End of Something
Chapter 6 Coldsville
Chapter 7 Cockaleekie
Chapter 8 Fire and Ice
Chapter 9 The Ridge and the Midge
Chapter 10 Special Offer
Chapter 11 The Ascent of Nymphet Crack
Chapter 12 Before a Fall
Chapter 13 Trench Warfare
Chapter 14 Hohenweg
Chapter 15 The Young Team
Chapter 16 Forcan Terrible
Chapter 17 Rats’ Feet on Broken Past
Chapter 18 Keeping Cuillin Difficulty
Chapter 19 Crossing the River
Chapter 20 Crowberry Curfew
Chapter 21 A Short Walk With Our Publisher
Chapter 22 Completing: The End of an Auld Sang
