Riding the Ice Wind: By Kite and Sledge across Antarctica

Riding the Ice Wind: By Kite and Sledge across Antarctica

by Bear Grylls (Foreword), Alastair Vere Nicoll (Author), Bear Grylls (Foreword), Bear Grylls (Foreword)

Synopsis

Adrift in a life without risk or surprise and with a burning desire to make some sense of his place in the world, Alastair Vere Nicoll dived into the unknown. Leaving the security of friends, work and a wife, he 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. For Alastair, Antarctica was a land of legend and mystery, the ultimate test of strength, endurance and bravery; a place where he might feed his restlessness and find meaning in the emptiness. Not since Shackleton had nearly perished attempting the same thing in his Endurance expedition had such a crossing been attempted. This is the story of the first West to East traverse of the continent of Antarctica and of a race against time as Alastair fought to get home for the birth of his first child. Told with honesty and wisdom and adorned with some bewitching descriptions of Antarctica, Riding the Ice Wind is a compelling and subtly important book for our times.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 272
Publisher: I B Tauris & Co Ltd
Published: 28 Jun 2010

ISBN 10: 1848853068
ISBN 13: 9781848853065

Media Reviews
'A remarkable journey in the footsteps of Roald Amundsen, the first man to the South Pole. Riding the Ice Wind is a thoroughly engaging and personal story that makes the mental landscape of a polar expedition relevant to the myriad decisions and struggles we face in real life - and from which we often wish to escape.' - Sir Ranulph Fiennes; 'This is a heart-led account of one of the longest, hardest polar journeys of recent years. It is a testament that enduring hardship isn't about bravado but about a quiet, at times faltering, daily decision to endure.' - Bear Grylls, Born Survivor, Man vs. Wild; 'It's extremely heartening to discover, through a text that is beautifully and powerfully written, that a younger generation of adventurers has got what it takes - and more. They prove themselves worthy successors to their heroes, Amundsen, Shackleton and Scott.' - John Hare, author of The Lost Camels of Tartary; 'An original and compelling book that really gets into the psyche of adventure and the conflict between the call of responsibility and the desire for freedom. I thoroughly enjoyed it.' - Jonny Bealby, Wild Frontiers
Author Bio
Alastair Vere Nicoll runs a renewable energy business and lives in London with his wife and two children. This is his first book.