For climber Paul Pritchard, the biggest challenge he ever faced wasn't a mountain but the long climb back to life. Not his former life of the 1990s, when he surfed many of the world's most treacherous rock faces. The boulder that crushed him while he was climbing the Totem Pole in Tasmania put a stop to that. A six-year struggle with hemiplegia and brain injury followed, slowly reassembling his world physically, emotionally and mentally. Progress is halting but also triumphant and often blackly humorous. Geographically, he progresses from careering downhill in Snowdonia, not entirely in control of a tricycle, via a dubious Moroccan expedition, to ascents of both Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro. And two love affairs, one with Tasmania, where he now lives, and the other with Jane, one of the nurses who took care of him after the accident. Now married, they have a small daughter, Cadi. "The Longest Climb" is full of life, a moving and unblinkered view of a battered climber who refuses to turn his back on the mountains.
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About the Author
Paul Pritchard's first book, Deep Play: A Climber's Odyssey from Llanberis to the Big Walls, won him the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature. Ironically, it was the prize money that launched him on the climbing tour that ended on the Totem Pole in Tasmania. His next book, The Totem Pole and a Whole New Adventure, tells the story of that seastack rockfall and its consequences. It won the Boardman Tasker a second time and the Grand Mountain Book Prize at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival in Canada.
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More About the Author
Climbing defined Paul Pritchard's existence and sign-posted his horizons.
He earned international respect as a cutting-edge climber and mountaineer. He has published three books:
'Deep Play' won the prestigious Boardman/Tasker Award for mountain literature (link) in 1997 and the 'Totem Pole' won both the 1999 Boardman/Tasker Award and the 1999 Banff Mountain Book Festival Grand Prize. He is the only author to win the Boardman/Tasker Award twice. And recently he completed 'The Longest Climb'.
During a planned year-long trip climbing around the world, Paul suffered an appalling head injury whilst climbing the 'Totem Pole' in Tasmania. He suffered hemiplegia, a paralysis of one side of his body and lost the power of speech for many months.
Since his accident Paul has continued to lead a challenging life climbing Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro amongst other mountains. His third book 'The Longest Climb' is the sequel to the Totem Pole epic.
He earned international respect as a cutting-edge climber and mountaineer. He has published three books:
'Deep Play' won the prestigious Boardman/Tasker Award for mountain literature (link) in 1997 and the 'Totem Pole' won both the 1999 Boardman/Tasker Award and the 1999 Banff Mountain Book Festival Grand Prize. He is the only author to win the Boardman/Tasker Award twice. And recently he completed 'The Longest Climb'.
During a planned year-long trip climbing around the world, Paul suffered an appalling head injury whilst climbing the 'Totem Pole' in Tasmania. He suffered hemiplegia, a paralysis of one side of his body and lost the power of speech for many months.
Since his accident Paul has continued to lead a challenging life climbing Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro amongst other mountains. His third book 'The Longest Climb' is the sequel to the Totem Pole epic.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pritchard's best yet.,
By Jane Eyre (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Longest Climb (Paperback)
'The Totem Pole' was a dramatic true story but some of the narrative did not flow too easily. 'The Longest Climb' is the sequel and the author's improvement since his accident shows in the polished upgrade in his writing style. An excellent read of one man's battle with hemiplegic disability to find his niche again in society and overcome what life has thrown at him.
A book to be read not only by rock climbers but by anyone interested in understanding what the human body can overcome in the face of all odds.
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