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One Day As A Tiger - Alex MacIntyre and the birth of light and fast alpinism Out Now

© Vertebrate Publishing

The wall was the ambition, the style became the obsession.’

In the autumn of 1982, a single stone fell from high on the south face of Annapurna and struck Alex MacIntyre on the head, killing him instantly and robbing the climbing world of one of its greatest talents.

Although only twenty-eight years old, Alex was already one of the leading figures of British mountaineering’s most successful era. His ascents included hard new routes on Himalayan giants like Dhaulagiri and Changabang and a glittering record of firsts in the Alps and Andes.

Yet how Alex climbed was as important as what he climbed. He was a mountaineering prophet, sharing with a handful of contemporaries – including his climbing partner Voytek Kurtyka – the vision of a purer form of alpinism on the world’s highest peaks.

One Day As A Tiger, John Porter’s revelatory and poignant memoir of his friend Alex MacIntyre, shows mountaineering at its extraordinary best and tragic worst – and draws an unforgettable picture of a dazzling, argumentative and exuberant legend.

Signed copies of One Day As A Tiger are now available to order from www.v-publishing.co.uk.

Reaction to the book 

‘A book on climbing both humorous and perceptive, as close to the essence of our life as you can get.’
Doug Scott

'One Day as a Tiger is a brilliant read on so many different levels: a vivid and perceptive biography of one of the most talented and innovative climbers of his generation, but going much further to unveil a forgotten story which encompasses the breathtaking confidence of the anarchistic and dynamic climbing culture that grew up during the cold war on both sides of the Iron Curtain.'
Chris Bonington

‘A meticulously-researched history of a generation of climbers so fuelled by ambition and adrenalin that they came close to climbing themselves into extinction. In telling the story of Alex MacIntyre’s meteoric, too-short life, the author explores difficult questions that all climbers grapple with: the fickleness of luck, the fragility of friendship and the frailty of life.’
Bernadette McDonald

‘Sid Vicious sang ”Regrets, I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention.” One of my greatest regrets is never having the chance to meet Alex Macintyre. He was a true inspiration. In One Day As A Tiger, John Porter skilfully and eloquently fills the gaps and answers the questions about a time and a style in British mountaineering that were as refreshing as punk rock was to music in the 1970s.’
Nick Bullock

 


For more information Vertebrate Publishing



4 Sep, 2014
Any chance it'll be in the shops this weekend ? (I'll be in the UK for the weekend)
15 Sep, 2014
Hi Doug, sorry not to reply in time for your visit to the UK - only just seen your message! We post overseas so if you order from the website we can send a copy out to you.

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