British mountaineer and author Nick Bullock has won the Mountain Literature (non-fiction) category in the Banff Mountain Book Competition - part of the annual Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival in Canada - with his memoir Tides: a climber's voyage by Vertebrate Publishing.
Banff Books 2018
In 2017, Nick's essay 'Threshold Shift', published in Alpinist magazine, won the Mountaineering Article category. Tides is also short-listed for the 2018 Boardman Tasker Award. In 2013, Nick's debut book Echoes was short-listed for both the Boardman Tasker Award and the Mountain and Wilderness Literature category at the 2013 Banff Mountain Book Festival.
Unfortunately, Nick is currently on expedition in China climbing Minya Konka and will therefore not be able to receive the news until he's back in contact with the outside world!
Competition judge Ian Welsted said: 'In Tides Nick Bullock carries us with him on the sought-after dream life of a pro climber, seasonally migrating from Llanberis to Chamonix, and other hotspots along the way. Young want-to-be-sponsored climbing bums beware, all is not glory on this path, for as well as the slippery sea-cliff holds, long runouts and Himalayan storms lie other perils: self-questioning, angst at ageing, failed relationships, and a search for meaning. Evocative stories which have become campground lore, Nick offers a glimpse into his mind in the life to which he has committed.'
The award winners were chosen by a jury from a longlist of 27 finalists, taken from 145 book submissions, by authors in 14 different countries. The winner of the Grand Prize - chosen from the following category winners - will be announced during the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival from 28th October-5th November, where category winners will also be awarded their prizes. The decision rests in the hands of jury members Ian Welsted (CAN, climber, Piolet d'Or winner, writer), Paula Wright (USA, writer, Associate Editor at Alpinist Magazine), and Larry Stanier (CAN, mountain guide).
Category Award Winners
Adventure Travel
$2000 - Sponsored by Fjällräven
Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road
Kate Harris, Penguin Random House Canada (Canada, 2018)
Mountain Fiction & Poetry
$2000 – Sponsored by Grimms Fine Foods
The Eight Mountains
Paolo Cognetti, Penguin Random House – Vintage (UK, 2018)
Mountain Literature (non-fiction) – The Jon Whyte Award
$2000 - Sponsored by the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
Tides: a climber's voyage
Nick Bullock, Vertebrate Publishing (UK, 2018)
Mountain Environment and Natural History
$2000 – Sponsored by Town of Banff
The Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West
Nate Blakeslee, Penguin Random House Canada (Canada, 2017)
Mountain Image
$2000 – Sponsored by Lake O'Hara Lodge
The Canadian Rockies: Rediscovered
Paul Zizka, Rocky Mountain Books (Canada, 2017)
Guidebooks
$2000 – Sponsored by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides
Squamish Rockclimbs
Kevin McLane and Andrew Boyd, High Col Press (Canada, 2018)
Mountaineering Article
$2000 – Sponsored by the University of Alberta and the Alpine Club of Canada
Contraindications
Alison Criscitiello, Alpinist Magazine (USA, August 2017)
Mountaineering History
$2000 – Sponsored by Rab
Honouring High Places: The Mountain Life of Junko Tabei
Junko Tabei and Helen Rolfe, Rocky Mountain Books (Canada, 2017)
Special Jury Mentions:
Atlas of a Lost World
Craig Childs, Pantheon Books (USA, 2018)
Bert Riggall's Greater Waterton: A Conservation Legacy
Beth Russell-Towe, Fifth House Publishers (Canada, 2018)
Grand Prize – The Phyllis and Don Munday Award
$4000 – Sponsored by the Alpine Club of Canada
All category award winners are eligible for the Grand Prize (The Phyllis and Don Munday Award) which will be announced Thursday, November 1st, 2018 at Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival.
Kendal Mountain Festival 2018
Kendal Mountain Festival (15th-18th November) is an award-winning event that has grown in size and diversity over the last 18 years. It is also the main social event for outdoor enthusiasts in the UK. Thousands of outdoor enthusiasts plus media industry specialists, athletes, top brands & equipment manufacturers, artists, photographers, adventurers, explorers and inspirational speakers gather every year to share adventures and celebrate the very best in outdoor and adventure sports culture.
The Tides book event will take place on Saturday 17th November 19:30-21:00. Nick will be attending to speak about his adventures and the process of writing the book.
Natalie - I'm posting here because you might read it, even though I know it's in the wrong place.
I just want to say it's very frustrating when some types of articles on UKC don't leave the option for comments. Currently, Neil Gresham's excellent article on heel hooking. Excellent, except that Sloth was climbed in 1954, certainly not "in the seventies". There has to be a space to point these things out!
Comments
Congratulations to Nick!
Perhaps I'm wrong, but isn't it Minya Konka?
Yep! Blame Vertebrate...;)
Natalie - I'm posting here because you might read it, even though I know it's in the wrong place.
I just want to say it's very frustrating when some types of articles on UKC don't leave the option for comments. Currently, Neil Gresham's excellent article on heel hooking. Excellent, except that Sloth was climbed in 1954, certainly not "in the seventies". There has to be a space to point these things out!
Hi Derek,
You’re able to post on Neil’s article here: https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/ukc/technique_-_heel_hooking-694200
At the bottom of the article there’s a link to the associated forum thread.
Nick
You can reply to it...
Edit - Nick beat me to it.